Other shifts have been more subtle and personal. The time away from AMLI has sharpened Mutz’s focus, according to a longtime friend and business partner. “As a CEO, he has narrowed the scope of what issues he keeps in front of him better than in the past,” Tague says. “I think that has made him a lot more effective, as he disciplined himself to try to avoid getting mired in too many small issues and instead focus on the larger issues.”
And Mutz, a former lawyer and Vietnam veteran, has accomplished that during a very challenging time. As the cheerful and enthusiastic CEO was settling back into his old job at AMLI, he was hit by personal tragedy last year when he lost his wife.
Today, as Mutz moves forward, he leans on his seven children and his work at the company he co-founded. “You’re able to deal with things by focusing on other people,” he says. “I focused on my kids and my company. It gives me something to do. It gives me a reason to live and gives me a reason to try to do my best.”
