Marit Peters and Azure Standard honored for excellence in talent development
Award recipients showed measurable performance improvements through strengths-based approaches
Winners celebrated at national conference in Phoenix, Arizona

PHOENIX, Ariz. (October 29, 2025) — Kolbe Corp, a leader in strengths-based performance solutions, announces the winners for the 2025 Conative Excellence Awards. Marit Peters, President & Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and CEO of Catalyit, received the Kolbe Professional Award for Individual Leadership. Azure Standard, a family-owned distributor and manufacturer of organic and non-GMO products, earned the Kolbe Enterprise Award for Organizational Leadership in Building Conative Excellence.

The 2025 Conative Excellence Awards recognize those who consistently use Kolbe methods to empower themselves and their teams, leading to measurable improvements in performance. Peters and Azure Standard were selected for their success in applying strengths-based methods that align people with roles matching their natural work styles. This approach has led to significant gains in productivity, team dynamics, and business performance.

“As a company dedicated to bringing organic, healthy foods to families across America, we’ve learned that the same principle applies to our team — when you honor how people naturally work, they flourish,” said Karen Slusher, Chief Experience Officer at Azure Standard. “Embedding Kolbe throughout Azure transformed more than our metrics; it saved careers and strengthened our ability to fulfill our mission of making healthy living accessible to everyone.”

“After twenty years of using Kolbe, I’ve learned that weakness doesn’t exist; there are only unrecognized strengths waiting to transform organizations,” said Peters. “Spreading Kolbe Wisdom throughout the insurance community has become my moral responsibility because when you align roles with how people naturally take action, teams shift from judging each other to helping each other.”

“Marit Peters and Azure Standard exemplify the transformative power of understanding and applying natural strengths in the workplace,” said David Kolbe, CEO of Kolbe Corp. “Their achievements demonstrate how leveraging conative insights drives significant improvements in both individual and organizational performance.”

The awards recognize excellence in applying Kolbe’s methodology, which focuses on the conative part of the mind – how people naturally take action when solving problems. Unlike cognitive (thinking) or affective (feeling) assessments, Kolbe’s approach identifies instinctive strengths that help reduce workplace stress while improving productivity.

Visit Kolbe.com to find out how Kolbe solutions can help you and your team do more, more naturally.