"Madison is a tech expert. I love her autonomy, how she can think, she can multi-[task], she can move fast. Not everybody can do that, but not everybody needs that either. I need that. It was pretty eerie how quick we were able to connect on things."
— Slade McLendon, CEO
The Challenge
Sunbelt Fire has spent over 35 years serving emergency response communities across the Southeast, and under CEO Slade McLendon's leadership, the company was growing fast — opening its third facility in December and setting an ambitious 10-year goal to double in size. But rapid growth brought new demands, and Slade recognized that the way he'd always operated was no longer enough to sustain the momentum.
Slade had worked with assistants before, but the experience had left him frustrated rather than freed.
"We were growing, but we knew we needed something to help us continue the growth and lead and serve well,"he recalls. The real challenge wasn't simply finding administrative help — it was finding someone who could think independently, move at his pace, and require minimal direction.
"I found it became very cumbersome when I'm having to move at the speed of light," Slade explains. He needed a true partner: someone who could handle the details, anticipate needs, and protect his ability to focus on high-level leadership. After a conversation with his chair at C12 Group, he reached out to BELAY.
The Solution
BELAY matched Slade McLendon with Virtual Assistant Madison Sutton, and from the very first interaction, the partnership clicked.
"Instantly I was like, 'Okay, this is going to work,'"Slade says. Madison brought both the technical fluency and the independent thinking he had been searching for — qualities he acknowledged not every executive needs, but that he absolutely required.
Madison quickly took ownership of Slade's inbox, building out folder systems, drafting emails, and scheduling meetings and interviews on his behalf. She also manages travel logistics and creates itineraries, ensuring Slade arrives at every commitment fully prepared. On a daily basis, she updates his task list to keep his work aligned with his larger goals.
Perhaps most valuably, Madison has helped Slade protect and maximize his designated focus and buffer days each week — structured time he relies on to drive the company forward. "She's been helping me get better at [my three weekly focus] days [and] getting more prepped on the buffer days," he notes. "I can be selectively detailed when I need to; [Madison has] a high attention to detail. Her work ethic [is] excellent. I don't like to micromanage people, and I don't like to have to call multiple times. I've never had to do that [with her]."
"When I believe in something, I'll push it to others — and within our own team. So I believed [in] it enough to where now our COO [has] his new Virtual Assistant from [BELAY] starting for us [this week]."
— Slade McLendon, CEOThe Impact
The impact of working with BELAY Virtual Assistant Madison Sutton has been significant enough that Slade McLendon became an internal advocate almost immediately. True to his nature, when something works, he shares it.
"When I believe in something, I'll push it to others — and within our own team. So I believed [in] it enough to where now our COO [has] his new Virtual Assistant from [BELAY] starting for us [this week]."
In Slade's eyes, Madison has evolved well beyond the role of assistant. He describes her as a project manager — his eyes and ears inside the business. "She's given me more time, which has given me a higher return back into the company," he says. That time and mental bandwidth translate directly into his ability to lead at the level a fast-scaling company demands.
For a CEO with a 10-year goal to double the size of Sunbelt Fire, the ability to delegate with confidence is a genuine competitive advantage. "The win for me is I'm able to move fast, I'm able to come up with ideas, and I'm able to do the kind of things I need to do," Slade remarks. "It's not just one win I can count on her to get me to. [And] that's what I need."