For 50 years, CEXEC has been guided by three core values: innovation, integrity and excellence. While integrity and excellence are easy to demonstrate, innovation presents a different challenge. As Weston Rhodes, Chairman, President, and CEO of CEXEC, explains, "Innovation is hard. Innovation requires risk; it requires thinking outside of the box." CEXEC recognizes that innovation must be encouraged and experienced, a philosophy that has shaped not only how the company approaches change over the years, but also how it gives back to the community.
Many of the values that guide CEXEC today were established by Douglas Rhodes, founder of CEXEC. Community involvement and charitable giving have long been part of the company's culture, reflecting Douglas's belief that success carries a responsibility to serve others. As Weston recalls, one of the lessons he and his siblings learned early was to ask: "Who are you serving? And what are you doing? How are you improving the community around you?" Douglas also encouraged experimentation, often supporting new ideas even when success was uncertain. What mattered was not whether an idea succeeded, but whether something valuable was learned along the way, a perspective that helped shape CEXEC's culture of both service and innovation.
The lessons and values Douglas instilled in the company made sponsoring the Programmable Percussion exhibit at the Northern Virginia Science Center an especially natural fit for CEXEC. When asked what his father would think of the exhibit, Weston immediately replied, "He would've laughed," because he would have appreciated the creativity and the joy of exploration at its core.
For CEXEC, however, the value of experiences like Programmable Percussion extends beyond the exhibit itself. The company sees it as an investment in future problem-solvers, recognizing that tomorrow's challenges will require ingenuity, adaptability and the confidence to approach problems from different perspectives. That same philosophy informs its support of the future Northern Virginia Science Center, which Weston describes as a "playground for science creativity," where visitors can explore new ideas, make unexpected connections and discover how innovation takes shape.
Through its role as a Founding Partner of the Northern Virginia Science Center, CEXEC is bringing innovation to life and shaping a stronger future. The Northern Virginia Science Center is honored by CEXEC’s commitment to scientific creativity and innovation and would love to speak with others who share a similar vision for the community. Please reach out to Jenn Brunner, Chief Advancement Officer, at cao@childsci.org, for more information.
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