ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree... cover image

ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree...

Latest episodes

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May 4, 2021 • 42min

Dave Powers, CEO, Deckers Brands

Dave Powers serves as President & CEO of Deckers Brands, a global footwear and apparel company based in Santa Barbara, Calif. His current role includes prioritizing strategic initiatives and investments to expand the global distribution footprint of Deckers Brands, while also ensuring consumers have a seamless experience when engaging directly with each channel or brand. He focuses on long-term growth and Omni Channel strategies for the company’s five high-performing brands: UGG®, Teva®, Sanuk®, HOKA One One® and Koolaburra®. Since 2012, Dave has served in various roles at Deckers Brands, including spearheading growth initiatives for the company’s brand portfolio as President of Brands and leading direct-to-consumer strategies as President of Direct-to-Consumer. Dave is passionate about consumer-led insight and innovation as well as doing great in business and doing good for people and the planet. His passion for innovation as well as improvement led by consumer insight has resulted in gains in operating margin and revenue. Dave also remains committed to sustainability as well as making a positive societal impact and leading a strong company culture. Under his leadership as President & CEO since 2016, Deckers Brands has received accolades for stellar financial performance and sustainability efforts. In 2019, Deckers was selected by Investor's Business Daily® as one of the 50 Best ESG Companies: A List of Today's Top Stocks For Environmental, Social and Governance Values. The company was also recognized by Footwear News as 2020 Company of the Year for its financial performance and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as significant charitable giving for COVID-19 relief. In 2020, Dave was named a 2020 Businessperson of the Year by Fortune, ranking number 13 on their list of top executives. Dave has over twenty years of experience in merchandising, concept development and leadership of global retail operations at some of the industry’s top brands. Prior to joining Deckers Brands, he held executive leadership roles at Converse, including four years as Vice President of Global Direct-to-Consumer where he successfully guided the expansion of the brand globally, and Timberland, where he led worldwide retail merchandising, marketing, visual and store design as well as the creation of a sustainable line of footwear and apparel. A native of New Hampshire, Dave graduated Cum Laude from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Now residing in Santa Barbara, Calif., he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two sons.
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Apr 27, 2021 • 40min

David Welsh, CEO, PRIMED

As President & CEO, David ushered in an era of PRIMED where for 14+ years, PRIMED achieved annual growth of more than 20%. Under his leadership, PRIMED has grown from a small player in acute care PPE in Canada to a global leader in the manufacturing and supply of high-quality PPE products in North America. During his 14 years and prior to COVID-19, PRIMED had grown more than 10 times in top and bottom line under his leadership. Prior to his time at PRIMED, David was the Director of Sales at Acrodex. Acrodex is a leading Western Canadian provider of IT services for mid-tier to large enterprises. Over his 5 years at Acrodex, he led the sales team to record 80% growth in top-line sales. David began his career in both Pharmaceutical and Medical Device (Becton Dickinson) sales.
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Apr 20, 2021 • 50min

Peter Cazzola, CEO, PMC Advisors

PMC Advisors is driven by the vision and leadership of Peter Cazzolla. Upon retiring, after 21 years as Chairman, President, and CEO of Capital Insurance Group and 42 years in various leadership positions in the insurance industry, Peter has decided to share his knowledge and experience with company boards and C-Suite executives. He is passionate about entrepreneurialism and helping businesses achieve their potential. Upon graduation from the University of Miami, Peter began his career as an officer in the United States Air Force. He decided to venture into the public sector after the completion of his military service applying his Air Force leadership and management experience and training to his new private company opportunities.  The property and casualty insurance industry best provided the opportunities Peter was seeking. His accelerated progression into more responsible leadership roles included operational research, finance, strategic planning, marketing, general administration, and management. Peter spent the first thirteen years of his insurance career in functional leadership positions, in manager to Senior Vice President roles, and the remaining twenty-nine years as President and CEO, including his last Twenty one years with CIG.  As President and CEO, Peter's experiences and knowledge were heavily concentrated in leadership, company operations, strategic planning, marketing, capital deployment, finance, and corporate governance.  Peter is an innovator of business products that cater to customer needs and a collaborative facilitator. During Peter's career and under his leadership, he has inspired himself and his teams to achieve the following key accomplishments: Twenty-one years of consistent growth and profit increasing CIG's premium written more than four times and increasing the company equity over fivefold. Establishment of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Increased Product and market share in existing and new states.  Deployment of state-of-the-art technology to enhance efficiency and customer service.  Founded a number of companies and associations including, Nevada Capital Insurance Company, Capital Risk Management Insurance Company, a captive, Risk Share Insurance Product, Pacific Association of Domestic Insurance Companies, and Leadership Saddleback. Actively participated in regulatory and legislative lobbying on state and National levels promoting fair and balanced regulations and legislation. Authored and passed a bill to better govern the California excess and surplus lines market for domestic insurance companies. Serves and has served on a number of company, non-profit, and association boards and board committees including Capital Insurance Group, Captive Insurance Companies, Nevada Insurance Guaranty Fund, Pacific Association of Domestic Insurance Companies, Chamber of Commerce, and the Northern California Golf Association. With Peter's career worth of knowledge and experience coupled with outstanding management and leadership skills, Peter and PMC Advisors are well suited to advise company boards and C -Suite executives in their pursuit of improved performance. Peter resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife Kathie and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
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Apr 13, 2021 • 44min

Chris Ford, CEO, Capco Canada

Chris Ford is the Managing Partner and CEO for the Canadian region at Capco. Chris has been focused on strategy and implementation of technology transformation services in the Canadian market for almost 20 years. Chris is a senior professional with experience leading architecture, business delivery, development, functional and non-functional and infrastructure work streams. Chris’ engagement experience spans customer-facing online channels, business process management (BPM), content management, payments and paper-based item processing for financial services. Chris is a software engineering by training and is a published author on Performance and Availability for enterprise financial services platforms. Chris also speaks regularly on technology and innovation in financial services
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Apr 6, 2021 • 52min

Jean-Christophe Bédos, CEO, Birks Group Inc.

Jean-Christophe Bédos is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Birks Group Inc., formerly Henry Birks & Sons, a leading manufacturer and retailer of luxury jewelery and watchmaking since 1879 in Canada. Before joining Birks, Mr. Bédos was formerly with the high-end jeweller, Boucheron International (Kering), in Paris, France, where he served as President and CEO after a distinguished career with the Richemont Group in Paris and London and at Cartier’s iconic Maison. In July 2018, Birks was prized with the prestigious Brand Of the Year Award. The prestigious World Branding Awards are the premier recognition programme of the UK-based World Branding Forum. The annual event is the ultimate global brand recognition accolade and evaluates brands from around the world. The judging process involves a three-step procedure: brand evaluation, public online voting and consumer market research. Birks is the only brand to receive the award in the Retail Jewellery category, surpassing the impressive competition for its dedication and passion behind the fine jewellery brand. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Birks Group Inc., and the Montreal General Hospital Foundation as Vice-Chair and is Chair of the Financial Resources Allocation Committee. Mr. Bédos is a Member of the Board of the London Business School Global Advisory Council. He is an active member on the committee “L’avenir de la rue Sainte-Catherine” project and has co-chaired the fundraising campaigns of the McCord Museum and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Born in Morocco, he lived in France and England until 2011. He now resides in Montreal, Canada with his wife and four children. He is a skilled brand builder within the luxury retail sector, who brings a very relevant background having spent his entire career, for more than 30 years, within the high-end watch and jewellery industry. Mr. Bédos earned a MSc in Business Management from London Business School – Sloan Fellowship Masters Programme, with Distinctions in Marketing and Brand Management; a BA in International Commercial Law from University of Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne; BA (Honors) in European Business from Trent University, Nottingham, England; BA in Business Administration from Toulouse Business School, Toulouse, France.
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Mar 30, 2021 • 52min

Peter Levangie, CEO, Bay State Milling Company

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay State Milling Company, Peter F. Levangie is responsible for all functional areas of the Company and its daily operating activities. Mr. Levangie joined Bay State Milling in 2004 as the Vice President of Strategic Planning. Since that time, he held the titles of Executive Vice President of Revenue & Strategic Planning and then Chief Operating Officer. In January of 2009, the Board elected Mr. Levangie President and Chief Operating Officer. He was named Chief Executive Officer and President in 2016. Before coming to the Company, he was Chief Operating Officer of EFS Network, the supply chain solutions network for the foodservice industry, which he helped found in 2000. He began his career with Cargill, Inc. and held various merchandising and general management positions. Mr. Levangie graduated from Dartmouth College and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is also an alumnus of the Jesuit Volunteer Corp where he worked at a group home for at risk children in Helena, MT. Mr. Levangie currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Project Bread, the leading anti-hunger organization in Massachusetts, and chairs the Finance Council at St. Ignatius Parish in Chestnut Hill, MA. Mr. Levangie is an avid runner and marathoner, enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife and three college-aged children, and loves being in the mountains of Montana, the birthplace of his wife.
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Mar 23, 2021 • 44min

Steve Swinney, CEO, Kodiak Building Partners

Steve is the CEO & Co-Founder of Kodiak Building Partners, Inc., based in Denver, Colorado. As Chief Executive Officer, he serves on Kodiak’s Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall vision and execution of Kodiak’s business strategy. Since its creation in July 2011, Kodiak has grown to nearly $1.8 Billion in revenue through a series of twenty-seven acquisitions and three business launches, along with extensive organic growth of its operating companies. With a decentralized and entrepreneurial culture, Kodiak was honored with a spot on the Inc. 5000 list for the past three years along with being recognized as the largest Colorado based company to earn that distinction. ​ Prior to the founding of Kodiak, Steve was the Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis with ProBuild Holdings, where he created the organization to support the company’s M&A, Financial Analysis, Investor Relations, Budgeting, and Long-Range Planning Functions. Additionally, he has held numerous financial positions with increasing scopes of responsibility at organizations such as Western Union, Clark Retail Enterprises, Target Corporation, and Arthur Andersen. His career has been focused on mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, turnaround management, and private equity backed ventures. Steve, a CPA, earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting at Abilene Christian University and his MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. Steve also serves as Chairman of the Kodiak Building Partners Foundation, member of the Investment Committee of Brush Creek Partners, and Board Member of US Fence Solutions. In his free time, Steve is usually enjoying time with family; skiing, snowshoeing or hiking in the Colorado mountains.
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Mar 16, 2021 • 44min

Walter Lamothe, CEO, Bentley & Co

Walter Lamothe is President & CEO of Bentley & Co and Founder of Full Range Strategy. Walter has over 40 years of rich retail experience and a network that can get businesses to another level and get the deals done. An entrepreneurial change agent and visionary, Walter is performance driven and a leader that translates strategic missions into defined outcomes. During his career, he has grown, transformed and created new retail businesses and business models whether it be traditional retail, e-commerce, marketing or wholesale. Walter has crafted a successful retail methodology for ensuring success that started when he sold market products door to door with his mother when he was just a young man.
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Mar 9, 2021 • 41min

Talman Pizzey, CEO, Acuren

Talman Pizzey is the chief executive officer for Rockwood and affiliated companies including Acuren where he leads a staff of 5000 employees in the provision of materials engineering, inspection, and rope access industrial services through 90 offices across the United States, Canada, and the UK. Talman has been with Acuren (including predecessor companies Canspec and Hanson) since 1981.  He has broad experience in materials engineering, nondestructive testing, and visual inspection. His expertise spans industries including oil & gas, pulp & paper, chemical, and power generation. Operations management,  advanced ultrasonic applications, failure analysis, and operational efficiency are areas of specific experience.  - 2019-current: CEO Rockwood/Acuren. Transitioned head office from Greenwich CT to Webster TX. Supported the sale process from a family office to private equity (American Securities), established a board of directors, obtained financing (syndicated loan), and established an executive leadership team. Led the team through the pandemic and completed four acquisitions in the first year as CEO. - 2006-2018: COO Canada. Developed best-in-class regional operations management team working effectively with corporate functional leadership. Focused the business on reoccurring revenue (maintenance vs. construction),  customer engagement, and driving cost-saving initiatives with the result of significant market share gains (moving from tied for number one to larger than numbers two through four combined). - 1995-2002: managed NDT Operations in the Prairies Region. Established the Oil Sands business, double-digit annual growth with leading market share obtained ISO 9002 registration, and developed strong safety culture. - Pre 1995: consulting metallurgical engineer and manager of various departments (Visual, Edmonton NDT, and  Advanced NDT). Developed specifications for the certification of well control equipment, determined the remaining life of steam piping in power plants, lead investigator of an industrial facility explosion, routine failure investigations including corrosion and fracture of metallic components, analysis of two train derailment incidents including an appearance in court as an expert witness, CWB level III welding inspector, vendor surveillance of a complex pipe order in  Japan, and developed advanced ultrasonic inspection equipment for pipeline girth weld inspection. EDUCATION  B.Sc. Metallurgical Engineering, 1987 University of Alberta  M.B.A., 1999 University of Alberta  PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS  Board of Directors: Acuren 2020-current, CWB Group 2004-2009 and 2013-2018  Association of Professional Engineers and geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA)  Canadian Institute for Non-destructive Evaluation (CINDE)  American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT)
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Mar 2, 2021 • 52min

Howdy Holmes, CEO, Chelsea Milling Company

Howdy started working at Chelsea Milling Company in 1963 as a sophomore in high school. He worked in many departments, learning the company from the ground up during his high school and college summer breaks. He left the company in 1968 saying he would return later, but first, he was going to pursue a boyhood dream. He wanted to be a race car driver. He spent 20 years in motorsports winning regional races, the Formula Atlantic Championship, and Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 in 1979. He competed in the Indy 500 six times,  qualifying on the front row in 1984, and held the best average finishing record of anyone who started more than four events from 1911 – 1988 when he retired from driving race cars. As a businessman, Howdy operated a motorsports marketing company and an advertising company, which served the motorsports community. He authored an award-winning book called, “Formula Car Technology” and was a contributing writer for magazines and newspapers about racing. He was also one of the first color commentators of racing for ESPN. Howdy rejoined the family business in 1987. “The relationships between racing teams  and manufacturing are kind of twin sisters in the sense that you’re always trying to  improve something with the mechanical equipment.” Howdy led a transformation of the then 100-year-old family business. With the help of others, a professionally managed strategic vision was successfully introduced. Today, known for its Quality and Value, “JIFFY” Mix is uniquely positioned for the  21st Century. “JIFFY” is the market share leader in retail prepared baking mixes. In  2007, Chelsea Milling Company entered the foodservice market space, selling to  commercial and non-commercial customers.

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