KW Norris Bio
As a visionary KW steps up to the need to work “out of the box” in looking for opportunities to correlate multiple products and services and expand business, look for better ways to run an IT staff and bring Alumni sponsored programs to Portland that benefit the members rather than to operate in a “club” atmosphere.
He is the sole founder of one business which was successful and profitable for twelve years and co-founder of a second business which is in its thirteenth successful year. He is not afraid to take risks with his own time and money. His keys to success in both businesses were finding the right partners, hard work and changing the business as needed. KW’s primary role in both businesses- business development which he does through building relationships and generating business referrals, otherwise known as Rainmaking.
Leading up to business ownership were responsible positions in banking and retail that included IT Management, Consultant, Project Manager, Sales and Marketing.
KW has been directly responsible for finding and getting professionals for IT and other disciplines hired for over thirty years including 10 years as a professional recruiter and 8 years as Stake Employment Specialist. He builds relationships through personal networking regardless of personal, community or professional function and lives by the “abundance mentality” so well described by Steven Covey. His first rule of networking is to give something of value to the other person. Employment, Career and Education coaching is best done on at one-to-one personal basis.
His management style is to involve employees (or volunteers in the case of community and Church work) in tasks they do best, challenge them to grow by adding new assignments and then giving them room to develop while providing the necessary training and support.
His work as an organizer began as President of a campus Computer Club at BYU, with the first ever Computer Week on campus in 1971. This event attracted great attention from students and faculty of all disciplines to see and touch displays provided by many local businesses and departments on campus. Each demonstrated their uses of, plans for and research into this newly emerging technology. Many work, community, Church and family projects have followed in the ensuing years. Most recently KW published a 312 page family history of his parents and completed a two-day, three-event Portland Symposium for Mormon Studies with nearly 350 in attendance at three locations.