DEFENDER Direct unveils trueU, new nonprofit business at its National Leadership Convention

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new membership-based consortium is connecting companies and individuals who believe in the importance of an integrated approach to personal development and how that impacts the healthy growth of an organization. This new consortium, known as trueU, is not just a leadership and learning program. trueU provides its members with educational and learning experiences that focus on the whole person, rather than business-specific training or skills development.

trueU was officially unveiled at the DEFENDER National Leadership Convention at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this past weekend, where nearly 2,000 DEFENDER team members and over 1,500 invited guests from the business community attended.

In addition to DEFENDER, other companies who have already joined trueU include: Indiana-based MJ Insurance, Litho Press, Pinpoint Resources, Think First Marketing, and Cincinnati-based Touchstone Merchandise Group.  

The core principles of trueU are investing in relationships, developing leaders and serving others. trueU believes everyone is a leader and that by becoming the best version of yourself, you enact positive change in homes, workplaces and communities.

"trueU is ultimately about inspiring a greater purpose in business beyond profit," said Dave Lindsey, CEO and founder of DEFENDER, a corporate founding member of trueU. "While I am extremely proud of the team at DEFENDER and what we have accomplished in our mission to build leaders, we look forward to learning and growing as students from our fellow members of trueU."

DEFENDER was recognized earlier this month as #30 in Training magazine's Training Top 125 Awards, which recognizes companies worldwide with the most successful learning and development programs for their employees.

Membership in trueU includes access to a number of personal and professional development opportunities, some of which include:

• Dedicated coach – a certified leadership professional who guides members on their personal and corporate journeys.
• Peer roundtables/Networking opportunities – interact with other like-minded business leaders who value service and relationships.
• Online learning portal – remote e-learning opportunities providing valuable content through online courses, blogs and forums while allowing the user to set individual goals and track progress.
• Leader in Training – an intensive in-person classroom and experiential learning program which helps develop the fundamental skills and abilities that every leader needs.
• Leadership Advantage – instructor-led courses covering topics such as wellness, financial fitness, healthy relationships, goal setting, time management, conflict and communications.
• Internship program – placement and leadership development for top university students serving as interns.
• Home Builds – opportunity to build a home for a deserving family in Tijuana or Ensenada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic with a team of employees.
• Super Service Challenge – a national program promoting the heart of service in the workplace where teams of co-workers come together and serve a nonprofit for a chance to help that nonprofit win part of a $1 million+ prize fund.

"We are excited to be one of the first members in trueU because, like DEFENDER, we believe our people are the key to our continued business growth and we recognize the importance of investing in them," said Jon Loftin, president and chief operating officer of MJ Insurance. "Being able to easily and cost-effectively access other impactful learning and experiential leadership development opportunities through trueU made joining an easy decision on our part."

trueU is launching with a core team of staff led by Kim Graham Lee, vice president of operations. Graham Lee brings to trueU more than 30 years of diverse business leadership experience. "trueU can be a game-changer in helping businesses recognize the value of investing in their people who have lives both inside and outside the workplace," said Graham Lee. "We look forward to partnering with others who share our philosophy on business success. It will be a fun ride, and not only will we be improving personal lives, but we also will be growing more businesses. That's exciting!"

To learn about becoming part of trueU, visit www.trueU.com or call (844) GO-TRUEU.

About trueU
Indianapolis-based trueU, founded in 2014, is a nonprofit membership-based organization that operates on the principle that businesses and organizations grow through the efforts of their people. It is a consortium of companies and individuals who believe that investing in relationships, developing leaders, and serving others is the healthy way to grow a business. Members are involved both as students and teachers, sharing learning content and experiences to benefit other trueU members and their teams. Together trueU members are inspiring a greater purpose in business. To learn more, visit www.trueU.com.

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