- Chief Executive Officer
- Reporting to: Board of Directors
- Location: Norwood, MA
BSG has commenced an executive search for Chief Executive Officer for our client, a handcrafted custom outdoor product manufacturer and direct sales distributor. The CEO will be responsible for the day-to-day management and leadership of the organization and will partner with executive officers in managing all operational aspects of the company and ensuring the aggressive and successful growth of the business and commercial success.
Opportunity Overview
Chief Executive Officer
THE COMPANY
Founded in the 1930’s, our client has offered handcrafted custom outdoor products for homeowners and professionals. The product line includes gates, fences, and more using wood or wood alternative modern cellular PVC. Our client manufactures, markets direct to consumer, and installs high-end outdoor products. Our client works with customers directly to ensure their expectations are met and even offers a design service where a representative will visit a customer’s property and suggest styles and take necessary measurements. Our client applies new techniques and technologies as their engineering department is the most advanced in the fence industry. Each customer order is reviewed manufacturing accuracy and in more technical custom work, their engineers use high-tech CAD systems to produce detailed drawings.
Our client has modeled its business to be fully integrated from start to finish with its products made in the United States and is the largest fabricator of modern cellular PVC in the country. Our client has over 250 employees and runs its own milling operations, fabrication facilities, and warehouses in Maine. Our client employs a multichannel, direct to consumer network that includes a network of retail stores, online, e-commerce, catalog sales, and in-home consultations.
THE POSITION
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for the day-to-day management and leadership of the organization and will partner with executive officers in managing all operational aspects of the company and ensuring the aggressive and successful growth of the business and commercial success.
Specific Responsibilities
Lead Strategy
- Define the overall growth strategy, including short and long-term goals
- Drive top line revenue growth, profitability growth and company value
- Research and implement growth strategy via existing and new channels
- Evaluate potential M&A tuck-in acquisitions and/or integrations
- Provide guidance to all functional areas, including strategy, operations, sales and marketing
- Build and deploy marketing system, capitalizing on strong brand, product differentiation and trade area dynamics
- Develop and implement scalable and efficient strategies to ensure both consistent results and exponential growth
- Build IT, technology and systems roadmap (JobOps, Sage CRM and marketing platform)
Build Great Talent & Teams
- Attract, retain and develop world-class talent
- Cultivate a high-performing culture
- Empower the team towards autonomous delivery, while exercising appropriate balance of control
Execute with Excellence
- Drive day-to-day operations
- Create Operations Excellence roadmap for best in class performance
- Align resources to achieve key business priorities
- Proactively mitigate business, operational and governance risks
Win in the Marketplace
- Lead efforts to support continued growth and commercial success
- Drive continuous improvement and Lean initiatives
- Manage competition and threats in the marketplace, with constant evaluation of financial structure, capital requirements and strategic priorities
- Own P&L and cash flow, manage burn rate while growing the business
Mobilize Stakeholders
- Regularly report updates to Board of Directors and corporate stakeholders regarding progress on strategic priorities
- Invest in strategic partnerships and relationships where necessary to drive growth
Qualifications & Expertise
- Prior experience as P&L leader (CEO, President, GM) in a private or PE backed company
- Held leadership roles in “middle market” organizations of $50m to $250m+ in revenues
- Related industry knowledge of organization(s) that manufacture physical products (vs. distributor or retailer of physical products)
- Significant experience overseeing multiple functional disciplines such as Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Manufacturing, etc.
- Strong marketing strategy, sales/sales distribution/direct and indirect channel experience highly desired
- Experience reporting to a Board of Directors and corporate stakeholders, providing updates on business performance and progress
- Domestic manufacturing company experience highly desired
- Vertically integrated manufacturing company experience highly desired
- Direct to Consumer (D2C) company experience highly desired
- Lean experience highly desired
Competencies and Personal Characteristics
- Builder leader and optimizer leader
- Ability to drive consensus among leaders and teams
- Proven track record of growing successful organizations and high caliber teams
- Visionary executive profile, with ability to guide a company through all phases of growth
- Demonstrable passion for driving results
- Strategic and tactical leader with integrity and a desire to work in a dynamic environment
- Strong analytical skills and experience interpreting a strategic vision into an operational model
- An effective communicator at all levels in the organization, with strong oral and written skills and a willingness to share information
- A collaborative and flexible style, with a strong service mentality
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
A summary of key competencies required to be successful include the following:
FUNCTIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Strong P&L experience as prior President, GM or CEO
- Strong marketing strategy, sales strategy and direct/indirect sales channel experience
- Board reporting experience
- Operating and capital budget oversight
- M & A acquisition and integration experience
- Professional and educational certifications: Bachelor’s degree, MBA preferred
INDUSTRY — Manufacturing Industry
- Manufacturing (domestic vs. offshore)
- Vertically Integrated Products
- Composites (PVC, petroleum-based building products, plastics, etc.)
- Recycled Plastic Composites
- Saw Mill, Milling and Lumber
- Direct to Consumer (D2C)
- Builder leader and optimizer leader
- Private company experience in career background
- Private equity backed company experience in career background
- $50m-250M+ company revenue experience
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
- Experience reporting to Board of Directors
- Experience leading team of 200+
TEAM
Our client’s staff currently numbers approximately 250 employees, with plans for strategic growth in the future. This role will report to the CEO.
FINANCIAL BACKING
Since 1990, a private equity firm has provided experienced management teams with entrepreneurial capital to grow their businesses. The PE team focuses on creating value in their investments – typically lower middle market business services and manufacturing companies. This is accomplished by investing in inefficient markets where creativity, hard work, and disciplined risk-taking can generate exceptional returns for the benefit of all stakeholders. Recently, the PE firm and its parallel fund acquired our client.
COMPENSATION
Compensation is competitive with the position’s requirements. In a performance-based environment, this will include base salary, a bonus structure based on corporate qualitative and quantitative strategic KPIs, and an equity component.
To Submit Resume:
