BACKGROUND
Cosmopolitan in many ways, well-traveled and connected with friends and business associates all over the globe, Mike Evans is still an Indianan through and through. Born in Marion, Indiana, his family moved back to Indianapolis where his father eventually became Superintendent of Washington Township Schools. After graduating from North Central High School, Mike delayed attending college for two years to travel internationally with a music and education touring group, Up with People, and then attended Indiana University earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics and Public Policy in the now Kelley School of Business.
While finishing his undergraduate work, Evans was one of the first graduates of the Indiana Entrepreneurship Academy, an emerging leadership program whose mission was to cultivate entrepreneurs to fuel business growth. The highly practical and experiential executive learning exposed him to many principles that still guide his work today.
After graduating from college, Mike cut his corporate teeth working for two Fortune 500 Companies, General Motors and Eli Lilly & Company, the latter including an assignment for a year-and-a-half in Houston, Texas. Although he traveled around the world and lived outside Indiana for a stint, he always felt most at home in Indianapolis, initially starting a company with three best friends that landed two consecutive years on the Inc. 500 and ultimately becoming founder and CEO of CHORUS, a management consulting firm, 26 years ago.
CHORUS continues to be a springboard for the integration of his community, work, and personal endeavors. Evans has a driving ambition to “grow leaders and enterprises to advance Kingdom impact.” So, wherever he is, he gravitates toward helping leaders grow and in turn impact their own families, enterprises, and communities.
“We have such a rich community here including a unique volunteer culture,” he says of Indy. “There’s a friendliness to our city and people come from around the country and overseas and marvel about how they’re treated. We have good churches, a vibrant community spirit, and generous philanthropic corporations that all contribute to the lifeblood of Indy.”
His commitment to Indy is also connected to deep relationships. His parents set great examples for him of nurturing lifelong friendships and associations. His maternal grandparents were first generation immigrants from Romania who had an immense impact on his value for hard work, family connections, and a living faith. Visiting family behind the Iron Curtain in Romania in his late teens and later taking a series of mission trips to several Romanian orphanages ingrained in him a love for freedom and the incredible opportunities of the West.
Today he is part of three intergenerational groups that have all existed for years: one a life group he and wife of 36 years, Sherry, have been part of for over 25 years, the second a small group of men formed around his sons, Ben and John, and their friends where the older generation learn from the younger and vice versa. The third is a group of community- minded businessmen he helped start over 15 years ago, out of which Citizen 7 was born. Though their original goal was to impact the city from a faith perspective, the group decided that instead of focusing on work, relationships would be front and center, and service to community would flow out of that. And it has.
“The more you’re in relationship with each other,” he says, “the better you understand each other’s strengths and assets, and your community’s needs. Then high-impact things naturally happen.”
It’s one of the reasons he appreciates C-7, which he says fosters community through connectivity, informs people about needs, and delivers impact. And to all his C-7 brothers, he wishes a joyful celebration of the birthday of Emmanuel, God with us!
EVANS' IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
MIKE EVANS TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Philanthropic pursuits
Go to beverage? Diet Coke from McDonalds (“Gotta be McDonalds,” he says, “they have the right carbonation!")
What is your favorite restaurant locally? Either Firebirds Woodfired Grill or Izakaya Hibachi & Sushi
Favorite place for a vacation? Skiing in Colorado.
Secret Dream? To be thin again (but not really a secret, he says, as everybody knows it!)
Please connect with Mike at mevans@chorusinc.com.
Cosmopolitan in many ways, well-traveled and connected with friends and business associates all over the globe, Mike Evans is still an Indianan through and through. Born in Marion, Indiana, his family moved back to Indianapolis where his father eventually became Superintendent of Washington Township Schools. After graduating from North Central High School, Mike delayed attending college for two years to travel internationally with a music and education touring group, Up with People, and then attended Indiana University earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics and Public Policy in the now Kelley School of Business.
While finishing his undergraduate work, Evans was one of the first graduates of the Indiana Entrepreneurship Academy, an emerging leadership program whose mission was to cultivate entrepreneurs to fuel business growth. The highly practical and experiential executive learning exposed him to many principles that still guide his work today.
After graduating from college, Mike cut his corporate teeth working for two Fortune 500 Companies, General Motors and Eli Lilly & Company, the latter including an assignment for a year-and-a-half in Houston, Texas. Although he traveled around the world and lived outside Indiana for a stint, he always felt most at home in Indianapolis, initially starting a company with three best friends that landed two consecutive years on the Inc. 500 and ultimately becoming founder and CEO of CHORUS, a management consulting firm, 26 years ago.
CHORUS continues to be a springboard for the integration of his community, work, and personal endeavors. Evans has a driving ambition to “grow leaders and enterprises to advance Kingdom impact.” So, wherever he is, he gravitates toward helping leaders grow and in turn impact their own families, enterprises, and communities.
“We have such a rich community here including a unique volunteer culture,” he says of Indy. “There’s a friendliness to our city and people come from around the country and overseas and marvel about how they’re treated. We have good churches, a vibrant community spirit, and generous philanthropic corporations that all contribute to the lifeblood of Indy.”
His commitment to Indy is also connected to deep relationships. His parents set great examples for him of nurturing lifelong friendships and associations. His maternal grandparents were first generation immigrants from Romania who had an immense impact on his value for hard work, family connections, and a living faith. Visiting family behind the Iron Curtain in Romania in his late teens and later taking a series of mission trips to several Romanian orphanages ingrained in him a love for freedom and the incredible opportunities of the West.
Today he is part of three intergenerational groups that have all existed for years: one a life group he and wife of 36 years, Sherry, have been part of for over 25 years, the second a small group of men formed around his sons, Ben and John, and their friends where the older generation learn from the younger and vice versa. The third is a group of community- minded businessmen he helped start over 15 years ago, out of which Citizen 7 was born. Though their original goal was to impact the city from a faith perspective, the group decided that instead of focusing on work, relationships would be front and center, and service to community would flow out of that. And it has.
“The more you’re in relationship with each other,” he says, “the better you understand each other’s strengths and assets, and your community’s needs. Then high-impact things naturally happen.”
It’s one of the reasons he appreciates C-7, which he says fosters community through connectivity, informs people about needs, and delivers impact. And to all his C-7 brothers, he wishes a joyful celebration of the birthday of Emmanuel, God with us!
EVANS' IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
- LEVERAGE ASSETS & RELATIONSHIPS YOU ALREADY HAVE. Using his existing networks keeps life moving in a purposeful direction. “Everything I do is integrated,” says Evans. “Through my work at CHORUS, community involvement and philanthropy, I’m fortunate to touch many key focuses – race relations, diverse communities, leadership development, strategic planning. All my work and hobbies circle around interconnected relationships. Bringing people together and leveraging strategic vision to bring impact.”
- INTER-GENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS MATTER. Evans believes deep, cross- generational relationships “raise the tide of our community so all ships rise.” Scripture is rich in the value of cross-generational relationships, he says, and it’s one of the first things he notices when visiting a church, company, or organization. Are there older, more seasoned voices as well as youthful voices and movement?
- WORK THE EQUATION. Connectivity that creates community equals impact; a simple equation, a predictable outcome.
MIKE EVANS TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Philanthropic pursuits
Go to beverage? Diet Coke from McDonalds (“Gotta be McDonalds,” he says, “they have the right carbonation!")
What is your favorite restaurant locally? Either Firebirds Woodfired Grill or Izakaya Hibachi & Sushi
Favorite place for a vacation? Skiing in Colorado.
Secret Dream? To be thin again (but not really a secret, he says, as everybody knows it!)
Please connect with Mike at mevans@chorusinc.com.
