Jay Altizer sits down with Chris Abbott, CFO and Business Unit President at Monterey Mushrooms, and Beckway's Rui Vieira to talk about what AI adoption looks like inside a middle-market, private equity-backed finance team. Chris shares why grassroots experimentation with tools like Claude and Gemini has driven faster, broader adoption than any traditional BI rollout he's seen. He also explains how AI has helped his team cleanse messy customer data, connect disparate cost drivers, and compress the reporting cycle from a three-week lag to a one-week cadence. The conversation covers where AI is delivering value today, and why human judgment has to stay firmly in the loop.

Jay Altizer sits down with Ron Friedman, Chief Human Resources Officer at Fairway Corporation, to talk about what it takes to build talent and culture inside private equity-backed companies. Ron shares how his career across Coca-Cola, MillerCoors, Morningstar Foods, and Farmer Brothers shaped his approach to people strategy, and how that translates into a private equity environment that demands speed, ownership, and faster decisions on talent. The conversation covers how to invest in frontline leadership development without a big-company bench, why culture matters just as much for the employees who aren't incentivized by an exit as for those who are, and how to integrate acquired teams while protecting the trust and stability that made those businesses worth buying.

Jay Altizer sits down with former CEO Tom Davis to unpack what it takes to turn strategy into results in middle-market private equity. Tom shares how he scaled a founder-led, $200 million refrigerated snacking business into a billion-dollar platform, not by chasing every opportunity, but by applying strict filters on what to pursue, building an annual planning cadence through OGSM, and staying disciplined on execution over analysis. The conversation covers why saying no to tempting deals outside the core is often the hardest call a leader makes, and how to manage the complexity that comes with scaling through M&A.

In the debut episode of The Operating Advantage presented by Beckway, host Jay Altizer sits down with technology and transformation executive Ted Vukelich for a practical, no-hype conversation about what it actually takes to make AI transformation work.

Ted breaks down why most AI failures aren't about the technology at all—they're about data infrastructure, process redesign, and the human side of change that companies consistently underestimate. He shares why "base hits" beat big-bang rollouts, where AI is already delivering real wins in customer support and software engineering, and where it's still falling short. The conversation also digs into how to build the business case for AI investment, how to know when it's safe to take a human out of the loop, and why the companies making real progress are the ones paying as much attention to their people as their technology.

The episode wraps with audience questions, including where leaders should spend their first dollar and how to think about the real line between automation and human judgment.

The Operating Advantage is the podcast for private equity operators and executives focused on building stronger businesses and creating lasting value.

Presented by Beckway and hosted by Jay Altizer and fellow Beckway leaders, each episode features candid conversations with CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and operating executives from manufacturing, business services, consumer products, SaaS, and other industries. Together, they unpack the real-world decisions, challenges, and lessons that come with leading growth, driving operational excellence, and navigating change.

From acquisition and roll-up strategies to operational improvement, AI, leadership, and value creation, every discussion is grounded in firsthand experience and practical insights you can apply in your own organization.

Whether you're an operating partner, portfolio executive, investor, or business leader, The Operating Advantage delivers actionable ideas from the people who have been there. Join us as we explore the strategies, perspectives, and leadership principles that help great operators create exceptional businesses.