by Janus Boye
"If not you, who?" and “if not now, when?"
Ron Brumbarger set the stage for an inspirational conversation about leadership, mentoring and life-long learning with these two seemingly simple questions.
Ron enjoys mentoring and teaching and finds it fascinating to hear the different answers to these two questions, but clearly also challenges himself with the questions from time to time.
He is the Founder and President of Apprentice University, based in Indiana in the US and also our expert of the month.
27 years of selling software and solutions around the world
I first met Ron about a decade ago, at one of our Boye Philadelphia conferences. Back then he was the CEO and Founder of BitWise, a website design and development firm in Indiana, which was also known as a reputable Kentico implementation partner.
BitWise was actually founded all the way back in 1991 as Ron said:
I was tired of being fired
His entrepreneurial story starts with BitWise initially selling software around the world and building high-end AutoCAD projects.
In late 1993, at a conference, he heard about the World Wide Web and in early 1994 they launched design & development practice, which later became the main focus for the business. As one of the pioneers of professional-grade website solutions to corporations, they employed hundreds and served over 1,500 clients.
After 27 years, Ron then decided to move on and sell the business in 2018 to a New Hampshire-based digital marketing agency called SilverTech. Not because he was getting lazy, but to focus on other things as he explained.
The book on being intentionally extraordinary in all things at all times
Besides being a small business owner, Ron also managed to publish his first book in late October 2016, almost exactly 5 years ago.
With the somewhat intimidating title: You’re Always Being Interviewed, the book is actually not about interviewing, but rather as Ron said:
On being intentionally extraordinary in all things at all times.
The book came out as a result of Ron’s vast experience with hiring and looking for talent. In the book, he talks about the importance of demonstrating strong character, even during interactions you believe are inconsequential. He also shares numerous stories of intentionally extraordinary individuals who made a positive and long-lasting impression – and how they did it – as well as stories of those who missed the boat
According to Ron and reflecting on the book turning 5 years old, he said that the book has led to several speaking engagements and every so often he gets emails from readers with a notice on how the book helped save the day, change the career. The book has also been a door opener to new conversations and ways of giving back.
Founding a higher education institution to address a bigger problem
"After years of trying to hire ready talent from amongst recent college graduates for my businesses, I decided to invest in my own."
Ron joined us in person in Croatia in September for the Web Summer Camp
With the initial purpose of satisfying the hiring needs of BitWise, Ron embarked on a daunting journey in 2012 with the launch of Apprentice University (AU). AU’s program unites mastery-based education with practical hands-on experience in an innovative learning model.
While AU was originally created to reduce a talent shortage in the technology industry, they have expanded since then to a diverse community of professionals and students. Their apprentices' interests range from marketing to cybersecurity to entrepreneurship to media and digital storytelling and more.
Making further progress on the problem, perhaps tackling an even bigger issue, Ron mentioned how high school graduates in the US, face unrealistic expectations. The daunting decision about what to do afterwards has huge consequences and can mean taking on an enormous amount of debt, even when you don’t know what you want to do. AU as much as possible, seek paid apprenticeships for their students. Because of this, most of their apprentices will find their monthly earnings will cover their tuition. This allows students to progress through the university without taking on the burden of massive student loan debt.
Learn more about Ron Brumbarger
As Ron said towards the end of our conversation:
I have the best job in the world at Apprentice University! I get to mentor and teach the tomorrow's leaders.
You can find Ron Brumbarger on LinkedIn, where he regularly shares from his learning journey.