CEO Nexus Cup: Michael Provost
About Michael Provost, President of Ovation Construction
In 2021, Michael transitioned from the company’s top project manager to a vice president role. His friend and professional sounding board, Kyle Keefe, saw the challenges Michael was dealing with and recommended EOS.
Kyle was a member of the CEO Nexus C-Suite Roundtable group, a group made up of senior executives serving the CEO of their companies in various roles (COO, CFO, CTO, CMO, GM, etc.), often serving as the “integrator” for companies using the EOS/Traction methodology.
As the director of HR for his company, Kyle had received a lot of value from his C-Suite Group. In 2023, he recommended it to Michael. Michael joined, and things started to click.
One of those things? Michael saw what Traction was doing for his peers, and he finally cracked open the book Kyle had given him years ago.
Implementing it, he said, brought peace. Using the scorecard helped create tangible accountability and metrics for the business, taking it from subjective to objective.
“My background is in finance, and that’s what I love about finance—you’re making decisions based on facts, what the numbers tell you to do, not just gut feelings,” he said. “That’s what helps me sleep at night.”
What’s next for Ovation Construction?
Ovation Construction is going through an ownership transition, with Michael taking the helm. With this new role and ownership interest, Michael qualified to participate in a CEO Peer Group, composed of founders and owners.
That group has helped Michael elevate from thinking about business operations to thinking about long-term strategy, continuing to reveal blind spots he didn’t know he had.
“What I always say the benefits of CEO Nexus are, first of all, you don’t know what you don’t know. And I’m always surprised at where I’ll get an answer to a question from,” he said. “That’s the whole concept behind CEO Nexus, is learn from the experience of other people in similar roles. And that’s something I’ve been so thankful for over the years.”
Michael says the two best business decisions he’s made have been joining the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Central Florida (for his organization) and joining CEO Nexus (for his own leadership development).
CEO Nexus hasn’t just been helpful to Michael on a leadership level. It has been helpful to the company’s growth. Ovation has seen a boom since Michael took over, and the things he has learned have helped manage that growth.
CEO Nexus: A full circle moment
The CEO Nexus Conference is a highlight of Michael’s year. At the 2026 event, he was able to attend with Kyle, who he hired as his integrator—allowing them to take in knowledge from double the number of breakout tables.
During the event, Michael was humbled to receive the CEO Nexus Cup. As he held the Cup and looked at the previous winners, he saw the names of people he admired. He thought about the members of his C-Suite Group and CEO Peer Group, for whom he was incredibly grateful for the support and insights they had given over the years.
For Michael, it was a full-circle moment. After took the trophy to his truck, Michael walked back in to see his CFO, CPA and bonding company—all fellow owners—talking after attending the conference together.
“It just gave me a level of peace that I have the right people working for me that are aligned with my goals, and we’re trying to run this thing right—and I have the right employees and team around me to accomplish that,” he said.
CEO Nexus is committed to serving business owners and executive teams leading growth-oriented, second-stage businesses. Our facilitated peer roundtable program utilizes the CEO Nexus Content Model, which focuses on leadership, sales, operations, and finance. The program is structured to enhance Your Ownership Journey™.
Every business owner has their own personal journey with their business. CEO Nexus’ mission is to meet business owners and executive teams where they’re at on their journey and provide the resources and context needed to help them accomplish their goals.