JEFF TURK

Many years ago, when I was still in school, I had time to think about life and reflect deeply. I wrote down two little visions for my life. Neither is super creative or unique, but they spoke to things that were important to me. One motto was to “do good by doing well.” And that little statement has led me to a life of amazing adventures that occasionally make a difference to my family and society. And the second was to “work with people who I like, respect, and trust.” Decades ago, I figured the only way I would ever achieve that objective was to start my own business. I look forward to going to work to see people I like, respect, and trust.

Formaspace specializes in custom, engineer-to-order manufacturing, which I think is awesome because we see all the problems clients face that aren’t getting solved elsewhere. Every day is a new adventure, and we get to make tangible things, which we think are fun.

I’ve been fortunate to learn from the best business minds the world has to offer. However, there is one person who has given more good business advice than anyone else I’ve met, its award-winning professor, best-selling author, Madison Dearborn Executive Partner, and former Baxter Chairman and CEO Harry Kraemer. I owe more to Harry than I could ever possibly repay. Harry believes in leading with one’s values, and there’s a lot to unpack in that regard. But if there’s just one piece of advice Harry gives that sticks in my head in every challenging situation, it’s to make sure to understand before being understood.

I would switch places with my younger self. To my younger self, I would say, “It’s all going to be ok. Just keep grinding. It’s all going to work out.”

I’m currently learning to play golf. I never imagined myself as a golfer, but my daughter has fallen for the game and recently set a goal of reaching a scratch (zero) handicap within a year. I’m doing my best to keep up. I’m also a volunteer search and rescue helicopter pilot, a fixed-wing pilot, a diver, an occasional offshore sailor, and a serious backcountry snowboarder.

My daughter is at that age where she’s highly scheduled, yet not old enough to drive, so I’m basically a chauffeur. We were in Houston for golf tournaments three times last week.