Every year, EO Detroit brings together some of Metro Detroit’s most driven business owners. This May, the chapter celebrates 30 years and the two entrepreneurs who helped define what it means to build something that lasts. EO Detroit’s 117 members collectively employ more than 3,400 people across Metro Detroit, and the caliber of those members has never been more evident than in this year’s Hall of Fame class.
On the evening of May 2nd, EO Detroit will gather at the historic Harmonie Club in downtown Detroit for its Annual Party: 30 Years of Grit, Growth & Greatness. Among the night’s highlights: the induction of two new members into the EO Detroit Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.
Bob Verdun started his first company at 15, cutting 20 lawns a week. He paid for college painting houses. By 25, he had launched Computerized Facility Integration (CFI) and was about to learn one of the most important lessons of his life the hard way.
When the tech crash of 2001 hit, CFI’s revenue collapsed from $2 million a month to $300,000 in just 60 days. Verdun describes working late one desperate evening, quietly packing $40 worth of office supplies just in case. Then deciding: this is not how my story ends.
He rebuilt, systematically. Over the next decade, CFI completed more than 500 quarterly improvement initiatives, achieving a 27% average annual growth rate with 25% operating profit. In 2015, he sold the company at a 17x multiple.
“EO taught me the value of sharing and helping fellow entrepreneurs. As entrepreneurs, we have a unique brotherhood that most people can’t begin to understand. We need to help each other everywhere we can.”
His EO core value: Thirst for Learning, a principle he lives daily with 30 minutes of reading every morning and more than 250 audiobooks to date.
Alex Burkulas, Founder and President of Cygnus Systems, has spent 37 years building one of Metro Detroit’s most trusted managed IT and cybersecurity firms, helping small and mid-sized businesses operate securely and run more efficiently. Most recently, he navigated the company into a strategic partnership with a larger platform, scaling the business while keeping the team, culture, and client relationships intact.
But ask Alex what he’s proudest of, and he doesn’t point to a transaction. He points to people.
“EO taught me the power of vulnerability. The most meaningful growth happens when accomplished people are willing to be honest about fear, doubt, and uncertainty. EO didn’t just make me a better entrepreneur. It made me a better human being.”
His core lesson in business: sustainable success requires alignment between who you are, what you do best, and where you create the most value. As a longtime Membership Chair, Chapter President, and Area Director, he helped lead EO Detroit back on the map within EO Global, and has spent years mentoring the entrepreneurs coming up behind him.
EO Detroit is built on the belief that the entrepreneurs around you can change you, your business, and your community. Thirty years in, that belief is still showing up in the people this chapter produces.
If you are ready to take your business and leadership to the next level, or looking to become a strategic partner alongside some of Detroit’s most accomplished entrepreneurs, we would love to connect. Reach out at hello@eodetroit.com.
EO Detroit is the local chapter of the Entrepreneurs’s Organization, a global community of 18,000+ business owners in 60+ countries. Learn more about membership at eonetwork.org.
