Notes from the Convener

Voices from the CXO Exchange.

Notes and reflections on peer-powered leadership, "Big Small" companies, and the local eco-system we're building in Temecula Valley. Written by Mike Richardson and, occasionally, by the members and coalition partners closest to the work.

More Writing

Also here — and drafting next.

Published

Big Small

Sept 26, 2026 · Notes from the Convener

The "Big Small" company: why the messy middle is its own leadership challenge — and why collective intelligence answers it.

Not a bigger small business. Not a smaller big business. A challenge of its own — and one no CEO, however capable, is meant to run alone.

Read the post →

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Drafting Next

Why we added an NPX and an HRX — and what "for peers, with peers, by peers" really means at scale.

The Big Small CEO is not the only leader who's peer-isolated in Temecula Valley. Why we opened two more doors this year.

"The room that
gets sharper
together."

Drafting Next

What one year of a REF CEO Peer Forum in Temecula/Murrieta actually changed.

A year in. Fifteen founding members. What's different in the room, and in the businesses those CEOs run.

Also Published

In the press.

Published in The Valley Business Journal · Oct 2026

A Leadership Eco-System for Temecula Valley’s “Big Small” Companies

Why the middle is hard, why leaders here used to drive to San Diego, Orange County or LA to find peers, and what CXO Exchange Temecula Valley is doing about it.

Read it on thevalleybusinessjournal.com →

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