TheFortPodcast

Greg Gordon has a rich history in construction as a third-generation builder with over 25 years of industry experience. He started his career in shell construction and eventually transitioned to commercial interiors before founding Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards as a result. But Greg’s true passion is for people and the relationships developed with both his team and clients. With a servant leadership approach to business, he has built a team of leaders who take ownership and pride in their work. It’s a reflect the organization’s mission of “building a legacy of helping others reach their God-given potential”. Greg attributes Gordon Highlander’s success to this culture model. On this episode Chris and Greg Discuss: - a look into the commercial construction industry from 2007-Present - what it's like to build for Amazon and how they built a prototype in 6 weeks - how Greg views leadership and building a world-class culture leadership above and beyond "HR" Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Sarah has 20 years of experience in office brokerage in the DFW region. Prior to founding Thirty-Four Commercial, she was previously a Principal at Peloton Commercial Real Estate (acquired by JLL in 2019) and an Associate at Transwestern. Sarah graduated from Miami University before relocating to Dallas, Texas in 2003. Sarah focuses her life on wellness and balance. In 2018, she obtained a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as traveling whenever their schedule allows. On this episode, Chris and Sarah discuss: - Her career stories and the lessons she learned along the way - Her view of the current office environment and where we go from here - How to lease Class A Office buildings - How she leased a Class AA office building from the ground up - How she manages a growing family and business Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano is an entrepreneur and technology investor. He has built and sold numerous companies, ran Product & Growth teams at Facebook, and manages a portfolio valued at more than $500 million in early-stage tech companies. He currently runs his family office, which makes private investments and owns majority stakes in several operating businesses. Anthony also hosts popular conversations on “The Pomp Podcast,” which has been downloaded over 50 million times. Pomp also writes a letter that more than 225,000 investors read each morning. Lastly, Pomp’s interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and economics, which he tweets about extensively to his more than 1.6 million followers. On this episode, Chris & Pomp discuss: - lessons Pomp learned from serving in the army and running product/growth teams at Facebook - the benefits and downsides of being a public figure with large social following - what is bitcoin and why is it important and his understanding of current crypto market - what happened with FTX and its implications on crypto market Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Jon Altschuler is the founder of Altschuler and Company and has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its founding in 2009. He started his career with Trammell Crow Company and was the president of Stream Realty Partners. Jon is the chairman of the SMU Dedman College executive board. Jon is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Jon earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. On this episode, Chris and John discuss: The current state of the office market and forward-looking thoughts. Best practices for building a successful career in real estate. Future of co-working and office leases. What will happen to Class B office properties? Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Kevin Lackey is the President and CEO of Freedom Powersports, a dealership group based out of Fort Worth, Texas with 13 locations spanning three states. His career in the powersports industry started in 1998 where he worked his way up from a porter to manager to general manager and now owner and operator. Through strong leadership skills, dedication to operational excellence, and commitment to the industry he helped grow Freedom Powersports from $34.8M in sales in 2012 to a project of $157M in sales for 2021. Outside of Freedom Powersports, Kevin is on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bank, Motorcycle Industry Council, Yamaha Financial Services Council, BRP Dealer Advisory Council, Yamaha Financial Services Dealer Council, Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association, YPO Fort Worth Chapter Member and is on the Advisory Board for National Center for Middle Market. In 2019 Kevin was named the Entrepreneur of Excellence for the category of retail for Fort Worth Inc. Magazine and in 2016 he was named to the 40 under 40 by the Fort Worth Business Press. With continued growth on his mind, he has also become an active member of his community in Aledo, TX, started a podcast, and is always looking for the next opportunity. On this episode Chris and Kevin discuss: Deepdive into powersports industry since COVID. Best practices learned over the years that helped build a great team and business. What he’s glad he did for the business so that it was easier to sell. (Sold to Rumble On.) Why Kevin has built a life that balances his family life with a demanding work schedule. Links: Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-lackey-71912424/ Episode #4 of The Fort with Kevin Lackey: https://open.spotify.com/episode/72RJZtj0KhWbBt8kYqMUoy?si=7c206f58b36b4ffc The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert: https://open.spotify.com/track/02eD9ymfJOJOhM97HYp5R9?si=428b06e20ca945a5 Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ Fort Capital: https://fortcapitallp.com/ Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

David Senra is the Founder of Founders Podcast. David has devoted his career to learning from history's greatest entrepreneurs. David is on a mission to document the best ideas from the life and work of history’s most formidable people —and share those lessons through his podcast so others can benefit. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children. On this episode, Chris and David discuss: - His story and the challenges he faced growing up that shaped who he is today. - Building his pod – a peak inside what an average week looks like. - A deep dive discussion on founder characteristics and everything he's learned from reading hundreds of auto-biographies on the world's most extraordinary founders. - A discussion on the economics and business of podcasting. Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Cody Campbell is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC, a partnership formed with Apollo Global Management, and co-founder of Double Eagle Development. Campbell began his business career at Texas Tech University, where he and John Sellers founded a successful commercial real estate development firm. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in finance and economics and a master’s in finance. After graduation, he played offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. Campbell is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), serves on the Advisory Council for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech and serves as a Board Member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and four children. On this episode, Chris and Cody discuss: - The story of their $6.4B sale to Pioneer. - Discussion on current energy markets and policy. - Why we need to change the narrative on oil & gas to attract more labor into the industry. - We talk about the NCAA & NIL programs and how Texas Tech has built The Matador Club to support athletes. Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Zamir Kazi started his career in Real Estate in 2013 after attending Florida State University buying and flipping duplexes. He formed Berkshire Property Holdings in 2014 (later rebranded to ZMR Capital) to acquire and redevelop multifamily Real Estate. In the past 9 years, as CEO of ZMR Capital, Zamir has acquired over $1.5B of multifamily assets. He has been the recipient of Globe Streets 50 under 40 and is an active investor and board member of multiple early-stage companies. Zamir also contributes significant time and resources to several charities. On this episode Chris and Zamir discuss: How he started his career in real estate. How ZMR Capital creates value in the assets they acquire. How ZMR selects markets to invest in. Current state of the multi-family market. Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Will Churchill is the Owner of Frank Kent Motor Company. Frank Kent Cadillac has been awarded GM Dealer of the Year for 2012 – 2014, an honor given to only the top 2% of GM dealers throughout the country. On this episode, Chris and Will discuss: - A deep dive on the auto industry. - The current state of the auto industry. - What the future of buying cars looks like. - DTC, EV cars, Hydrogen?! - And more! Support our Sponsors: Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ CRE Daily Newsletter: https://www.credaily.com/ Fort Capital: https://fortcapitallp.com/ More Info: Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Holt Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Holt Lunsford Commercial, a Dallas-based full-service commercial real estate company. They talk about luck in business, the process of finding and hiring great people, and Holt's advice for fathers. Enjoy! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (0:00) - Intro (3:08) - Holt’s background and career (5:30) - The Great Trammel Crowe generation of Texas Real Estate Operators (19:26) - How much of business success is luck and how much are things that you can control? (21:28) - Holt’s Growth standards (24:22) - How long was the business going until you started making hires (25:24) - What were things you weren’t doing well that people could learn from? (28:55) - Holt on building relationships with the people he works with and loyalty (31:21) - Holt on the culture of people moving jobs constantly and attracting the next generation of employees (36:21)- What within Real Estate has changed dramatically since starting in ’86? (38:33) - Chris and Holt on life balance (43:02) - What did you give your kids for their 18th birthday? (46:19) - What advice would you give your 21-year-old self

On this episode Chris talks about the fundamentals that drive Class B Industrial: - Growing demand and no new supply? Could that be?! - The types of tenants that occupy Class B Industrial - How we think about Cap Ex & TI. - And more! Support Our Sponsors: Juniper Square: https://www.junipersquare.com/ Frank Kent Cadillac: https://www.frankkentcadillac.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Chris sits down with his longtime friend Rayne Austin, to do a deep dive into the Cattle Business. Rayne walks Chris through the multiple phases of the life cycle for cattle, how each phase makes money, the "Big 4" packers, and how the pandemic exposed a major bottleneck in the industry. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ (0:00) - Start (3:11) - Rayne’s Background (5:08) - What are the phases of a cow's life and how do you move from one to the next? (8:07) - Do the calves only live off of their mother’s milk or are they consuming feed in the first phase? (9:17) - Do cows sell for less if they haven’t been weened? (9:39) - How much money are people trying to get from selling in the calf/cow phase? (10:22) - How do you transfer 10,000 calves to the stockyard? (11:30) - How many calves fit in a truckload? (11:49) - What’s the purpose of the stockyard? (13:25) - How big are you trying to get the cows to become in the stock phase? (13:45) - What’s the pricing model for cattle? (16:05) - What do cows look like at the end of the stocker phase? What happens when they move to the feed yard? (17:16) - How long do they stay in the feed yard? (17:31) - Where does all that feed come from? (18:06) - Do they go to slaughter from the feed yard? (18:30) - Why don’t folks complete all three phases under one roof? (19:48) - What are the biggest risks in the industry? (20:59) - What are the biggest upsides to the business? (21:57) - Why were the packing houses doing well but not the cattle ranchers during COVID? (23:33) - What happens when you have cattle ready to leave the feed yard but packers not willing to take them? (24:53) - Can a cow get ‘too big’ to where it affects the meat? (25:44) - How is veal made? (26:50) - Rayne’s Experience Working at the Largest Virtual Auctioneering House (28:59) - Does everyone buy in the business hedge or is it case by case? (30:07) - Why are calves who haven’t been weened high risk? (31:01) - Why do some people hedge and some don’t? (32:29) - How is the majority of this business made up from an ownership perspective? (37:05) - Does the climate and location of feed yards change what the cow will look like? (39:20) - Are the majority of these legacy companies just growing to a point where the barrier to entry is more difficult? (41:06) - What’s the day to day like for someone like your grandfather working in the field 7 days a week? (44:00) - How many cattle are there per acre in America? (44:56) - How many cattle are there in America? (45:49) - Who’s the largest cattle rancher in the country? (46:21) - Have genetics improved vastly over time? (47:31) - What about cattle genetics has improved? (48:23) - What’s the rating system for cattle? (50:31) - Why would someone go through you for doing deals? (51:47) - What’s a shrink and slide? (53:54) - Why do cuts like Wagyu and Kobe sell for so much more? What about grass-fed beef? (55:15) - Why are Midland steaks so much better than other companies? (56:25) - How long does a cow live and how often can they give birth? (58:24) - What are the different breeds of cattle? (1:00:27) - Is the fake meat industry putting a dent into the business? (1:01:52) - The Cow Fart Narrative (1:03:31) - Are there other false narratives that folks should know about in the cattle industry? (1:04:29) - How has technology progressed in this industry to create better margins? (1:07:11) - Have numbers shown that people will pay more for the meat of a cow that’s lived a ‘better life’? (1:08:27) - 1031-ing in the Cattle Business (1:10:28) - The JBS Cattle Company (1:10:57) - Who are the Big 4 in Cattle? (1:11:23) - What did the government do for cattle ranchers during COVID? (1:12:35) - How far out can you hedge? (1:13:51) - Since you’ve been around, what’s been the best year to be in this business? (1:15:23) - Do the major packers dominate the industry or does it revolve around the cattle rancher? (1:16:01) - How would you value a cattle operation? (1:18:09) - The U.S. Beef Trade Deal with China (1:19:15) - If you had 100 million dollars and you had to invest in the cattle business, where would you put it? (1:21:11)- What is a day like for a ranch hand? (1:23:26) - What does it cost to lease land to put your cattle on? (1:25:50) - We’ve found ways to make food for cheaper and less. At what point have we gone too far and we’re just making bad beef? (1:27:27) - Do cattle ranchers pay insurance on the cattle? (1:29:24) - How far are we from a point in time where there are not enough people in the industry? (1:30:07) - What’s your favorite cut of beef & what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Chris goes solo to hit hard on a critical aspect of operations that has played so well to the success of Fort Capital: Incentives. On this episode Chris discusses: Why operations are important and how to incentivize them. A relevant scenario to think about when setting incentives. Incentivizing the process, rather than just the outcome. Topics: (1:42) - What is a great operator? (2:38) - Incentivizing the process, not just the outcome The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales. Most recently, Michael was an early employee & executive at DocuSign, serving as Global Vice President, General Manager, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. DocuSign has now achieved a $30B market cap with 5,000 employees. In 2016, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in over 100+ companies and multiple funds. Michael also co-founded New Story, a non-profit that has built 2,000+ homes in developing countries and is recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3D Home Printer. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. Mike is a follower of Jesus and seeks to honor God in everything he does. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: - His story and how he learned to be world-class at sales. (He was the #1 CutCo Knife salesman in the US) - How Garden City values and ultimately transacts on businesses. - How Garden City creates value for the companies they acquire. - Why he chose a permanent capital structure. Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Tim is a Partner at Majority Search, a private equity firm focused on helping top mid-career professionals pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA). He is a veteran search fund investor who has backed over 80 search funds and first-time CEOs since 2007 and purchased three companies directly. Before Tim began investing in search funds, he was an executive at a diversified real estate company, consulted with Arthur Andersen and a middle-market manufacturing company, founded two online publishing companies, and held positions with Dell and a venture-backed start-up. Tim graduated from The College of Wooster, received his MBA from the University of Michigan, and lives in San Diego with his wife and two teenage children. On this episode, Chris and Tim discuss: A deep dive into the search fund industry and how it’s matured over time. What Tim has learned from interviewing 100’s of CEO’s. How Majority Search structures deals that align incentives. Lessons from valuing 1000’s of small businesses. Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Majority Search: https://www.majoritysearch.com/ Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tsludwig SearchFunder.com: https://www.searchfunder.com/ Who by Geoff Smart: https://amzn.to/3x0vQmD The Threat of a Reference Check: https://bit.ly/3ARu9sH Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis. UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to fill them. Where necessary, UpSmith connects candidates with affordable, fast, high-quality training to qualify them for placement. Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-sharing business unit. He served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year. Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust. On this episode, Chris and Wyatt discuss: - An in-depth view of the emerging blue-collar labor crisis in America and how we got here. - The benefits of blue-collar work and why it is worthwhile work. - Upsmith’s plan to employ more blue-collar workers. - Why college isn’t for everyone. https://upsmith.com/ Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Follow The Fort on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/TheFortPodcast

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Mike Vellano is the CEO of Vortex Companies – a trenchless technology company focused on water and sewer infrastructure. As CEO and Founder, Mike's primary focus is fulfilling the corporate mission and ensuring Vortex delivers on its promise of being a solutions-focused, cost-effective trenchless products and services provider ranging from consulting and project management services to the delivery of products, training, and installation. Formerly, Mike was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for one of North America's largest privately held trenchless underground contractors. His primary responsibilities included overseeing all business entities' sales, marketing, and product development functions. He was also in charge of forging strategic business alliances as part of the company's vision of providing its customers with the widest selection of environmentally friendly, trenchless underground repair solutions. During his five-year tenure, Mike used his vision and leadership to help measurably grow the company's revenue. From 2001 to 2009, Mike worked for Albany, New York-based Vellano Brothers, where he rose from the ranks from local Branch Manager to Vice President. He helped streamline operations, grow accounts, and increase sales exponentially during his tenure there. Mike resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife Lettie and two daughters. On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss: What trenchless technology is, why it's essential, and what markets the technology serves. A fantastic story of how he built his company, took on private equity, and continued to acquire company after company. Lessons learned from integrating each company. Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Subscribe to The Fort on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ32shRt8Od3MxMY-keTSQ Vortex: https://vortexcompanies.com/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/ Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811