My guest on this episode is Craig Picken, an executive recruiter for C-suite executives in the aviation industry. We discuss key trends in aviation recruiting, top firms' strategies to attract and retain talent, and how small companies can have recruiting advantages over larger competitors. We also touch on the importance of having an external-facing CEO and fostering a dynamic, fast-moving organizational culture. Additionally, we chat about the benefits of podcasting, as Craig has been hosting ...
Nov 12, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 249
My guest for this third episode in our Build Series is Kush Das, CEO of Ennoble Care, to talk about profitable growth. Or as he calls it, sustainable growth; something that goes to the heart of his mission to serve patients with the best possible care alongside a disciplined and motivated team. Kush and I discuss how they measure return on investment internally to remain profitable, how keeping that profit margin affects growth hires, the culture created with a sustainable model, and some tactic...
Nov 05, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 248
My guest on this podcast episode is Jim Derry, the CEO of Field Fastener, a $180 million fastener business based in the Midwest with a unique vendor-managed inventory system. We discuss two main topics: culture and maintaining a multi-generational family business. Jim shares insights on creating a measurable, data-driven culture where talented people thrive and the importance of values in defining company culture. We also discuss preparing Field Fastener for future generations, covering the esse...
Oct 29, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 247
Episode 246: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Johnny Lieberman ( @JohnnyLieberman ) and Zack Miller ( @ZackMiller ). In this episode I am joined by Johnny Lieberman and Zack Miller, co-founders of Worklyn Partners, about their approach to integrating cybersecurity and IT services for middle-market companies. We discuss their multi-acquisition strategy and the integration of these services under one platform, as well as the challenges and benefits of merging tech-driven service providers. Insig...
Oct 15, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 246
Ep.245: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by James Lindstrom ( @James-Lindstrom ). The episode features Jim Lindstrom, a seasoned CEO with experience in leading companies like IES, Providence Service Corp and Verdian. The discussion covers his experiences with accelerating company growth, executing turnarounds, managing balance sheets, and strategic value creation. Jim shares insights on governance, operations, capital allocation, team alignment, and business simplification, drawing from his exten...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 245
Ep.244: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Collin Hathaway ( @CollinHathaway ). I'm excited to welcome Collin Hathaway back for his third appearance on the podcast. Collin has a wealth of experience in the home services industry and company operations, and today we dive into his recent exit from Flint Group, which he sold to General Atlantic. We get into what he might have done differently, his belief that "good is usually enough," and the deeply personal process of exiting businesses. We also c...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 244
In this second episode of the Build Series, I speak to Rob Southern and James Bergeron about their experiences and strategies for upleveling as CEOs. We discuss their journeys in acquiring and running companies, the importance of executive coaching, and actionable habits and practices that contribute to continuous personal and professional growth. We also delve into distinguishing signal from noise, the evolution of leadership style, and the inner drivers that motivate long-term improvement as a...
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 8 min
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 ...
Sep 17, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 242
Ep.241: Alex ( @Aebrigeman ) is joined by Ed Manfre ( @emanfre ). My guest today is Ed Manfre, a business leader, executive coach, and co-author of Lead Through Anything alongside recent guest Dustin Seale. He has two decades of experience helping CEOs and C-Suite leaders align themselves and their companies for success. He’s served leadership roles at firms Heidrick & Struggles and Spencer Stuart as a business builder and people leader and is here today to talk through a core concept of his...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 241
Ep.240: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Sarah Rowell ( @sarahrowell ). This is the first episode in our new series called the Build Series, in partnership with Pacific Lake Partners and Trilogy Search Partners. Over the six Build Series episodes, we will explore how CEOs can accelerate their company’s growth trajectory, as well as their own professional growth as leaders. The Build Series continues the foundation set by last year’s Launch Series in growing transformative companies as ambitiou...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 240
This is my second episode hosting Alex De Pfyffer and Ross Porter, founders of Heritage Holding, on the podcast. A lot has happened since their first episode in late 2022. They’ve built 7 platforms through 25 acquisitions and recently raised a committed fund for the next five platforms. They’ve done excellent sourcing, but I also admire their ability to build a strong team at Heritage that allows them to move faster across multiple strategies and platforms. We talk about elements of a platform t...
Aug 27, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 239
My guest today is Jeff Homer, who’s pursued one of the most interesting consolidation theses I’ve ever heard, music schools and more recently dance studios through his company, Ensemble Performing Arts. And his pace is incredible, acquiring essentially a school per month for five years, totaling 70 acquisitions and integrations. The number of reps he’s had is incredible, and has given him a huge amount of experience to learn from. Everything from industry theses, to integration, working with sel...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 238
My guest today is Justin Watt, co-founder of Switchboard, which helps businesses with automation and AI tools to become more effective and efficient companies. He’s the smartest person I know when it comes to automation, and I’ve been really excited to record this episode with him laying out his philosophy for tools and how to approach streamlining key internal processes. We talk about hype vs reality with AI tools, preparing your company for automation and laying the foundation through cleaner ...
Aug 13, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 237
I formed Airframe Group to acquire and build a transformative company in aviation services that is loyal to customers, moves fast, and pursues an ambitious vision for the long-term. I have a life-long passion for aviation and want to my next life chapter creating organizations that give the aviation community their absolute best. My ideal partner is an owner ready for their next chapter of life and wants to transition the company to a new owner who will lead their employees, customers, and vendo...
Aug 06, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 236
Episode 235: Alex Bridgeman ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Chris Hoffman ( Chris-Hoffman ). My guest, Chris Hoffmann, is the President and CEO of Hoffmann Brothers, a home services business based in St. Louis. Hoffmann Brothers have scaled from $10 million in 2015 to over $100 million in revenue in 2023. We talk about how that journey happened, their experience building executive teams, investing in people through a training university they started for ongoing training, and investing activity for...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 235
Ep.234: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Auren Hoffman ( @auren ). In this episode, I sit down with Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and partner at Flex Capital. The conversation centers around Auren’s experiences in running data companies and his insights into the data as a service market. We discuss the slower-than-expected growth in the buyer's market for data, and what it takes for data companies to achieve significant scale, using ZoomInfo as a prominent example. The discussion also covers...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 234
Ep. 232: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Sara Heston ( @sara-heston ). My guest today is Sara Heston. We discuss the latest findings from the 2024 Stanford Search Fund Study, which reviews trends from the past two years. Key topics include rapid growth in the Search Fund industry, changing searcher backgrounds such as 24% of searchers not having an MBA, return trends, drivers of outsized returns, and industry dynamics. Sara also shares her transition to a director role at Anacapa. The episode...
Jul 16, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 229
Ep.231: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff . My guests today are Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, both Harvard professors for entrepreneurship through acquisition and co-authors of the most popular and well-known piece of content in search, the HBR book How to Buy a Small Business which I would consider the bible of the search fund world. It’s one of the first resources I recommend for folks wanting to learn about search, besides this podcast of course. On top of the ...
Jul 09, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 231
Ep.230: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Anand Sanwal ( @anandsanwal ). My guest today is Anand Sanwal, founder and former CEO of CB Insights, which provides data and intelligence on private markets, companies, and investors. Anand recently hired a new CEO for CB Insights and stepped into a chairman role. Anand ran the company for 14 years and developed a unique perspective on leading that I was really excited to learn more about. He’s a deep thinker, and if you liked recent episodes with Henr...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 230
Ep.228: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Brett Kelly ( @BrettKPG ). My guest on this episode is Brett Kelly, founder and CEO of Kelly Partners, a publicly traded accounting, tax, and advisory firm with global ambitions and a roughly $350m market cap. Since 2006 they have done 80 acquisitions and developed a strong playbook for building best-in-class accounting firms with a focus on high-net-worth clients and growing companies. Brett is a really serious and motivated leader who’s pulled tons of...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 228
Ep.227: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Dustin Seal ( @dustinseale ). My guest today is Dustin Seale, co-author of Lead Through Anything alongside Ed Manfre and managing partner at executive search and leadership firm, Heidrick & Struggles. Dustin has spent his career working with high-performing CEOs from over 70 countries to help transform teams and find the right successors for CEOs and other C-suite executives. We talk about what to look for in CEO successors, including the Microsoft ...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 227
Ep.226: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by A.J. Wasserstein. My guest on this episode is A.J. Wasserstein. Early in his career, A.J. founded Archives One, a physical records management business he operated as CEO for 17 years before selling to Iron Mountain. He then acquired One Source Water, which was eventually sold to Water Logic in 2016. He then began teaching at Yale School of Management where he has written ad nauseam about nearly every topic within growing and running small companies and ...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 226
Ep.225: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Anthony Bramante ( @AnthonyBramante ). My guest today is Anthony Bramante who leads In Control, an automation control systems integrator primarily serving water and wastewater facilities at small and medium-sized towns across the Northern Midwest. Control systems aren’t exactly top of mind for me every day, but after chatting with Anthony I’m seeing them everywhere and realizing how integral they are to our daily lives. Anthony and I talk about example ...
Jun 04, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 225
Ep. 224: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Godard Abel ( @GodardAbel ). My guest is Godard Abel, founder and CEO of G2, an enterprise software marketplace that helps software buyers find the right software for their companies and key problems. G2 is the third company he has led as CEO, the first two being BigMachines, founded in 2000, and SteelBrick, founded in 2014. We talk about lessons learned building all three companies, challenges he’s currently facing, picking the right industries to build...
May 28, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 224
Ep. 223: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Rick Torres ( @rick-torres ). My guest on this episode is Rick Torres, CEO and co-founder of Applikate Technologies, a digital pathology hardware and software business with a device that can examine tissue many multiples faster than traditional physical slide processes can today. I find this company fascinating given the life science and data element of the business and loved diving into the science behind pathology and how Applikate is making it so mu...
May 21, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 218
Ep. 222: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Dan Cremons ( @DanCremons ). My guest today is Dan Cremons, author of Winning Moves, 105 Proven Ways to Create Value in Private Equity-Backed Companies, and founder of Accelera Partners where he focuses on helping private equity groups unlock people-powered value creation. Dan started at Alpine Investors for 12 years before leaving in 2021 to found Accelera, and his book is an incredibly thorough documentation of everything he learned about the private...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 222
Ep.221: Alex ( @aebridgeman ) is joined by Moises Eilemberg ( @Meilemberg ). My guest is Moises Eilemberg, CEO of XiltriX, a 24-7 life science asset monitoring business that started 5 years ago with 36 employees today and growing swiftly. Moises is unique in that this is his second time as a CEO, his first being back in 2006 when he acquired a healthcare revenue cycle management company Avadyne, which he ran for 11 years before exiting, making 4 add-on acquisitions during that time. Moises has a...
Apr 30, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 221
My guest today is Tom Klein, former Morningside Co-CEO alongside recent podcast guest Roland Lessard. This episode with Tom acts as a part two pairing with our February episode with Roland where we talked about M&A value creation after close. Tom and I today discuss M&A value creation largely pre-close of add-ons, talking through industry selection, sourcing methodologies, industry knowledge snowballs, building a reputation, and working with lender partners. Tom has been involved in 12 M...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 220
The intersection of media and data has been the top idea on my mind for quite some time now. And my guest today, Craig Fuller, runs one of the best modern examples of this concept in action. FreightWaves, founded in 2016, is a media and data company focused on trucking, freight, supply chains, and all things logistics. To date, they have raised $91 million, will hit $42 million in revenue this year, split 55/45 between data and media, and have a valuation of between $300 and 400 million today. C...
Apr 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 219
Ep. 218: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Henry Schuck ( @HenryLSchuck ). My guest today is Henry Schuck, founder and CEO at ZoomInfo, one of the most successful data businesses in recent times with a market cap today around $12B. I’ve been looking forward to this podcast for a long time because Henry has proven to be an effective founder, acquirer, and public CEO capital allocator, which is a rare combination of skills to find in a single CEO. He’s thought very deeply about building high perfor...
Apr 09, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 176
