Once a year, the Duffy Leadership Retreat brings together the top performers, innovators, and dreamers from the Celero Commerce family. It’s a special time to honor those who put their heart and soul into assisting our valued clients.
Celero awards the Michael P. Duffy Leadership Award, which is named in honor of a longtime mentor to many of our executives, quarterly and annually to team members who live and breathe our mission of providing merchants and community banks with the world-class fintech solutions they need to compete and win in the marketplace. It’s as much of a fun event where people from across the country – along with a very cute furry friend named Ace – can network and make connections, as it is an opportunity for us to thank those who went above and beyond in their roles.
This year’s retreat took place in sunny Nashville, TN from May 24th to May 26th, 2022. The Duffy winners for the past year included people from every corner of our company, ranging from bank relationship management and direct sales to marketing and customer service. All attendees enjoyed a lively mix of professional and social events throughout the three-day retreat, such as a golf tournament, bourbon tasting, breakout sessions regarding leadership and talent development, cocktail hour, and live musical performance.
The true highlight, however, was the multitude of incredible speakers featured in this event’s line-up. The group heard from Celero’s CEO & Founder Kevin Jones, a number of Celero’s top executives, and critically acclaimed songwriter and performer Holly Williams. Williams shared what it was like growing up in a famous family, and how she balances her music career, retail career, and motherhood. In addition to discussing the importance of professional development, the speakers from Celero’s team started conversations about always leading by example and inspiring excellence at every opportunity.
“As a fast-growing company in the quick-paced industry of fintech, it’s imperative that each member of our team brings their own special skills to the table, and that we unlock the full potential of each individual,” said Jones. “I see the Duffy Leadership Retreat as a way to not only honor our top performers, but to equip them with the tools they need to inspire their own teams back home and as a result, accomplish bigger, better things. No one can move a mountain on their own, but when we work together and complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, the impossible becomes a reality.”
After three days of festivities, bonding, and inspiration, Kevin Jones capped off the event with his closing remarks and encouragement for the group’s continued hard work. “When you’re part of a growing company that’s actively acquiring new organizations, it can sometimes be tough to retain the same company culture that made you successful in the first place,” stated Jones. “However, the Celero team has found a way to make this continuous growth and change an asset to our organization. The strong sense of family has enabled us to grow without losing our core values of supporting small businesses and banks. I’m looking forward to our future together. We’re only just getting started.”
Cheers to this year’s honorees at the 2022 Celero Michael P. Duffy Leadership Retreat!