In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, Jane Gentry sits down with Canada's top medical supply distributor CEO to unpack how radical simplicity, obsessive customer focus, and authentic leadership culture can outperform any complex strategy.

If you're a mid-market CEO drowning in complexity, this episode will change how you think about strategy, people, and growth.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ The 3-priority strategy that drove growth, and why less is more

✅ How to actually operationalize "customer centricity" (not just say it)

✅ Why Jamie puts himself in every single new hire's onboarding — from warehouse to exec

✅ The "legends and heroes" culture framework that keeps long-tenured talent committed

✅ How to roll out strategy like a change management initiative (most CEOs miss this)

✅ Why your network is the most valuable career asset you'll ever build

✅ What it's really like working with private equity and what to ask before you say yes

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold open: Growth with zero breakdowns, here's how

00:54 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted

02:29 — Meet Jamie Church, CEO of Best Buy Medical

03:07 — Jamie's 20-year career path & how network got him here

04:06 — Why Jamie left McKesson to run a mid-sized company

05:41 — What drew him to Best Buy Medical's culture & mission

07:08 — Culture as competitive advantage in healthcare distribution

07:54 — Why Jamie keeps strategy to just 3 priorities

08:19 — The 3 priorities: Customer Centricity, Innovation & Sustainability 08:39 — The growth story, how long & what drove it

09:58 — Investing in people, sustainability & domestic partners

11:12 — Involving the leadership team in strategy for the first time

12:11 — What "customer centricity" actually looks like in practice

13:40 — Legends & heroes: recognizing the people who go above and beyond

14:03 — How Jamie onboards every single new hire personally

15:46 — Why a strong culture self-selects out bad hires quickly

16:01 — Town halls, micro-meetings & keeping the whole org aligned

17:14 — Jane's "sneak test": walking the floor to check strategy alignment 18:59 — Milestone recognition programs & why personal notes matter

21:28 — The power of peer recognition over top-down praise

24:26 — What Jamie means by "network" and why it's everything

27:08 — Your network is your most valuable career asset

28:33 — The right way to build a network: give before you ask

30:45 — Building strategy with a leadership team of 8, all promoted from within

32:25 — The one-slide strategy: Jane's reaction says it all

33:12 — How often the leadership team checks in on progress

34:44 — Remote workforce, bi-weekly rhythms & full-team alignment days 36:15 — Change management in action: the Calgary DC move story

37:31 — Why every strategy rollout is a change management initiative

38:17 — What ACTUALLY broke during growth (the answer may surprise you)

40:54 — The "slingshot effect" pulling back to leap forward

42:30 — Keeping it simple is harder than it sounds

43:37 — What to know before taking a CEO role in a PE-backed company 45:21 — Rapid fire: best book, 5X CEO by Tabo Godstream

46:34 — Worst advice Jamie ever received

47:53 — Smartest person in his phone & why

48:33 — What to do when you feel stuck

49:08 — Jane's closing thoughts 🎙️

CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs — no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.

📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

#Leadership #BusinessGrowth #CEOsUnscripted #CompanyCulture #ScalingUp #MidMarket #CustomerCentricity #EmployeeEngagement #PrivateEquity #SimplifyToScale