Former IAA CEO John Kett shares his remarkable 22-year journey building a damaged vehicle marketplace from $200 million to $7.5 billion through multiple PE transactions, public offerings, and a major merger. This unfiltered conversation covers private equity strategies, M&A lessons, and what it really takes to scale mid-market companies.

In this episode, John reveals: ✅ The truth about working with private equity firms ✅ How to prepare your company for a PE sale ✅ Why technology should enable process, not the other way around ✅ Navigating the complexity of public vs. private company leadership ✅ Board meeting preparation strategies that actually work ✅ The cost of short-term thinking in PE-backed companies

KEY TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction 02:45 - John's Blue Collar Background & Path to CEO 05:30 - What is a Damaged Vehicle Marketplace? 09:15 - The IAA Business Model Explained 12:40 - First Exposure to Private Equity 16:20 - Preparing Your Company for PE Sale 19:45 - Working with Multiple PE Firms (The Four-Headed Monster) 24:10 - PE Time Horizons & Their Impact on Decisions 28:35 - Board Meeting Preparation Best Practices 32:15 - The Importance of Cross-Collaboration Among Leaders 35:40 - From Private to Public: The Spinoff Story 38:50 - The $7.5B Merger with Ritchie Brothers 42:20 - Rapid Fire: Career Lessons & Leadership Wisdom 45:10 - Why In-Person Leadership Development Matters

ABOUT JOHN KETT: Former CEO of IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions), John Kett led the company through multiple transformations including PE acquisitions, public listings, and ultimately a $7.5 billion merger with Ritchie Brothers. With over 22 years of experience scaling mid-market companies, John now advises CEOs and serves on boards.

ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings you unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives navigating the challenges of scaling $10M-$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon—just honest insights from leaders who've been where you are.

SUBSCRIBE for bi-weekly episodes featuring: → Private equity strategies → M&A insights → Scaling best practices → Leadership development → Board governance → Exit planning

TAGS: #PrivateEquity #CEO #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ScalingBusiness #PEInvesting #BoardMeetings #ExitStrategy #MidMarketCEO #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #CorporateDevelopment #BusinessStrategy

What's your biggest question about working with private equity? Drop it in the comments below!

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Struggling to find and retain top talent? You're not alone. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, I sit down with Brandt Handley from ROI Executive Search to uncover why most mid-market companies are getting hiring ALL WRONG.

What You'll Learn: ✅ Why the traditional interview process is fundamentally broken ✅ Cultural fit vs qualifications: What ACTUALLY matters in hiring ✅ The true cost of a bad hire (3-4x annual salary!) ✅ How to create an effective onboarding process that retains talent ✅ Why hiring "mini-me's" destroys innovation and growth ✅ The power of psychographic assessments in talent acquisition ✅ When CEOs should step back from day-to-day operations

Book Mentioned:

Featured Expert: Brandt Hanley brings 21+ years of executive search experience, previously working with Procter & Gamble and Walt Disney Company across international markets.

Perfect for:

• Mid-market CEOs and founders
• HR professionals and talent acquisition teams
• Business leaders struggling with employee retention
• Companies experiencing rapid growth
• Anyone responsible for building high-performing teams

💡 The biggest takeaway? Stop hiring for tenure and start hiring for cultural fit and giftedness. In today's market where average tenure is just 4 years, the old rules no longer apply. KEY TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome to CEOs Unscripted 02:30 - Brandt's Background: From P&G to Disney to Executive Search 08:45 - Why Mid-Market CEOs Struggle with Talent Acquisition 12:20 - The Broken Interview Process 15:40 - Cultural Fit vs Qualifications: What Really Matters 19:15 - The Age Discrimination Problem in Hiring 23:50 - Finding Your True Gifts vs Following Passion 27:30 - The Power of Psychographic Assessments 31:45 - The Cost of Impatience in Hiring (3-4x Salary!) 36:20 - Understanding Your Company Culture Before Hiring 40:15 - The MBA Myth: Why Degrees Don't Guarantee Success 43:50 - Hiring for Different Stages of Company Growth 47:25 - The "Mini-Me" Mistake: Why Diversity Matters 52:10 - The Importance of Professional Reference Checks 55:40 - Onboarding: The Missing Link in Talent Retention 58:30 - The Inverted Pyramid Leadership Model 61:45 - Rapid Fire Questions & Final Wisdom

🔔 Subscribe to CEOs Unscripted for bi-weekly conversations with real CEOs sharing unfiltered insights on leadership, growth, and scaling mid-market companies.

In this compelling episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Letizia Latino, CEO of Neptune USA, to explore the unique challenges of leading in the telecommunications infrastructure industry. From managing the boom-and-bust cycles of wireless construction to championing workforce development through apprenticeships, Letizia shares her unfiltered insights on modern business leadership.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Industry Challenges & Innovation:

- The "all-you-can-eat buffet or starvation" reality of the telecom industry - How AI and drone technology are revolutionizing tower inspection and engineering - Navigating tariff impacts and supply chain complexities in steel manufacturing - The critical infrastructure behind your cell phone connectivity

✅ Workforce Development & Talent:

- Why apprenticeship programs are the future of skilled labor - The untapped potential of hiring military veterans in technical roles - How to retain skilled workers during industry downturns - Breaking the stigma around trade jobs vs. four-year degrees

✅ Leadership Lessons:

- Overcoming "we've always done it this way" resistance to change - Managing change initiatives effectively through transition periods - The importance of staying curious and aligned with your values - Balancing family business legacy with personal identity

✅ Change Management Insights:

- Why most growth initiatives fail (hint: it's not the strategy) - The critical role of middle managers in executing change - Using AI to predict resistance to organizational change - Communication strategies that actually work

✅ Featured Topics & Keywords:

Telecommunications CEO | Women in Leadership | Wireless Infrastructure | Tower Construction | Change Management | Workforce Development | Apprenticeship Programs | Veterans Employment | AI in Business | Drone Technology | Digital Twin Technology | Supply Chain Management | Tariff Impact | Business Strategy | Family Business | CEO Challenges | Trade Jobs | Skills Gap | Construction Industry | 5G Infrastructure | Telecom Innovation | Leadership Development

Guest Bio:

Letizia Latino is the CEO of Neptune USA, a telecommunications infrastructure company specializing in steel tower manufacturing and engineering services. Born in Venezuela to Italian immigrant parents, Letizia brings an international perspective to business leadership. Before joining the family business, she gained experience at Merrill Lynch and Nortel Networks. She's passionate about workforce development, serves on several FCC committees, and hosts the podcast "Back to Basics: Reconnecting to the Essence of You."

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction & Letizia's International Background 05:30 The Path from Corporate to Family Business 12:15 The "Buffet or Starvation" Challenge in Telecom 18:45 Innovation Through AI & Drone Technology 25:20 Change Management & Status Quo Resistance 32:10 Tariff Impacts & Manufacturing Challenges 38:00 Apprenticeship Programs & Trade Education 45:30 Hiring Veterans in Technical Roles 52:00 Rapid Fire Questions 58:30 Final Thoughts & Future Goals

About CEOs Unscripted:

CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast by mid-market CEOs for mid-market CEOs, hosted by Jane Gentry. Each episode delivers unfiltered, behind-the-scenes conversations about the wins, losses, and real-world strategies of leading and scaling businesses in today's dynamic landscape.

Subscribe for more conversations with CEOs who are changing the game.

SEO Tags:

#CEOPodcast #BusinessLeadership #TelecommunicationsIndustry #ChangeManagement #WorkforceDevelopment #WomenInBusiness #ApprenticeshipPrograms #VeteransEmployment #AIInBusiness #DroneInnovation #ConstructionIndustry #CEOInterview #LeadershipPodcast #BusinessStrategy #FamilyBusiness #TowerConstruction #WirelessInfrastructure #TradeJobs #SkillsGap #BusinessInnovation

Category: Business | Entrepreneurship | Leadership | Technology | Telecommunications

What happens when a blue-collar kid from South Jersey transforms into a business-scaling expert? In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with her longtime mentor and business partner Pat Alacqua to uncover the raw truth about entrepreneurial growth, leadership transformation, and the psychological barriers that keep founders stuck. Pat shares his remarkable journey from working at his grandfather's grocery store to co-founding and scaling a trade show services company (The Nth Degree) into an international operation before successfully exiting in 2001. But this isn't just a success story—it's a masterclass in the messy, challenging reality of business growth. What You'll Learn: - The critical psychological shift from "doer" to leader and why most entrepreneurs struggle with it - How to manage your business by assumptions instead of budgets or checklists - The five distinct phases every company must navigate from startup to enterprise - Why spawning competitor companies from your best employees isn't always bad - The importance of having "one foot in the present and one foot in the future" - Practical strategies for identifying and addressing blind spots in your leadership. Key Insights: ✓ The three psychological barriers preventing delegation: identity, control, and validation ✓ Why "what got you here won't get you there" applies to every growth stage ✓ How to earn the right to keep things simple by first understanding complexity ✓ The power of assumption-based planning in uncertain markets ✓ Why asking the right questions matters more than having all the answers Whether you're a mid-market CEO navigating growth challenges, an entrepreneur struggling to scale, or a business leader looking to avoid common pitfalls, this conversation delivers actionable frameworks you can implement immediately. Book: Obstacles to Opportunity: Transforming Business Challenges into Triumphs https://tinyurl.com/5fr8fhy2 About the Guest: Pat Alacqua is a business growth strategist with over 40 years of experience building, scaling, and exiting companies. After co-founding and growing a trade show services company from startup to international operation, Pat now partners with CEOs to help them navigate the complex transitions from entrepreneur to enterprise leader. About the Host: Jane Gentry brings 20+ years of enterprise consulting experience and firsthand CEO leadership to CEOs Unscripted, creating a space where mid-market leaders share unfiltered stories, practical playbooks, and hard-won wisdom. 🔔 Subscribe to CEOs Unscripted for bi-weekly conversations with founders and executives who've navigated the challenges you're facing. 💬 Join the Conversation: What's your biggest challenge in transitioning from doer to leader? Share in the comments below. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Meet Pat Alacqua 03:15 - Growing up in small business: Early influences and work ethic 07:42 - From concrete business to trade shows: The entrepreneurial journey 12:30 - Navigating union labor and legal battles while scaling 16:45 - Building systems and the art of working ON vs. IN your business 21:20 - The painful reality of becoming the bottleneck in your own business 25:10 - Three psychological barriers to delegation: Identity, control, and validation 30:15 - Understanding business life cycles and the entrepreneur-to-enterprise journey 35:40 - The five phases of business growth every CEO must master 40:25 - Managing by assumptions vs. managing by budgets 45:30 - Solving root cause problems instead of applying band-aids 48:50 - Modeling leadership behavior and developing your team 52:15 - The importance of blind spots and continuous learning 56:40 - Earning the right to keep things simple 01:00:20 - The science and art of building effective systems 01:03:45 - Rapid fire questions: Books, early lessons, and advice for young professionals 01:08:30 - What to do when you get stuck as a leader 01:11:15 - Closing thoughts and key takeaways Tags #CEOsUnscripted #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #ScalingBusiness #MidMarketCEO #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipTransformation #BusinessSystems #CEOPodcast #BusinessPodcast #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessScaling #DelegationSkills #BusinessProcesses #StrategicLeadership #CompanyGrowth #BusinessMentor #EntrepreneurialGrowth #LeadershipMindset #BusinessLifeCycle #BusinessExit #SmallBusinessGrowth #MidMarketLeaders CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast by mid-market CEOs for mid-market CEOs, delivering unfiltered conversations about what it takes to lead, grow, and scale in today's business landscape.

Is AI overwhelming your mid-market business? You're not alone. In this unfiltered episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Chris Happ, CEO of Virtuous AI and serial entrepreneur, to break down exactly how mid-market CEOs should approach AI strategy—without the tech jargon or corporate bureaucracy.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Why AI is a STRATEGIC initiative, not an IT project ✅ How to identify the right business problem to solve with AI first ✅ The MIT study revealing why 95% of Fortune 500 AI pilots fail ✅ Why mid-market companies have a competitive advantage over enterprise ✅ How to manage AI as a change initiative (and avoid employee resistance) ✅ Real case studies: inventory optimization, workflow automation, and BI transformation ✅ The critical mistake of "bolting on" AI tools that create more silos ✅ How to protect your competitive advantage and proprietary data ✅ Why you should never wait to start experimenting with AI

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Start with ONE meaningful business problem (growth, profitability, or retention) 🔹 AI can clean your dirty data BEFORE you even begin analysis 🔹 You don't need a massive budget—nimbleness is your superpower 🔹 Think "revenue per head" metrics (target: $1M per employee) 🔹 Avoid the subscription trap—consolidate around strategic platforms 🔹 Your AI strategy should be owned by the CEO, not delegated to IT

Perfect For: Mid-market CEOs, founders, business leaders navigating digital transformation, operations executives, and anyone feeling overwhelmed by the AI landscape.

Guest: Chris Happ is the CEO of Virtuous AI and a proven mid-market CEO who has successfully sold multiple companies. He specializes in helping businesses implement AI strategically without the enterprise complexity.

Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction: Why AI is overwhelming mid-market CEOs 2:34 - The MIT study: 95% of Fortune 500 AI pilots fail 5:38 - AI as a change initiative, not just technology 8:59 - Why mid-market CEOs have the advantage 12:33 - Predictive vs deterministic AI explained simply 15:48 - Start with a business problem, not the technology 19:10 - Case study: AI-powered inventory optimization 21:42 - The dirty data problem and how AI solves it 27:09 - Common mistakes and opportunities 33:35 - The subscription model trap killing mid-market budgets 40:18 - AI for business intelligence and real-time reporting 44:44 - Critical cautions: protecting your competitive advantage 49:58 - What happens if you need to switch vendors? 55:32 - Final takeaways and next steps

Resources Mentioned:

• MIT Fortune 500 AI Study
• Virtuous AI Platform (BAYO - Business Automation Intelligence & Outcomes)

📌 Don't get left behind—subscribe for more candid conversations with CEOs who've been where you are!

Hashtags: #AIStrategy #MidMarketCEO #BusinessTransformation #AIForBusiness #CEOPodcast #DigitalTransformation #BusinessAutomation #AIImplementation #LeadershipPodcast #CEOInsights #ArtificialIntelligence #ChangeManagement #BusinessGrowth #VirtuousAI #CEOsUnscripted

About CEOs Unscripted: CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast by mid-market CEOs, for mid-market CEOs. Host Jane Gentry brings 20+ years of consulting experience and firsthand CEO leadership to deliver unfiltered conversations about what it really takes to lead, grow, and scale a business. No fluff. No jargon. Just real talk that drives real results.

🔔 Subscribe and hit the notification bell to never miss an episode! 💬 What's your biggest AI challenge? Drop it in the comments below!