Title: CFO
Company: Lazydays
Length of FEI membership: 6 months
Work email: [email protected]
Work phone number: (813) 204-4374
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
I earned by Bachelor of Science from THE Ohio State University in 1986 (Summa Cum Laude, graduated first in class), then went on to Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business where I graduated in 1993. My career has been split between working in technology (NCR, Innovex, Pinnacle Data Systems, Avnet, Rooster.com) and food (Procter & Gamble, Pillsbury, US Foods).
My goal was always working toward developing into a public company CFO, which I accomplished in 2008 with Pinnacle Data Systems. After 5 years of running shared services for another public company (US Foods), I moved back into the CFO seat with Lazydays just 6 months ago.
Have you ever done anything out of the ordinary to apply for and/or get a job?
I was working in Asia (Chiang Mai, Thailand) when I was a candidate for the Pinnacle Data Systems CFO Role. I did my first round of interviews with the CEO, Board Chair, and Audit Committee Chair over the phone. There was a 12-hour time difference, and of course I was flexible (I wanted the job!), so I was on the phone in a hotel in Bangkok between 9pm to 1am. I was exhausted - but got the job!
How did you discover your passion for finance?
I really liked economics, had a knack for accounting, and wanted a marketable degree – so kind of fell into finance to be honest. I believe GAAP accounting can be a barrier to folks managing the business – management-oriented financial reports and dashboards, managerial accounting tools, and developing the right metrics that drive the desired financial outcomes are essential.
What is one piece of information you wish someone had told you when you first started your finance career?
Take more risks earlier in your career. Failure doesn’t have the high cost you think it does – and the experience is valuable regardless.
What personality traits and intangible qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent?
Someone that asks me good questions – really tries to understand what’s needed in the role.