Experience The Meridian Difference
The Meridian Mission is to Bless Family-Owned Businesses
Our Core Values
Family Business Success Stories
Being in M-power™ has been extremely valuable to improving our bottom line. With the training we have received from being a member, we have increased our profits, have better hiring practices, and overall process improvements across the enterprise, just to name few of the benefits.
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Our Story
Back in the late 1980s, Betsi was a commercial loan officer with a burning desire to help her bank customers be more profitable and have more cash. As a banker, Betsi honed her deep financial knowledge into how family businesses can thrive. Frustrated by legal limitations, Betsi devised one of the first banking systems to analyze business cash flow more effectively.
A major turning point came in 1990 when Betsi recognized an opportunity to serve a former bank customer. Within six months, she had the company off their line of credit, a feat that led her to a national convention where she shared her “Banker’s Method of Cash Flow.” With interest rates hovering around 20%, attendees quickly saw the value, and Meridian officially became a business and had customers across the United States.
About ten years in, while working with both a large corporate client and a small family company, Betsi recognized that family businesses are the backbone of United States economy and our nation’s culture. She also realized she was more thrilled about finding $150,000 for the family business than millions for the corporate giant. This epiphany shifted Meridian’s focus exclusively to multigenerational family companies.
Betsi discovered that the success of family businesses was dependent on much more than just cash. Meridian expanded its services to include increasing profitability by improving operational efficiencies, strengthening leadership & communication, and building healthy family dynamics. All of these services are centered around a mission to bless family companies. With strong core values of faith and family, the Meridian Method™ enables clients to accelerate their success.
Betsi and her team began providing high-quality conferences where family business owners and leaders could gather, connect, and become equipped with time-tested strategies. Owners and family business leaders learn how to effectively develop their People, gain their team’s alignment and commitment to a common Purpose, and maximize their Profits.
Another light bulb moment came when they noticed that clients making the best profit and cash improvements were utilizing all of Meridian’s services—annual valuations, conferences, coaching—the whole package. This insight birthed the M-Power program, a comprehensive system to accelerate even more company success and deliver faster results.
The final tweak to enhance client success was the Elite program, where Meridian works directly with a company’s team to align them into a single strategic vision with actionable steps, accountability, and face-to-face follow-ups.
Meridian’s commitment to building genuine connections with client families has set them apart in the industry. Some of Betsi’s original convention attendees from 30+ years ago who were guided into successful succession to the next generation are still clients today. For families, without successors, Meridian has helped them sell their companies and secure their retirement.
Living the family legacy, Betsi’s daughter joined the business full-time in 2020, bringing her marketing and event planning expertise to Meridian. Her love and joy for blessing small family-owned businesses is near to her mother’s.
commitment to multigenerational family-owned businesses far into the future.
We know the road to success is not straight, not pretty, and not for the faint of heart. It’s for people with giant hearts,
unyielding grit, and determination, where the word ‘fail’ turns into ‘opportunity,’ and where employees become extended family.
Thank you for being here.
Our commitment is serving you so you and your family achieves the future you want!
Meet The Meridian Team
As founder of Meridian, helping petroleum marketers reach new heights for three decades, Betsi clarifies and simplifies complicated subjects into concrete, step-by-step processes (The Meridian Method™) that dramatically impact company performance and profits. With commercial banking and a finance MBA as background, putting her early emphasis on practical cash flow, she later added strategic vision and leadership to her winning formula. Betsi married Dr. Dan Lee, a double theology PhD and retired engineer, in 2018. She enjoys her hobby ranching lifestyle and is very proud of her daughter Sheila, who for two years had been occasionally assisting the Meridian team and joined us full time in 2023.
Bringing serious firepower to our elite Valuation and Advisory department, Ken was a great addition to Meridian in early 2009 and a stockholder/
owner since 2019. Ken’s extensive banking and finance expertise was forged within the trenches of several industries including petroleum. Working environments ranged from smaller entrepreneurial companies to larger NYSE listed corporations. Clients appreciate how he manages to temper his meticulous attention to details and ‘number crunching’ abilities with his real world business savvy to make the numbers accessible, meaningful, and usable in everyday decision making.
Tom’s passion is to help people and family businesses be the best they can. In leading our Elite program, he coaches Petro leaders to get the
results they want. With more than 30 years coaching experience, he has broad bandwidth to guide teams to accelerate their success, build trust, create unity, and engage in productive conflict which boosts understanding and creates the accountability necessary for excellence.
Kayla is a senior team member with Meridian and her familiarity with the industry and genuine character will make you feel like you’ve worked with her for years. Kayla came to Meridian with a strong belief in coaching, learning, and an appreciation for cash flow from her accounting background. Incorporating her passion for legacies and ear for detail, Kayla brings valuable conversation and direction to the marketers who have the pleasure of speaking with her.
James came to us with over seven years of complex, financial analysis with a leading Mortgage Underwriting firm. His knowledge includes both
high-level credit and risk analysis coupled with a thorough background and understanding of multilayered loan structures. James graduated from Robert Morris University with a degree in Business Administration, achieving Magna Cum Laude and finished his MBA with Baylor University in August 2019. He and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their first child, Ford, in 2021.
Sheila brings her unique energy and dedication to the Meridian team, specializing in producing high-impact events and creative strategies that drive engagement. Passionate about helping individuals, families, and businesses thrive, she is dedicated to expanding Meridian’s reach and impact.
Blending her background in sales, marketing, and holistic wellness, Sheila brings a distinctive perspective to Meridian’s values of sustainable success. As Betsi’s daughter, she’s honored to contribute to the next generation of Meridian’s growth and is continuously exploring ways to enrich the experience of Meridian’s members.
Brent joined the team in March of 2020 with over 15 years in web development and more than 20 years of experience in the IT field. He handles the website development as well as the digital marketing campaigns at Meridian. He also builds the online learning environment and the e-learning courses. Brent has a Bachelor’s in History and a Master’s Degree in Education. He is married to his wife Shelbe and has 3 sons, also volunteering as a basketball coach at the Frisco fieldhouse.
Madison recently joined Meridian with experience in graphic design and marketing. As a young, passionate designer and recent graduate of Washington State University, she is already providing engaging and compelling results for Meridian. With experience working with and volunteering for small businesses, she is eager to assist in the growth process of Meridian’s family businesses.
Ashley’s professional background in office management spans several years, rooted in a family business focused on agriculture. Her role at Meridian as an office administrator allows her to leverage this experience to ensure smooth operations for the team. Ashley wears many hats and strives to ensure efficient operations for the Meridian team behind the scenes. She has a servant’s heart, a caring nature, and a commitment to making a positive impact.
In her personal time, Ashley cherishes relaxing evenings at home and enjoys cooking meals for her other half, Eric, and their blended family. With three children of her own and two “bonus” children, her family life is full of adventure and excitement. This shapes a fulfilling balance between her professional and personal responsibilities.
Blake is a seasoned sales professional with over 10 years of experience across diverse industries. Starting as a supervisor at a bank, Blake honed leadership and customer service skills, driving results and ensuring smooth operations. Transitioning into the role of Manager of Market Development at a prominent internet company, Blake played a key part in strategic growth and market expansion. Most recently, Blake served as a Senior Refrigerant Specialist for a leading refrigerant reclaimer, where expertise was paramount. Now, she brings her passion for blessing family businesses to Meridian.
Outside of a thriving career, Blake is dedicated to family life with a supportive husband of 16 years and two wonderful children—a 13-year-old son and an 8-month-old daughter.
Betsi Receives the Quilly Writer's Award
with Jack Canfield
