President

Mr. Heaton began his career within the healthcare field in marketing and public relations at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City before joining CI and serving in a number of roles over more than twenty years so far. He served as vice-president and led CI’s sales organization before assuming the role of President in 2016. He cites the ability to engage employees, build trust and create a recognition culture as some of his most important internally focused skills. He notes that leading a small business is challenging in and of itself; doing it largely with a remote workforce requires a constant vigilance to ensure alignment around company values, service to customers, and focus on mission.

Mr. Heaton believes his career track at CI has been essential to helping our firm deliver solid support and wise counsel to our clients, and he says helping clients overcome obstacles and get results is one of the best parts of his job. “Beginning my career at CI in an office support role, transitioning to client delivery, moving into business development, and assuming an executive leadership role has given me a unique appreciation for the client support lifecycle,” he says.

Gratefully Serving

Authorities on servant leadership have had great influence on Mr. Heaton’s management practices for years. In particular, Robert K. Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership moved his approach “away from a definition of leadership that focused on power and authority.” The dedicated people at our firm are one reason Mr. Heaton would rather lead the firm than any other organization. “It's not lost on me how many other options these talented professionals have,” he says. “I love what I do and find myself surrounded by exceptional, dedicated professionals. What else could you ask for?”