When Tom Bedell looks in a mirror, he doesn’t see the reflection of a normal, run-of-the-mill CEO. He sees a successful businessman whose blueprint has always focused on empowering others.

“If I invest in the success of each of my co-workers, and if I make decisions based on what’s best for them, I’m successful,” said Bedell. On Sept. 8 he will be the first speaker in the Innovation and Inspiration Speaker Series sponsored by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC).

Bedell, a native of Spirit Lake, Iowa, received his undergraduate education from the University of Colorado and Stanford University. He then attended the University of Iowa College of Law. Bedell worked in politics — running his father’s successful United States congressional campaigns — before setting up his own political campaign consulting company in Washington, D.C. At the request of his father, Berkley, a six-term congressman, Bedell returned to Iowa to rejuvenate the family fishing business.

“How many times in your life do you get a chance to pay back your parents?” Bedell asked.

So, he left the nation’s capital and ran Berkley & Company/Pure Fishing for 28 years. After selling that business in 2007, Bedell retired, but not for long. He bought a music store in Aspen, Colorado, helped his wife, Molly, with their Two Old Hippies store in Nashville, Tennessee, and recently founded Bedell Guitars in Bend, Oregon, where Bedell designs and builds guitars.   

At every stop, Bedell insists on creating a culture where he invests in others.

“Most CEOs lead around what the company needs and what co-workers should be giving to the company,” Bedell said. “It is a little bit of a semantics game I’m playing, but our No. 1 objective is to treat other people the way you would like to be treated.

“We’re not here for Tom Bedell to make a lot of money. We’re here for Tom Bedell to have a great life, treat people right, to do the right thing. And guess what? I make pretty good money.”

Bedell Guitars prides itself on its “Seed to Song” approach — which sustainably honors the connectivity between the wood each guitar is made of, and music. No clear-cut trees are used in any of Bedell’s guitars. In fact, Bedell travels the world to find the perfect wood for each product.

Entrepreneurs are repeatedly told to follow their passion and Bedell is doing just that by designing and crafting inspired acoustic instruments.

A longtime friend of Iowa JPEC, Bedell has been supporting its programs since 2004, including an endowed gift that was used to establish the Bedell Entrepreneurial Learning Laboratory that is home to the undergraduate Startup Incubator program. He has also been an active mentor and frequent speaker for University of Iowa entrepreneurial classes and events. Bedell also helped launch the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute, a week-long summer workshop in Northwest Iowa that brings together elite college students from across the state to collaborate and network with successful entrepreneurs. 

“The excitement for opportunity that exists for students today is incredible,” Bedell said. “Our job as motivators and teachers is helping students match themselves and values to life’s opportunities.

“If I could be 15 years old right now and start again, I would be so happy. There is unlimited possibilities, not only for yourself, but for improving the lives of other people.”

Bedell’s presentation at the Innovation and Inspiration Speaker Series runs from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, Sept. 8, at The Hawkeye student lounge, G350 Iowa Memorial Union. The public is invited to this free event. Because of limited space, registration is required. You may register HERE.