C12 Group Names Don Barefoot New President and CEO

C12 Group, a Christian CEO and entrepreneur development organization, has named Don Barefoot its new President and CEO. Founded in 1992 by successful business leader Buck Jacobs, the C12 Group has several hundred members across 15 states and expects to start groups in other nations in the near future. Members meet together once per month in local chapters to discuss issues pertaining to improving their businesses, thereby building a robust and stable platform for ministry.

GREENSBORO, NC (PRWeb) January 22, 2007 -- The C12 Group, a Christian CEO and entrepreneur development organization, has named Don Barefoot its new President and CEO.

Founded in 1992 by successful business leader Buck Jacobs, the C12 Group has several hundred members across 15 states and expects to start groups in other nations in the near future.

I was converted at 35 years old

"C12 isn't a social club or another Bible study," Barefoot said, "and it's not a church service. It's common ground for men and women of the Kingdom who are called to build great businesses for a greater purpose. We have an uncommon focus on building and leading strong businesses, but we realize that we've been given this opportunity and view ourselves as stewards for an even greater purpose."

Local C12 chapters led by full-time "Area Chairs" consist of 10 to 15 business CEOs and Owners who gather for a day once each month to discuss a series of educational segments, sharpen and encourage each other regarding current challenges and opportunities, and discuss issues pertaining to business as ministry. Each member meets one-on-one with their C12 Area Chair later in the month for an in-depth coaching session.

For many members the group provides a peer board that they could not otherwise have. Each month one person gives a "core business presentation," in which they "go deep" over the course of an hour and a half, sharing financials, personnel issues, marketing and development goals, and trend data, as well as ministry-related efforts conducted through the business and areas of personal challenge. At the end of the day there is an open forum for members to share timely issues and get peer feedback.

A graduate of M.I.T.'s Sloan School (MBA) and GMI/Kettering University (BSIA), Barefoot has 20-plus years of experience in top-executive leadership roles for five global companies, overseeing 30 business units ranging in size from 100 to 30,000 employees, with annual revenues ranging to more than $2 billion. Barefoot is an elder in his church and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with Karen, his wife of 30 years.

Barefoot has been a part of C12 since 2002, establishing his own C12 Groups in the Piedmont-Triad area of North Carolina, becoming a board member, and then moving into the role of COO.

"All over the world there are Christians in business who are trying to go it alone," Barefoot said. "They have no idea that this sort of resource exists for them. Our goal is to expand C12 to every major market on earth by 2015. It's a God-sized vision, and we're trusting Him for the increase."

C12 founder, author and former CEO Buck Jacobs believes Barefoot is the right choice to move the organization into its next phase of growth. Jacobs is also eager to embrace his new role as Chairman of the Board. With an impressive business track record over more than four decades, Jacobs' philosophy of business as ministry is more than academic.

"I was converted at 35 years old," Jacobs said. "The next day, my best friend called and asked me to come to work for him in a chemical business that had been dedicated to Christ. Jesus Christ was our Chairman of the Board. The purpose of the business was to bring to people Christ. It was a missions outpost in the marketplace. I had more intense spiritual training at work than I did at church. Beyond that, the business prospered, growing ten-fold over the next decade."

C12 is currently actively recruiting Area Chairs in English-speaking major markets around the world to build C12 practices by establish groups in their local area. "I'm honored to be called to work with C12 at such a time as this," Barefoot said. "What a privilege to use what God has sovereignly given me in terms of experience and gifts to advance the Kingdom through the mission field of business."

Embracing business as ministry, the C12 Group is a global Christian CEO and entrepreneur development organization that focuses on building great businesses for a greater purpose. To that end, C12 couples the timeless truths of God's Word with best-in-class business practices to create profitable enterprises that endure as a testimony for Christ in the marketplace.

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