43.5K
Downloads
388
Episodes
The road to the middle market CEO corner office is paved with mile markers that guide in surprising, unpredictable, and some might even say “mysterious” ways! But how do you get such a widely coveted position? This is the question often heard during decades of ROI’s executive search interviews, conducted with top-level executives. ROI’s Into the Corner Office podcast is a new inspiration and answer platform which premieres visionary tales of adventure with great endings and highlights, from powerhouse CEOs driving the formidable success of the U.S. economy’s middle market sector. The CEOs behind this impressive growth reveal insights which equipped them to lead their organizations. Showcasing dynamic leadership stories, Into the Corner Office dives into the heart of what informed and formed these CEOs. Guests share their backgrounds, talk about their early years, and explore what shaped them before they were known for their successes in growing, developing, and leading extraordinary mi...
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
A transformational Global Senior Executive with extensive experience leading well-known consumer-facing brands spanning multinational public companies to owner-operator and founder-led organizations. Strong track record of driving results in general management, omnichannel, merchandising, consulting, and strategy development. A clear communicator and developer of high-performing teams and a cross-functional collaborator with global teams, vendors, customers, and investors. Known for solving problems, creative rebranding, commitment to the customer, and positioning businesses for innovative growth and potential sale.
SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Extensive turnaround experience in the omnichannel consumer sector.
- Experience working with private equity including both sell and buy-side.
- Implemented ERP, warehouse management, and new web platforms. Deep experience in product development, sourcing, and manufacturing.
- Recipient of leadership and product design awards including Women in Business Honoree - Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal, (2019) and Corporate Leadership Award, Melanoma Research Foundation (2018). • Member of private and non-profit boards of directors.
RELEVANT SKILLS
Strategic Planning & Execution, Growth Leadership, Change Management, P & L Management, Forecasting, Global Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Supply Chain Management, Lean Process Improvement, M & A, Integration Strategies, Retail & Industrial Channel Management, Organization Development, Global Partnership Development, Board of Directors, Product Innovation, Private Equity (PE), Transformational Leadership
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HEARTLAND AMERICA, Greater Minneapolis, MN
Chief Executive Officer 2021 – present
In business for 40+ years, Heartland America is a private consumer-based company with investors that sells a full range of end-of season retail products through catalog, phone, and digital to consumers nationwide. 130 employees, ~ $50M annual revenue.
Hired to develop strategies and plans to turn around, stabilize, and grow the business. Report to the BOD Chair.
KCREICHENAU CONSULTING, Minneapolis, MN
Founder and CEO 2019 - present Support companies and PE firms to evaluate businesses with a focus on growth, opportunities, and customers.
Work with multiple private equity firms to help with due diligence and identify opportunities for multiple companies in the consumer space. Successfully conducted a business unit analysis for CEO/Board to decide how to grow a division of a $300M consumer-based company.
COOLIBAR, Minneapolis, MN
Chief Executive Officer 2014 – 2019 This mission-driven brand has introduced numerous innovative fabric technologies, raised standards in sun protective ratings, and designed a variety of UPF 50+ apparel. In 2016 the business was acquired by Olivarius Hospitality.
Recruited to succeed the founder in 2014 to reposition the company for the next phase of growth.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP | STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE ALIGNMENT | EXIT STRATEGY • Collaborated with the BOD and senior leaders to develop strategy and implantation plans, budget, and portfolio.
Kendra Reichenau – page 2
- Led the business turnaround with a successful transaction to new ownership in 2016.
- Deployed significant change management and prioritization methods including new systems, implementation, ERP integration, warehouse, and web platform.
- Led global growth including 200 retail and luxury resort wholesale accounts. Attained Double-digit growth for three consecutive years, with 100% growth in year five.
OPERATIONS | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- Increased from 45 FTE employees to 100 global employees; added in-house production offices in Thailand and India. • Migrated 50% of all production away from agents to in-house to improve margins, quality, and supply chain. • Achieved strong growth by prioritizing e-commerce and Amazon businesses.
- Focused on growing new wholesale channels and strengthening core business, as well as identifying new product categories and brand partnerships.
- Built a strong online community through social media with a focus on education and support. Grew customer engagement by 300%.
KOHLER COMPANY, Kohler, WI
President, McGuire Furniture - San Francisco, CA 2011 – 2013 One of the largest privately-operated global firms with 48 divisions and ~$6.5B in annual revenue.
Led turnaround, management, and growth of an international, omnichannel luxury furniture company in wholesale, retail, manufacturing, and design. Managed a 300-member global team.
- Re-invigorated a 60-year-old heritage company known for high quality and beautiful design. • Managed full P&L for two manufacturing plants, three unions, and 120 wholesale partners globally. • Grew successful e-commerce and digital strategy.
- Won multiple design awards for new product launches.
- Created a strong foundation of sales and products for the successful sale of the company in 2015.
LUXOTTICA GROUP. Milan, Italy
Senior Vice President and General Manager - N3L Optics - Orange County, CA 2007 – 2011 Luxottica is a global leader in eyewear, with over 5,800 optical and sun retail stores in North America, Asia-Pacific, China, and Europe with a strong brand portfolio including Ray-Ban, the best-selling sun and prescription eyewear brand globally.
Reported directly to the CEO of Oakley. Managed 70 employees with full P&L responsibility. • Developed and launched an interactive, multi-branded sports performance sunglass retail concept. • Grew the business to 10 locations when successfully transferred over to the Sunglass Hut division. • Attained + 20% YoY store increase on 10% less inventory (2010).
- Created the branding, defined the consumer, and developed the PR/marketing strategy to drive awareness in national and local markets. Drove all assortments and visuals, and ensured field support and training.
Senior Vice President and GMM - Sunglass Icon, division of Oakley, Inc.
Responsible for the general management of a 125-retail inline and kiosk sunglass store chain. • Created the vision for all marketing, merchandising, and field training and execution.
- Negotiated new terms and relationships with the vendor community.
- Improved margin by 1.5 pts. Grew revenue by 6% to over $80M business.
- Led the migration of all 125 locations to be re-branded under Sunglasses Hut name and systems once Oakley was purchased by Luxottica.
REICHENAU CONSULTING, San Francisco, CA
Interim Executive and Consultant - San Francisco, CA
2004 – 2007 Worked with Board Members at Oakley, CEO of Gymboree, President of Dockers, and CEO of Crescent Jewelers to review existing product development processes, identify business opportunities, and implement organizational change.
Acting VP of Design for Dockers Women’s - Focused on improving fit and defining the design process by calendar month.
Acting GMM for Crescent Jewelers - Created a marketing plan, new brand image, and visual standard for all stores. Reduced inventory by 20%; improved sales by 10%.
Acting Head of Merchandising for Janeville (Gymboree) – Defined and clarified the customer, streamlined the product fits, and the go-to-market processes.
GAP, INC., San Francisco, CA - Senior Director and Divisional Merchandise Manager - Women’s NORDSTROM, INC., Seattle, WA - Vice President, Brand Manager, Halogen
ARTHUR ANDERSEN/KPMG, San Francisco CA - Manager
EDUCATION
SCRIPPS COLLEGE, Claremont, CA - Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Women in Business Honoree - Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal - 2019
Corporate Leadership Award - Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) – 2018
Several Design Awards for Product Launches - KOHLER COMPANY - McGuire Furniture
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
CHIEF (National Executive Women’s Group) – Selected Member 2022
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board Member- WASHBURN CENTER FOR CHILDREN, Minneapolis, MN (2021 – present)
Board Member; Executive Committee - CRISTO REY HIGH SCHOOL, Minneapolis, MN (2015 - 2021) Board Member; Chair, Marketing Committee - IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ACADEMY - Cristo Rey (2009-2013)
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Matt Buley is CEO of Hope Haven. He is an executive in the social sector with a track record of propelling organizations toward their vision. A warm, energetic, and motivating leader, he drives healthy and effective work culture.
Matt has navigated organizations through expansive growth and acquisitions, divisional and senior leadership restructuring, and financial turn-arounds. As CEO of Hope Haven, he has strategic and P&L responsibility for a $50 million budget and leads a staff team of 750. Matt was a lead advocate for legislation during the 111th US Congress that keeps siblings together in adoption and has raised millions of dollars for programmatic and capital projects. He previously managed $370 million per year for Best Buy when the company jumped nearly 100 spots in the Fortune 500. Matt was named the 2022 Executive of the Year by the Iowa Association of Community Providers.
Matt holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in English and Speech Communication from Saint Cloud State University.
Matt married his college sweetheart, Theresa, and they have four children. His hobbies include reading, fitness, and finding his way outside with the family and their two dogs.
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging (ENTJ)
- Clifton StrengthsFinder: Futuristic, Ideation, Learner, Belief, Relator
- DiSC Profile: iD
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Vishal Sunak is the co-founder and CEO of LinkSquares, the company behind the fastest-growing AI-powered contracting platform for legal teams. Named among the 2020 Gartner Cool Vendors for Contract Lifecycle Management and Advanced Contract Analytics, LinkSquares is used by more than 400 legal teams at mid-to-large companies, including brands such as TGI Fridays, Cogito and Wayfair, to move their businesses forward faster.
Vishal is widely recognized as a change agent in the legaltech space, where he has worked tirelessly to improve outcomes for legal teams, while elevating their visibility within the enterprise.
In 2021, Vishal was named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. LinkSquares debuted on the Inc. 5000 in 2021 at position #253.
Outside of LinkSquares, Vishal mentors local Boston-based startup founders, plays covers and the blues on his guitar, and spends time adventuring with his wife and two young children.
Vishal has a B.S. in Engineering from Northeastern University and an M.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Cameron Gunter is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PEG Companies, a full-service commercial real estate investment firm known for its unique approach to creating value. A bold leader, Cameron has a widespread reputation for successfully guiding his teams through challenging endeavors that many others in the commercial real estate space have shied away from.
Cameron’s farm-raised work ethic, outside-the-box thinking, commitment to absolute transparency, and past professional experience have helped him to lead PEG to where it is today. A CPA by training with over eight years mastering the entitlement process in city management, Cameron brings a perspective that helps PEG offer compelling investment opportunities through innovative and cost-effective solutions to the complexities of real estate markets today. As one of the youngest finance directors in Utah’s city government history, Cameron structured the largest tax incentive project in the western United States at the time for the city of Lehi, Utah with Micron Technology, Inc. and continues to make headlines as PEG grows throughout the United States and Canada.
With dozens of projects completed and many others underway, Cameron is proud of the market-leading position PEG has secured in its nearly 20 years of operation. Whether it is becoming the first developer ever to finish an AC Hotel by Marriott on time and under budget, building one of the only four-story branded hotel buildings in downtown Jackson Hole, developing a major student housing hub for Utah’s largest university, or breaking ground on the first Qualified Opportunity Zone projects in multiple states, Cameron rises to every challenge and finds great fulfillment in spurring economic growth for communities everywhere.
Cameron received his BA in Business Administration from Idaho State University.
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Culture. Culture. Culture. - It’s everything!
As CEO and President of Massage Heights Franchising, I am proud to lead a talented group of people to drive continuous growth in our overall culture. Culture is everything, and it is the cornerstone of my leadership beliefs.
Massage Heights is about creating a culture of caring where we focus on providing a personalized, elevated, and awesome experience to every member and guest. Health and wellness are part of our daily lives, and we are proud to work with our amazing franchisees and partners to grow our brand.
Franchising has been my 35-year career with various industries. The journey has been so rewarding, and helping franchisees, team members, partners, and consumers achieve their goals is what gives me the most satisfaction.
Prior to Massage Heights Franchising, I was the President of TITLE Boxing Club and oversaw over 180 clubs domestically and internationally. I have been an executive leader and franchising subject matter expert, steering vision casting for some of the best-loved and most-recognized brands, including Massage Envy, McDonald’s, Sport Clips, Cold Stone Creamery, and Godfather’s Pizza.
I have a proven history of providing business strategies and financial due diligence to help franchisees achieve operational excellence aligned with company mission, values, and goals. An innovative, forward-thinking trailblazer focused on driving results in relentless pursuit of excellence.
Expertise: Talent Development ~ Brand Stewardship ~ Strategic Business Planning and Execution ~ Change Management ~ Strategic Partnerships ~ National Promotions ~ Business Intelligence ~ Research & Analysis ~ Loyalty Programs ~ Market & Media Planning ~ Target Messaging ~ Local Store Marketing ~ Budgeting & Forecasting ~ Coaching & Mentoring
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Matt Blumberg is the founder and CEO of Bolster, a marketplace for on-demand executive and board talent launched in 2020. Matt was Chairman & CEO of Return Path, Inc., the company he founded in 1999, until its sale to Validity in 2019. Return Path was the market leader in email optimization, helping thousands of businesses use the email channel more effectively to promote and protect their brands and winning numerous employer of choice awards including #2 on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work for” list. Prior to founding Return Path, Matt was founder and General Manager of the Internet division of MovieFone, Inc. (777-FILM) until the company’s acquisition by AOL, and had previously worked in venture capital and management consulting.
In addition to his corporate entrepreneurial work, Matt is co-founder and Chairman of Path Forward, a nonprofit that was spun out of Return Path in 2016, whose mission is to empower women to restart their careers after time spent focused on caregiving, working with more than 75 companies including Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Intuit, Campbell’s Soup, PayPal, Verizon, and Oracle. He is also the author of 3 books: Startup CEO: A field guide to scaling up your business (based on his popular blog on entrepreneurship, StartupCEO.com), Startup CXO: A field guide to scaling up your company’s critical functions and teams, and the forthcoming Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors, all published by Wiley & Sons.
Matt has been recognized as one of New York’s 100 most influential technology leaders by Business Insider, by Crain’s as one of New York’s Top Entrepreneurs, and by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. He has served as a Board Member of numerous corporate, nonprofit, and community organizations, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Direct Marketing Association, and he completed a brief assignment as founder and leader of the State of Colorado’s COVID-19 Innovation Response Team in 2020. Matt attended Princeton University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an A.B. in Urban Planning in 1992. He lives with his wife Mariquita and his three children, Casey, Wilson, and Elyse in Scarsdale, NY.
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
Alejandro Martinez is a Partner, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. and Canada and Head of the Global Clients Organization for SDG Group, a global consulting firm that provides specialized services in Data and Analytics through a unique combination of business domain expertise and state-of-the-art technologies.
Before joining SDG Group, Alejandro developed his professional career in important local and international companies as a consultant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, postgraduate degree in International Management, and a master’s degree in Project Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain (UPV). He also has a degree in Business Engineering from the School of Engineering of Antioquia (EIA University), Colombia.
In the last few years, Alejandro has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Global Healthcare Consultants by The Consulting Report and as a Visionary Leader in the Data & Analytics field by Analytics Insight. He contributes to SDG Group’s technology alliances in their partner advisory councils and direct engagements with their R&D departments to influence the market execution and the technology roadmap.
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Madeleine MacRae serves as CEO, Founder and Chief Innovator for Homepro Toolbox, a digital resource center focused on leveraging rock solid sales, marketing and business education to drive the growth of companies throughout every segment of the home services and improvement industries.
Madeleine is a former corporate executive and a 3x founder. She has more than 15 years of experience leading, consulting and growing businesses of all sizes from family-run to fortune 500. She understands how to harness the power of people and how to leverage the power of dynamic educational content to catalyze growth.
Her down-to-earth style makes even the most intimidating topics feel well within reach and her ability to blend cutting-edge information with fiery inspiration drives audiences – both live and virtually – to stand up and take action towards their growth and business objectives without losing sight of who they truly are and what they desire the most.
She’s taught over 25,000 people and inspires leaders to hit the next stage of their growth, whether it’s going from $5k to $45k months, hitting their first million in sales or even growing to $5-, $10-, even $30+ million dollars of revenue a year!
Tuesday Aug 30, 2022
Tuesday Aug 30, 2022
Eric Rieger is the Founder and CEO of WEBIT Services, Inc. (www.webitservices.com). WEBIT is an Employee-Owned, People-Focused, IT Strategy, Service, & Support company serving organizations in 8 counties in Northern Illinois along with our remote workforce around the country.
In addition to providing Managed IT Services, the SecureBIT managed security team helps organizations identify and reduce risk and our Upstream Impact software division creates applications that help non-profit organizations achieve their mission. Our most recent application PantryEasy, (www.pantryeasy.com) is an online market that helps food pantries get their goods to their clients quickly and efficiently.
Our goal is to positively impact 1200 organizations by the year 2030.
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Steven Sashen is a serial entrepreneur who has never had a job, a former professional stand-up comic and award-winning screenwriter, and a competitive sprinter -- one of the fastest men over 55 in the country (maybe the fastest 55+ Jew in the world!). He and his wife, Lena Phoenix, co-founded the footwear company Xero Shoes, creating "a MOVEMENT movement" that has helped hundreds of thousands of people Live Life Feet First with happy, healthy, strong feet in addictively comfortable footwear. Steven and Lena also appeared on Shark Tank, where they turned down a $400,000 offer from Kevin O'Leary.