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 challenges.

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Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Links

Steve on LinkedIn

Kodiak Building Partners

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:05) - Starting Kodiak

(00:06:09) - Why did you focus on lumber as a commodity?

(00:09:17) - What were the first few years at Kodiak like?

(00:12:28) - What was your capital raise strategy?

(00:13:51) - Consolidation & Acquisitions

(00:17:08) - How have you constructed your team as the company has grown?

(00:21:15) - Recruiting executives

(00:22:51) - How do you foster an environment of continuous learning?

(00:24:46) - How has your communication style evolved?

(00:31:45) - Keeping values consistent across companies in Kodiak

(00:34:01) - Is there ever a breaking point with the house-of-brands approach?

(00:34:53) - What key challenges are you most excited to solve over the next decade?