Ep.242: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Steve Swinney (@steveswinney).

My guest today is Steve Swinney, founder and CEO of Kodiak Building Partners. The company, which started in 2011 with the acquisition of Barton Supply in Denver, has grown to 45+ acquisitions and $3 billion in sales by 2024. We cover Steve’s extensive experience in building product distribution, Kodiak's diversification strategy, communication as a CEO, hiring practices, acquisition strategy, company history, and future challenges.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn. 

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Links

Steve on LinkedIn

Kodiak Building Partners

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:05) - Starting Kodiak

(00:06:09) - Why did you focus on lumber as a commodity?

(00:09:17) - What were the first few years at Kodiak like?

(00:12:28) - What was your capital raise strategy?

(00:13:51) - Consolidation & Acquisitions

(00:17:08) - How have you constructed your team as the company has grown?

(00:21:15) - Recruiting executives

(00:22:51) - How do you foster an environment of continuous learning?

(00:24:46) - How has your communication style evolved?

(00:31:45) - Keeping values consistent across companies in Kodiak

(00:34:01) - Is there ever a breaking point with the house-of-brands approach?

(00:34:53) - What key challenges are you most excited to solve over the next decade?