TAB History

The Alternative Board^® (TAB) was founded by Allen Fishman in Saint Louis, MO in 1990. While running a public company, Fishman found he received business advice, ideas, and motivation from his board of directors—guidance that was lacking for owners of privately held businesses. Thus, TAB Boards^® were established as a method for board members to receive advice and counsel from non-competing peer advisors with diverse backgrounds and experience. TAB eventually moved its home-base to Denver in 1994 and began expanding via a franchise system.

TAB Boards^® now consist of presidents, CEOs, owners and managing partners. In short, the decision-makers of privately-owned businesses. This concept – PEER ADVISORY BOARDS – has been refined and advanced over the intervening years. Today more than 300 TAB-Certified Facilitators/Coaches conduct monthly board meetings across the United States, Canada and South America. The focus of these board meetings is to resolve issues or challenges faced by each member and to share business experience in a supportive and confidential environment. Since its inception, more than five-thousand businesses have benefited from the TAB process. In 2006, Art Miller and Tra Pippin brought the TAB process to Oklahoma City and they have already established three TAB Boards^®.