Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast brought to you by PGTI University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor and I am your host.
[00:00:24] Speaker B: So, good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and we're recording in Scottsdale at the CX event and I have been tracking down the various members of the MITRE leadership team and Ali Zaraya had eluded me. He's been very busy lately and so we made a plan to connect in Scottsdale. So here we are. Thanks for making time for me today.
[00:00:48] Speaker C: Yeah, of course. Definitely looking forward to conversation.
[00:00:51] Speaker B: Yeah. So tell us a little bit about you, like whatever you want to share, personal, professional, how long you've been with the company, what your role is. So tell us about you, Ollie.
[00:00:59] Speaker C: Yeah, of course. I'm originally from New York City, born and raised, Was there pretty much my whole life with my family and everything. And went to school in New York City, did most of my career in the city and then we did a bunch of different finance related roles. Investment banking most recently prior to joining mitre. I know we moved, my wife and I and we have three little kids. We have twins that are three and then another baby who's turning two in January.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Oh my goodness.
[00:01:23] Speaker C: So yeah, we had three under two for a while.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: Okay, that's like a nightmare. Sorry.
[00:01:28] Speaker C: Yeah, it's crazy.
[00:01:29] Speaker B: You didn't slee.
[00:01:30] Speaker C: No, I think my years in investment banking prepped me for the, for the.
[00:01:34] Speaker B: Babies and just have the auto reorder on Amazon for the diapers. Right?
[00:01:38] Speaker C: Everything. Yeah, yeah, everything.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Oh, gosh.
[00:01:40] Speaker C: Yeah. My poor wife Alex at home, she's a trooper. She's proven grit for sure.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh gosh. So you decided to get out of the city and get out of investment banking and come into something much more calmer. Like, you know what your role is now.
[00:01:54] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what you would think given the amount of stuff we got going on. It's been pretty busy.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Right. So what is your role?
[00:02:01] Speaker C: Sure, yeah. So I'm the senior vice president of Strategy and M and A at Mind of Brands and basically I support our team through different strategic initiatives. So anything that is big picture we're thinking to get through is kind of where I help our team out and then also obviously the mergers and acquisitions. So obviously the supporting our team through making acquisitions or divestitures, selling businesses and then obviously the integration of those businesses.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Right. So 2024 has been quite a year for you.
[00:02:28] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: So let's walk through it. So you were part of helping PGTI get acqu which Was a little bit of drama between Mitre and Masonite, and then Masonite and then Mitre, and then no. And then we were all kind of like, what's going on?
[00:02:42] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: So shortly thereafter, then it was the divestiture of cri. Was first Cri and then Martin and then most recently Echo. So that's a lot.
[00:02:52] Speaker C: Yeah, it's been a lot. But, you know, we have a great team, and we just pulled through the acquisition, obviously. Just makes so much sense for it to be a part of the Mitre family. It really gave us more presence in Florida. Florida is one of our biggest states. Prior to the acquisition, from our flower mound plant, we were shipping 500 to a million units a year regardless. But with the acquisition, it gave us a better product offering with the impact products and a great team.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:16] Speaker C: And then we picked up Western and Alien. I mean, Western's product is a little different than what MI and Milgard have ever done. So it's great for the west and hopefully we could take that further and take it nationwide. But that was kind of the rationale and reasoning behind the acquisition and then the divestitures, mainly to continue to simplify our business. I mean, MI and Milgard really strive on simplification. We know how to make windows and we know how to sell windows. Let's focus there and continue to drive our goals, which is to be the most valued window and door brand in America. So for now, it's window and door. Can it change in the future? Potentially, but our focus is windows and doors nationwide and in America. You know, so the rationale behind the divestitures of CRI is installation business. We don't love doing that. It competes with our customers. So that's kind of what rationale for the divestiture of that. And then Martin, being a garage door, not saying we'll never play in the garage door space, but for now, the size and scale and where our focus and priorities are, that's why it made most sense to divest Martin. And then lastly, Echo is more, you know, confusing with our customers. I mean, the drive for selling direct cash and carry is a little different than what we do nationwide. So that's kind of why we divested that and all, like, with the care and focus that we want to make sure that all those companies end up in a good place with people that will continue to drive those businesses.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: Right. Well, and you can't be all things to all people. You know, you have to really focus on what you're good at and what you want to be Good at. And if you spread yourself too thin, then it dilutes everything, definitely. So on the education team, it was much easier to say, oh, we don't need any of these courses versus an acquisition where like, hey, guess what? You have a new product line of 40 products and you need to get the courses up like now.
So I'm like, okay, this is easier. I just go click, click, click, click, click. Done.
Change that out, fix the logos. You know, da, da, da. So from our standpoint, looking forward to hearing more about the product rationalizations and what we're going to be doing. You know, we have, I don't know, 14 different sliding glass doors in Southeast Florida. And obviously, we'll be communicating with our customer base about what those things are and as we go along.
[00:05:18] Speaker C: But, yeah, as part of the integration, there's a lot of work going on with just looking at our products in Southeast. And what's the best way to drive great customer experience? I mean, we've heard it all day today that customer experience is the most important. So let's focus on our customers, listen to them and hear them out and see if that could drive value for us.
[00:05:34] Speaker B: Exactly. So how is the acquisition going for you? Like, you're traveling a lot, right? So what is a typical week for you now?
[00:05:41] Speaker C: So again, the focus for myself and the team is to continue to integrate the businesses. Obviously was a focus on, you know, making sure we just following our guiding principles and our team Mitre DNA is put the right people in the right role. So our focus has been around making sure everyone's in the right role and everyone's happy with what they're doing. And then with that, I mean, all the key initiatives that we've been working through is to continue to sell through our businesses. So for revenue synergy, so Milgard and Western in the west and then combining in the Southeast, what are PGT and MI products and making sure, you know, customers are getting the right products. Those are probably our biggest focuses. And then sharing best practices. Right. What are we doing really well at pgt? What are we doing really well at MI and what are we not? And how do we share those best practices across the nation now that we have national footprint? I mean, we have team members all over the nation. So, yeah, we're learning a lot from each other, and it's been awesome. I mean, the team's great, the product's obviously great, and it's been a lot of fun.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been really interesting hanging out here because, you know, I look through the attendee list. And I'm like, okay. Like, every third person, I recognize their name. I'm like, oh, there's a lot of people here.
[00:06:47] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: So it's been really fun to just see everybody kind of together. And, you know, by the time we all get to, like, know each other a little bit, we'll be gone, you know, because tomorrow morning, we're out of here.
[00:06:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Anyway, well, I appreciate your time. I have one question that I do ask often, all of my guests, and that's around the topic of advice, because I believe that we can learn a lot from one another. And so what's a great piece of advice that you've received over the years?
[00:07:08] Speaker C: I think it's. Honestly, my grandfather has given me a lot of advice, so he always, like his two things, and over time, like, I've learned to realize what he was saying. And so first was like, take life with patience. Like, when you walk up the steps, if you run too fast, you're going to trip. But if you take it step by step and focus one step at a time, it'll all come to you. So just be patient. And obviously, through the acquisition, through. Anything I'm doing in life is just patience, as opposed to wanting everything right now, right this second, and rushing in and getting it done. Life is long. It could be long. And just take it step by step was a big thing he pushed. And then the other thing was just honesty. Be honest.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker C: No harm comes to somebody who's being honest. So being honest with yourself, being honest with other people, and I'd say those are two biggest things.
[00:07:48] Speaker B: Yeah, those are solid. You can't go wrong there. And plus, if you're honest, you don't have to have a great memory.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Right.
It's a good point.
[00:07:56] Speaker B: You know, if you're. If you're telling white lies left and right, you got to remember what you said if it's going to hold.
[00:08:01] Speaker C: So you got to.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: You don't need a great memory if you're going to be honest everywhere. So.
[00:08:05] Speaker C: Yeah, for sure.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Yeah. That's awesome. Well, Ali, I really appreciate your time today. Thank you for coming over and chatting with me, and I'll see you again soon.
[00:08:12] Speaker C: Yeah. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Take care. All right, bye.
[00:08:18] Speaker A: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by PGTI University. We are a part of Mitre Brands, a family of leading window and door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. One of the missions of Mitre Brands is to unite and deliver the finest customer experience possible across the nation. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise and products. Backed by a national company, PGTI University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
