About our client:
B.Riley Farber have been retained for a President search for a recently acquired collection of two businesses specializing in the fabrication and installation of windows and doors. Our client, a growing Canadian owned Private Equity (PE) group with multiple small to midsized businesses in their portfolio, have acquired a further two complementary businesses from their original founders. They are now looking for an experienced President to assume operational and strategic responsibility for both businesses, with a mandate of doubling revenue and EBITDA before taking them through an exit.

Overview of the President Role:
Our client is seeking a highly motivated and growth orientated President to lead and expand the company’s businesses, reporting directly to the PE group.  Both companies are profitable with operations in good shape. The overarching objectives for the new President will be to create and develop the business plans and value propositions to be aligned to market(s) needs, including a clear sales and marketing vision, while instilling a growth minded culture essential for achieving specified financial goals.

This will be achieved through creating synergies across both businesses, completing the ongoing implementation of a new ERP system and ensuring both businesses are progressing from an owner operated environment, to a PE ownership standard of operational excellence.

This role demands hands-on involvement, requiring the incoming President to posses a demonstrable history of value creation for middle market businesses in the building materials space that sell directly to general contractors. This position is being created as a true partnership role where the President will share in the projected upside on exit.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Vision:

• Strategy Development: Partnering with the PE group, develop and execute an aligned growth (revenue and EBITDA) strategy without sacrificing quality and customer service.
• Value Creation: Gain an enhanced understanding of both businesses’ operations, refine processes and discover synergies allowing for cost reductions.
• Agile Business Management: Continuously adapt and modify business requirements and operations as needed to ensure products and service remain ahead of the curve.

Sales & Marketing:

• Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain already established and critical relationships with key customers, developed by the original founders. Ensure the quality of product and service is maintained while being flexible to meet customer needs.
• Sales Pipeline Management: Uncover new revenue generating opportunities with current customer base while simultaneously developing net new relationships with prospective buyers, specifically targeting the big seven general contractors in Canada.
• New Product Development: Lead product innovation and diversification to meet evolving market demands and trends in the windows and doors industries.
• Market Analysis and Expansion: Identify emerging trends and market opportunities to penetrate new markets while strengthening existing relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and clients.

Operational Excellence:

• Sourcing, Supply Chain, Production Optimization: Oversee the supply chain and production from sourcing to distribution, identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation.
• Inventory Management: Ensure appropriate levels of inventory are held at any given time.
• Quality: The President will be responsible for evaluating and enhancing processes to ensure products meet or exceed the highest standards.

Financial Management:

• P&L Responsibility: Proactively manage the Profit and Loss (P&L) statements for the companies to ensure financial targets, including net profitability, are met and exceeded.
• EBITDA Improvement: Closely monitoring costs, implementing strategies to improve profit margins, and driving sales growth initiatives to ultimately increase EBITDA.

• Performance Analysis: Monitor and analyze financial performance, trends, strengths, and weaknesses and develop strategies to optimize revenue and cost efficiency.

People & Leadership:

• Relationship Management: Build professional, positive, trusting relationships with all direct reports and the wider team with a view to maintaining the close nit culture.
• Talent Development: Optimize crafted relationships to foster an environment allowing for top performers to continue to growth as the business grows. Strategically invest in the development of key talent within the organization.
• Inspirational Leadership: Providing visionary and motivational leadership that inspires employees to achieve their full potential. This entails fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where employees feel valued, trusted, and empowered.
• Cultivate Innovation Culture: Foster a culture of innovative thinking, continuous improvement, and accountability where employees feel empowered to share ideas, and explore new approaches to problem solving.

Key Requirements:

As an experienced professional you will have:

• Industry Knowledge and Experience: Deep understanding of the building materials industry with experience selling to general contractors is required. Experience with windows and doors preferred.
• Education Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree in business administration, or a related field is required.
• Leadership Experience: Proven experience as a General Manager, President, COO with a sales and growth background is required.

Professional Competencies:

• Sales and Marketing Expertise: Strong sales and marketing expertise, including proficiency in driving topline growth in a building materials business, brand management, marketing campaigns and pipeline creation.
• Organizational Proficiency: Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment.
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans that foster business growth and enhance profitability.
• Financial Acumen: Demonstrated financial acumen and experience managing budgets, profit and loss statements, and financial analysis.
• Sales and Marketing Expertise: Strong sales and marketing expertise, including proficiency in brand management, marketing campaigns and pipeline creation.
• Expansion Planning: Proven experience in driving self-initiated business development activities including new market development and current customer revenue enhancement.
• Team Management Excellence: Exceptional team management skills, with a focus on talent development, and retention.
• Analytical Mindset: Ability to utilize data and insights effectively to inform decision-making processes and drive performance optimization through analytical approaches.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to foster collaboration and achieve mutual goals.

Personality Traits:

• Effective Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels effectively.
• Inclusive Leadership Style: A collaborative leadership and people management style, to lead diverse teams and forge partnerships.
• Integrity and Empathy: Demonstrated traits of integrity, humility, professionalism, and a commitment to ethical business practices.
• Tactful Expertise: A well-honed sense of tactfulness, encompassing adept negotiation, and conflict resolution abilities.

You are the ideal candidate if you:

• Bring 15 years plus progressive experience in a manufacturing, distribution environment with 5 years plus in the building materials industry, preferably windows and doors.

• Have held a General Manager, COO, President or CEO role for a small to midsized business.
• Ideally scaled and exited with PE and have experience working in an owner operated company.
• A person who has professionalized an operating business, building system and operating models in the middle market.
• A curious professional who challenges the status quo and asks questions to understand business needs and drive value.
• A strategic leader who can connect sales performance drivers to financial outcomes and enhance objectives in a fast-paced environment.
• A self-starter with a strong work ethic who can operate with little direction and can proactively identify solutions.
• A natural communicator who can present complex issues to peers and senior leaders in simple formats to influence decision-making.
• A positive team player who can build cross-functional relationships to satisfy agendas and objectives.

This opportunity is ideal for an accomplished General Manager / President with a proven track record as a hands on executive and business strategist in middle market value creation. If you are looking for an opportunity to have an immediate and ongoing impact in operational effectiveness and bring and growth mindset to the table, then this role will be a great match for you.

Please note this is an onsite role, the two businesses are located in Vaughan and Kitchener.