My guest on this episode is Craig Fuller. Craig is the founder of FreightWaves, a data and media business focused on freight and supply chains. FreightWaves is a VC backed company with $19 million in revenue with editorial content, a data product, job board, video content, and multiple podcasts. Prior to FreightWaves, Craig had no background in media but has built quite a playbook for media businesses with a data component. Craig, as of a month ago, is also the new owner of Flying Magazine,...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I formed Airframe Group to acquire and build a company in industrial services, infrastructure, or value-added distribution. I want to grow a transformative company that is loyal to customers, moves fast, and pursues an ambitious vision for the long term. The ideal company for Airframe is led by an owner ready for the next chapter of life and wants to transition the company to a new owner who will lead their employees, customers, and vendors toward a bright future. Other characteristics I’m...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...