History and Milestones
Entrepreneur and business leader, Robert Nourse of Milwaukee, Wisconsin found great value in sharing and discussing business issues with colleagues. So in 1957, he brought together a small group of top decision makers who began to meet regularly to discuss their companies and to learn from outside experts. So well did these meetings work that by 1968, there were six groups of TEC, short for The Executive Committee, operating in Wisconsin and surrounding states.
When industrial psychologist Fred Chaney was invited to speak at a TEC meeting he was so impressed with the TEC model, he returned to California and convinced his running partner, Bill Hall, that together they ought to buy the rights to operate TEC groups outside the midwest. Like the business ventures of many of its members, TEC started on a shoestring -- a $500 grubstake each from Chaney and Hall, and later a $600 loan Chaney arranged by putting up his car and furniture as collateral. In 1968, TEC California was founded and by 1977, 23 groups were meeting across the US. Less than a decade later, Dr. Lynn Tanner began the first TEC Canada group in Calgary, Alberta.
In 2006, fifty years after TEC International was founded, the company became Vistage International. During its half century of operation, Vistage has grown to more than 14,500 members worldwide, generating nearly $300 billion in annual revenue, employing more than 2 million people. Vistage partner affiliates operate in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
TEC Canada is proud to be a Canada-wide organization and an affiliate of Vistage International. Today, TEC Canada has groups in Aurora, Burlington, Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton/Moncton/Saint John, Hamilton, Halifax, Gatineau, London, Montreal, Oakville, Okanagan, Ottawa, Quebec City, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.
As a TEC Canada member, you will enjoy ready access to a responsive membership network that spans a diverse range of industries, across Canada and around the globe.
