LEADERSHIP LOWDOWN Jim Mapstead with Accurate Signs and Engraving and Randy Gibb with Grand Canyon University
Accurate Signs & Engraving, Inc. is the nation’s largest supplier of laser engraved tags and decals to solar panel installers, fabricating quality decals and plastic and metal engraved tags for over 25 years.
We pride ourselves on meeting deadlines and delivering unsurpassed customer service.
Jim Mapstead has been a resident of Phoenix on and off since 1963. Shortly after graduating from Maryvale High School, Jim started the Student Suffrage League of Arizona to advocate for getting the voting age lowered to 18. In 1970, Jim was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Once his military service was over, Jim attended the University of Arizona and then in 1976 moved to the Washington D.C. area to work on the National Campaign to Stop the B1 bomber.
After the successful completion of that issue, he started his own business in 1983 creating custom furniture. In 1985 he bought a lumberyard in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In 1987, he bought a hardware store in Alexandria, VA, and in 1988 built a hardware store in Frederick, Maryland. He subsequently lost all of his businesses and had to lay off 47 employees in the recession of the late 80’s. In 1991, Jim and his wife moved back home to Phoenix.
Since returning, Jim purchased and continues to run his own business, Accurate Signs & Engraving. Accurate is one of the nation’s largest provider of laser engraved tags and decals to solar panel installers in North America. He has also been an active member of his community. Jim is a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XXVI, and was awarded the Big Brother of the Year award in 2005. Jim is a past Board Member and Executive Committee member of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. In 2011, Jim was a Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award winner for Community Involvement. He is a former President of the Sunnyslope Village Alliance, and former President of the Sunnyslope Kiwanis Club. Additionally, Jim is the former Chair of the Paradise Valley Village Planning Committee, and has run for election to Phoenix City Council. He is the former President of the Executive Association of Greater Phoenix, for five years served as the Board Chair of Local First Arizona, and was an ASU W.P. Carey School of Business Spirt of Enterprise Finalist in 2015. Currently, Jim is the incoming Board Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, and Vice Chair of the Herberger Theater Center.
Jim and his wife of 34 years, Jill, have two daughters, Jesse and Leah. Jim and his wife currently travel extensively in search of great food and wine.
Follow Accurate Signs and Engraving on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Randy Gibb is Dean of the Colangelo College of Business at Grand Canyon University (GCU), Phoenix, AZ. Under his leadership since 2014, the business college has moved forward with the vision of Inspiring Free Markets and Purpose for Prosperity, Business as a Force for Good and Business as Ministry. He serves on the Board of the AZ Chapter Conscious Capitalism and the Governor appointed Arizona Workforce Council. Prior to GCU Randy was at Arizona State University as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Human & Environmental Systems Department.
Before transitioning to Arizona higher educational leadership positions, Randy served 26 years in the United States Air Force. His leadership experiences consisted of commanding two US Air Force flying organizations, leading the US Air Force Academy’s Behavioral Science & Leadership Department, and was a Senior Military Professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH, working human systems integration. Randy has extensive experience in operational leadership, leadership development, organizational change, business development, teaching, and coaching. Randy has published and presented in various aviation/academic journals and conferences on topics of aviation safety and human factors engineering. He completed his Air Force career in 2012 as a full Colonel and Command Pilot.
Originally from Stevens Point, WI, Randy was a Distinguished Graduate from the US Air Force Academy in 1986. Randy was team captain of the 1986 National Collegiate Boxing Association championship team and was an individual national champion at 147 lbs. He earned his PhD and Master of Science in Engineering from Arizona State University in Industrial Engineering – Human Factors. He also has a Master of Arts from the US Naval Command & Staff College in Newport, RI. Randy and his wife, Jill, have been married for 30 years and have four children.
Follow Grand Canyon University on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
The Leadership Lowdown was created to share the REAL story behind valley leaders’ rise to the top, and the truth about what it takes to TRULY succeed in life and business. Hear the raw stories of these leaders’ journeys…the pitfalls, the victories, and all of the heartaches and triumphs in between.
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Jodi Low is an accomplished corporate trainer, inspirational speaker, and the Founder and CEO of U & Improved. Jodi has trained thousands of entrepreneurs and executives on how to build a booming business, master a mindset for success, and achieve the lifestyle they desire through heart-fueled leadership.
Through U & Improved—an award-winning personal and professional leadership development company based in Scottsdale—Jodi has redefined traditional leadership training by creating a sustainable and actionable model that is personal, challenging and meaningful to each and every individual who enrolls in any of the two-and-a-half-day experiential training classes. She and her elite training team have advanced the charge in heart-based leadership
development and empower U & Improved graduates with knowledge, tools and awareness to immediately be more effective and responsive leaders at work, home and within their communities.
Among her many accomplishments as a Valley leader, Jodi launched a teen leadership program in 2014 to empower young adults to become more confident, motivated and focused stewards of our future. In 2016, she founded a non-profit arm of the company—the U & Improved Leadership Foundation—that makes the program more accessible to deserving teens.
Jodi has been recognized by industry publications and organizations for her work in leadership development and serves as a source of inspiration within the community. In 2015, she was honored as an “Outstanding Women in Business” by the Phoenix Business Journal and by the Phoenix Suns and National Bank of Arizona with the “Amazing Women” award. She has received both the prestigious “Diversity Leader of the Year” and the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce’s “Sterling Award.” She was also awarded a Silver Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 and was a finalist for the Junior League of Phoenix’s Valley Impact Award. Jodi is a devoted single parent who volunteers her time at her daughters’ school programs and with organizations such as Angel Mamas, where she’s served on the board for three years.
