In this Episode About Managing Growth in a Family Business
- Industry Insights and Challenges: Mark Cabrera discusses the dynamic nature of the logistics industry, including labor shortages, demographic changes, and the necessity for innovation driven by escalating labor costs.
- Employee Development and Culture: Emphasis on Saddle Creek’s strong culture, internal promotions, and training programs, along with the importance of storytelling and leadership behaviors to maintain the company’s values.
- Family Business Dynamics: The supportive yet hands-off involvement of the founding family allows the executive team to operate effectively while upholding the founder’s legacy and values.
Here is a Glimpse of Managing Growth in a Family Business
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser welcomes Mark Cabrera, the CEO of Saddle Creek Logistics. Mark has been with Saddle Creek for over 20 years, starting as CFO and taking over as CEO a few years ago. He shares insights into managing a family business, the logistics industry’s challenges, and the importance of innovation.
Mark explains Saddle Creek’s operations, which span 33 million square feet across the US, employing about 6,000 associates and operating a fleet of 500 trucks. The conversation highlights the dynamic nature of the logistics industry, including labor shortages and the need for innovation driven by escalating labor costs and demographic changes.
The discussion also delves into Saddle Creek’s approach to employee development and succession planning, emphasizing the importance of internal promotions and training programs. Mark credits the company’s strong culture to its founder’s values and the intentional efforts to maintain these through storytelling and leadership behaviors.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Mark Cabrera on LinkedIn
- Jim Schleckser on LinkedIn
- The CEO Project
- Great Ceos Are Lazy: How Exceptional Ceos Do More in Less Time by Jim Schleckser
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by The CEO Project. The CEO Project is a business advisory group that brings high-caliber, accomplished CEOs together. Our team of skilled advisors comprises current and former CEOs who have run both public and private sector companies across multiple industries. With our experience and expertise, we guide hundreds of high-performing CEOs through a disciplined approach that resolves constraints and improves critical decisions. The CEO Project has helped high-performing, large enterprise CEOs with annual revenues ranging from $20M to over $2 billion to drive growth and achieve optimal outcomes. If you are an experienced CEO looking to grow your company, visit www.theCEOProject.com.