Remember those old-school merry-go-rounds you used to see on every playground? It took you and your friends some huffing and puffing to get that huge hunk of metal to move. You had to keep pushing it around and around, each turn getting easier as you built up speed. Once it took off, then it was hold on for dear life as it rocketed you around and around.

That merry-go-round is the perfect analogy for how businesses move from good to great. While it takes a lot of energy to get off the ground, once you have momentum, it’s not only easy to keep going, it can be impossible to stop.

Jim Collins calls it the flywheel effect in his book, Good to Great. He explains there’s no single lucky break, a-ha moment, or grand program that gets a company to its goal. The only “secret formula” for success is this: relentlessly putting in the time and effort, day in and day out, building on your wins until reaching critical mass. Suddenly you’re an overnight sensation, even though you know it took years of relentless drive and stamina to get there.

BW Health Group is at the beginning stages of this cycle as we develop an end-to-end commercialization platform for the life sciences. The merry-go-round has started moving, and it’s time to build some momentum.

That’s why CEO Thad Bench and I decided to move two of the most talented, experienced people we know into corporate leadership roles at BW Health Group. Both previously held leadership roles at Benchworks, our creative marketing agency.

Melissa Johnston is now BW Health’s Chief Operating Officer to oversee all corporate operational functions and business development. She will also take a lead role in evaluating and shaping strategic planning. The move will streamline operations and strategy across our family of companies, and ensure we have a strong foundation moving forward—which will allow us to become nimbler and take a more comprehensive approach toward our business.

Brenda Vujanic is now BW Health’s Chief Talent Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. She will oversee BW Health’s internal marketing, training, and talent acquisition.

We already have exceptional people onboard at all levels. They’ve helped get us moving in the right direction. But to get our merry-go-round really moving, we need to keep adding and retaining talent, particularly creative and strategic talent, to our ranks. That’s going to be Brenda’s job.

I have had the pleasure of working with both Melissa and Brenda for many years, long before becoming president of BW Health Group. As a Benchworks client, I experienced firsthand their dedication to the business, passion and drive for bringing brands to life, and can-do attitude for clients. Just as they have been integral to Benchworks’ success, I know they will now make major contributions in their new roles within the parent company.

Our merry-go-round is picking up speed, jump on.

-Tom McDonnell, President BW Health Group