In this episode of Think Like an Owner, I sit down with Hill Hamrick, Co-CEO of Central Storage & Warehouse, to explore how he and his team run a complex, high-volume cold storage business that ships hundreds of millions of frozen food products across North America every year.

We dive into how Hill and his co-CEO, Sam, transitioned from first-time owners into strategic leaders of a 24/6, labor-intensive operation. Hill shares how they learned the business from the ground up, why building trust with frontline employees was critical in the early days, and how his experience in the Marine Corps continues to shape his leadership approach.

We also get into:

How EOS helps align a 200+ person team across multiple locations
Why data is the backbone of operational decision-making
Lessons in pushing ownership and problem-solving to the front lines
The difference between wartime and peacetime CEO mindsets
Strategies for scaling culture and priorities while still in motion

Hill also opens up about the challenges of system migrations, prioritizing as a CEO, and the discipline required to avoid shiny-object distractions when building long-term value. This episode is a masterclass in leading through complexity and creating alignment in fast-moving, blue-collar businesses.

Links:

Hill on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hill-hamrick-094807a0/

Central Storage and Warehouse Co. - https://www.csw-wi.com/

Pacific Lake Partners - https://www.pacificlake.com/

Trilogy Search Partners - https://trilogy-search.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:06:55) - Introducing CSW and Hill

(00:08:45) - Priorities Frameworks

(00:12:23) - Most Effective Ways to Build Trust with a Team

(00:18:52) - Challenges in Creating a Synchronous Team

(00:22:37) - Making System and Software Migrations

(00:27:04) - Moving Decision-Making Down the Org-Chart

(00:33:48) - Matching CEO Mindsets with Organizational Needs

(00:44:23) - Board Member Advice

(00:47:42) - Prioritization Evolutions

(01:02:10) - Lessons from the Military

Diners: The Most American Establishment?