How a private equity-backed artisinal food manufacturer stemmed losses, rebuilt the leadership team, and positioned the company for growth

The context

Through a combination of add-on acquisitions, capital investment, and the integration of three portfolio companies, a leading private equity firm transformed a local artisanal food manufacturer into a national company with a range of products and a portfolio of brands. To further scale the company and increase performance and profitability, the private equity firm identified the need to address operational inefficiencies, optimize the organizational structure, and develop a high-performing and agile leadership team. To drive future success, the CEO of the company, an industry veteran, recognized the need to optimize the organizational structure, reduce the organization’s reliance on him for day-to-day operations, and change how the senior leadership team worked together. Simultaneously, the incomplete integration of recent acquisitions was negatively impacting operations and the organization’s supply chain The private equity firm engaged ZRG to help the CEO quickly onboard two senior team members, develop a high-performing and agile team, and position the company to deliver strong operational success and top-line growth.

Our approach

• Walked the company's senior leadership team through ZRG's Senior Team Alignment Process (STAP). This proven methodology helps organizations gain and sustain the coordination, collaboration, and clarity that delivers results. It helps the senior leadership team align by clarifying strategy and setting the stage for strategy execution. This process helps the client to create the Strategic Business Framework (SBF), which serves as the bridge between strategy and execution and allows the company to track progress and performance.
• Worked with the senior leadership team to create "rules of engagement" to model how the team would work together, a comprehensive communications plan to ensure that the organization would stay aligned going forward, and a realistic set of operating mechanisms to help the senior leadership team manage the business.
• ZRG worked with the leadership team to share the new ways of working and the new business strategies with the broader organization through an organizational alignment meeting with all salaried employees.

Results

• Two senior team members were onboarded.
• The senior leadership team aligned and began working together in new ways to deliver positive results.
• A second level of leaders was developed to support the company's growth strategy.
• Revenue accelerated and the company returned to profitability.

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