This is Zack Fuss. Today we're breaking down Fastenal. Starting as a small fastener retailer in Minnesota, the company has evolved into a mission-critical supply chain partner for its industrial customers. Today, the business sports a nearly $50 billion market cap and produces nearly $8 billion in sales.  The impact of Fastenal's founder, Bob Kierlin, on Fastenal's commercial success can't be overstated. The industrial vending machine was his original idea, a vision he made a reality years...

Today, my guest is Fernando De Leon, founder of Leon Capital Group. Fernando operates 14 different businesses under the Leon Capital umbrella, which vary across real estate, healthcare, and financial services. But as you will hear in our conversation, the businesses are connected and instruct one another. The connective tissue throughout this conversation is how demographic insight sits underneath everything and is the foundation of what makes this business possible.  As you will hear,...

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down Merck, one of the world's largest and oldest pharmaceutical companies. The company has been shaping medicine and fostering innovation for over 130 years. From its humble beginnings as a small family pharmacy in Germany, today's iteration of Merck has transformed into a nearly $300 billion market cap business with particular strength in oncology.  At the heart of Merck's recent success is Keytruda, arguably the world's most important cancer drug....

Today we are breaking down American Tower: the REIT, the communications giant, and the infrastructure asset. To break down American Tower I'm joined by William Heard, founder and CIO of Heard Capital Management. William founded Heard Capital in 2011.  Today, the firm manages $2 billion in assets, holds about 15 to 20 names, and has very specific criteria for investing in companies. We cover AMT from all angles—the long life, physical assets that underpin the business, the contracted and...

Today, we are breaking down the insurance giant AIG. AIG's story is one of a remarkable turnaround, a tale of a global insurance giant emerging from near collapse during the great financial crisis. Over nearly two decades, AIG has transformed itself into a more focused and efficient property and casualty insurer.   To grasp the magnitude of AIG's journey, consider this: During the financial crisis, the company required a $180 billion bailout from the U. S. government, a sum it fully repaid...

Today we are getting into the world of coffee with Gregory Zamfotis, the founder of Gregorys Coffee. We breakdown the New York City born coffee chain that now spans across twelve US states.  This is a true look into what it takes to open up a coffee shop and the economics behind it. We get into what it's like to innovate in an industry where innovation can last a week before a competitor releases the same thing on their menu. And Greg also shares all of the challenges around going from one...

Today, we are covering what might be the most interesting investment strategy I've come across in a long time: activism in Japan. In this episode, I talk with Masumi Nishida, Partner and Managing Director for Dalton's Tokyo research office. As part of this intro, I brought on the catalyst for this episode, Nick Bartolo, founder and Managing Partner of Essential Partners. The conversation delves into the opportunities for activism in the Japanese market, highlighting the historically low...

Today we are breaking down healthcare, one of the most impactful sectors in the world, yet one of the most unique for investors. My guests are Rod Wong, founder and CIO of RTW Investments, and Stephanie Sirota, chief business officer of RTW Investments. RTW was founded in 2009 and operates a sector-specific strategy in healthcare. We discuss the evolution of their model, which feels particularly important given how much it aligns with the healthcare investment process.  We cover the various...

Today we are breaking down the paint giant Sherwin-Williams. Founded in 1866, Sherwin Williams is a great example of a company where everyday consumers might not appreciate just how great of a business and stock this has been. Over the last 20 years, Sherwin has compounded earnings at 14% per year. And over those 20 years, the stock has returned 26x your investment. And that's compared to the S&P at 5x your investment. This has been an incredible quiet compounder.  My guest today is Todd...

Today, we are breaking down the Japanese internet conglomerate Rakuten. I'm joined by Matt Brett, the lead manager of the Japan Trust at Baillie Gifford, which has continuously invested in Rakuten since 2005. Rakuten is the unique Japanese conglomerate that wasn't started over a hundred years ago and instead was part of the late nineties global internet boom. Matt helps explain what was different about that internet boom in Japan and how Rakuten was really shaped by it. We get into the...

Today, we are breaking down Renishaw, a leading supplier of measuring and manufacturing systems, specifically focused on accuracy and precision. What does that mean in layman's terms? Renishaw is a picks and shovels provider to many of the fastest-growing end markets in the world. The company designs and develops systems for anything revolving around semiconductors, robotics, and medical devices.  To break down Renishaw, I'm joined by Matt Tonge, fund manager at Liontrust Asset Management....

Today we are breaking down the publicly traded investment company 3i. You may think if you've seen one publicly traded investment vehicle, you've seen them all. Yet, 3i is an investment vehicle where one business, Dutch retailer, Action, represents well north of 50% of their net asset value.  Our guest to break down 3i is Luke Bridgeman, a partner and portfolio manager at Hosking Partners. Luke shares the unique origin story of 3i, which dates back to pre-World War II in England. He takes us...

This is Matt Reustle. We're coming up on 200 episodes of Business Breakdowns, and one of the best things about hosting this show is that while each episode brings something completely different, you start to see the connective tissue that ties businesses together. We're often asked, "What's your favorite episode?" I certainly have favorites, but there are ideas that emerge from episodes that really stand out to me. In this episode, you'll hear several audio clips from past Breakdowns that we...

This is Jesse Pujji. Today, we're breaking down Graco, a leading manufacturer of fluid handling equipment and industrial products. Graco was founded in 1926 and has become a global leader in the design and manufacturing of systems and components used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray a wide variety of fluids and powders. If you've ever used a paint sprayer, you might be familiar with Graco's products, but Graco's equipment is used for much more than just household tasks. Its...

I'm Zack Fuss and today we are breaking down Siemens Energy, a spinoff from industrial giant Siemens. Siemens Energy operates across the entire energy value chain, with a significant presence in both conventional and renewable power. What makes this company particularly interesting is its position at the forefront of the energy transition. Siemens is uniquely placed to bridge the gap between traditional energy sources and renewables. However, the company faces real challenges, particularly in...

Today we are diving into the economics of the Olympics. It's a timely episode with the Paris Games ongoing right now and the economic reality for host cities is extremely poor. It's estimated that Paris is going to spend $9 billion for these 2024 games and in return, they'll generate revenue somewhere in the mid-single-digit billions. Our guest is Andrew Zimbalist, author and economics Professor at Smith College. Andrew brings us behind the curtain to share more about the IOC, the bidding...

Today, we are breaking down Axon Enterprise. You may know Axon as the pioneer of the taser. The business has truly evolved over the years and now has expanded into body cams and other supporting tools for law enforcement and the defense industries. Our guest is Danielle Menichella, portfolio manager at Sands Capital Management. Danielle details not just how Axon expanded its product offering but also how it's shifted its business model from pure hardware to a mix of hardware and software....

Today, we are breaking down Rolls-Royce. A fair warning to those expecting to hear about luxury automobiles, that division was split from this business in the 1970s. But as we discuss the history of Rolls-Royce on this episode, you will hear how the DNA of this company still ties together from its early 1900s origins. Our guest is Graeme Forster from Orbis Investments. Graeme walks us through the core business of Rolls-Royce in the aerospace market, the evolving duopoly of the wide-body...

This is Zack Fuss. Today, we are breaking down Cintas Corporation. It is America's largest uniform rental company, and for around $1.50 per worker per day, Cintas will collect, clean, and replace uniforms for organizations in industries such as lodging, hospitality, entertainment, manufacturing, and retail. To help break down Cintas, I am joined by Delian Entchev, a portfolio manager at Aoris Investment Management. The company's origins trace back to the Great Depression, when its founder,...

This is Matt Reustle. Today, we are breaking down Mineral Resources. Even if you've had some bad experiences investing in commodities, I would not skip over this one so quickly.  Fraser Christie, investor at TDM Growth Partners, joined me to talk about how MinRes has taken a different approach to the historically cyclical boom-bust industry. We walk through the increasingly vertical integration of Mineral Resources' business and we get into some of the thoughtful capital allocation that has...

Today, we are breaking down Motorola Solutions. This breakdown is a fascinating story of brand versus business, as Motorola was a mainstay on Interbrands' Top 100 Brand list for most of the 2000s.  I'm joined by Portfolio Manager, Joseph Shaposhnik. We discuss how Motorola achieved stealth success over the past 15 years while Apple overtook its iconic flip phone. We also cover how CEO Greg Brown worked with two, and arguably three, activist investors to focus on mission-critical...

This is Zack Fuss. Today, we are breaking down the U.S. Marina Industry. In the U.S. there are more than 11,000 marinas, grossing over $6 billion in sales.  Today, there is a 12 to 1 ratio of registered boats versus the supply of rentable wet slips and dry storage spaces. Zoning regulations lead to limited supply growth, which has led to a sustained backdrop of strong, profitable growth for the industry.  To break down the industry, I am joined by David Chesner, co-CEO of Grove Point Marinas,...

Today, we are breaking down the South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang. If we ran through the taxonomy of investor interests, this Coupang conversation checks many boxes on that list. It is a founder-owned and operated business, a business that went through a massive pivot years into existence, a business that's replicating the Amazon model to success, and a business with healthy debates on the TAM & financial trajectory going forward. Our guest today is Drew Cohen from Speedwell Research....

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down Lifco, a Swedish conglomerate recognized amongst a group of notable Scandinavian serial acquirers. Lifco’s business focus is to acquire and develop market-leading niche companies that run independently and are largely self-funded business units. Carl Bennet, the current chairman, is the architect behind Lifco and was the former CEO of the famed Electrolux in the 1980s. After acquiring a business out of Electrolux with a friend, Carl formed the...