From Ashes to Opportunity

I see that my purpose—my love—is fixing things. Families, after my dad left. Businesses, struggling to survive. Boats, deserving of glory instead of ashes.
—Wes Wheeler

Wes Wheeler has spent his life fixing things. From a young age, the New York native witnessed the decline of his family’s multi-generational boat business, watching it, quite literally, burn to the ground. While sorting through the ashes of the once successfully run company alongside his father, Wheeler’s future was decided for him. Instead of succumbing to the idea that businesses disintegrate and leave behind hordes of unemployed workers, their mission buried beneath burned bridges and abandoned dreams, Wheeler opted to arm himself with a work ethic built on faith, drive, and dogged determination.

In The Turnaround Leader, Wheeler recounts his decades of managing projects for rising and falling companies, reshaping organizations, and restructuring business models to stand the test of time. Wheeler’s lifetime of ambition was launched during his humble beginnings as a paper delivery boy, where he discovered the little shifts that make a big difference, from the way he angled the papers he threw, to how he engaged with customers and mapped out his routes. These tiny lessons compounded over time and bolstered him while he faced difficult economic headwinds and ill-suited business leaders that preceded him, his most rewarding challenge being his leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world where business models are rapidly changing and employment is never promised, Wheeler’s ability to adapt is both inspiring and achievable.