
James G. Wetrich
Chair, Audit & Risk Committee
Jim “Big Red” Wetrich is a CEO Mentor with Building Champions. For nearly 30 years, Building Champions has been a leadership and executive coaching company trusted by leaders and organizations to help them reach their full potential and achieve lasting success. Jim has over 45 years of leadership experience in the health care industry across three continents, 1500+ coaching hours, and entrepreneurial success both founding and leading his own companies. He is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified professional coach (PCC).
Prior to joining Building Champions, Jim led The Wetrich Group of Companies, including a consulting group he founded in 2001 offering management consulting advisory services to health care providers and suppliers and national account representation for medical device companies, along with executive coaching, talent assessment, executive outplacement services, and leadership development. The companies have worked with over 100 clients.
Jim has held many senior level roles within health care organizations including Providence Health & Services, Molnlycke Health Care, Abbott Laboratories (featured in Good to Great), University Health System Consortium, Pitts Management Associates, and Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans. While at Molnlycke, Jim and his team grew the sales nearly 7 times and the EBITDA over 20 times, creating over $1BN in incremental value. In his final job at Abbott, Jim handled the company’s largest customer with over $1BN in annual sales.
With a hands-on leadership approach, he has extensive experience with operating and commercial responsibilities both domestically and internationally. He has proven success in the areas of financial management, strategy, supply chain, negotiation, sales and marketing strategies, and mergers and acquisitions. Also he is committed to diversity, social responsibility, and life-long learning.
In addition to his work as a CEO Mentor, Jim teaches Marketing and Consumer Behavior courses at Texas Wesleyan University School of Business. He has served on numerous boards including a public company based in the UK. He currently serves on the Professional Coaches board of the International Coaching Federation and will serve as Vic Chair in his final year on the board (2025) and has previously sat on the board of Meals on Wheels Association Foundation. Jim has also shared his leadership insights in his book, Stifled: Where Good Leaders Go Wrong. Also in 2015, he was in the Inaugural Cohort of the Distinguished Careers Institute at Stanford University.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Emory University where he graduated with honors, a Master of Health Administration from Tulane University, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California, and a Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from the University of Texas. Currently, he resides in Southlake, Texas with his wife and together they have two adult children and also two grandchildren.