Gregory Rustowicz: The “Great Transformation” at Columbus McKinnon

Gregory Rustowicz, Vice President of Finance and CFO of Columbus McKinnon, shares his thoughts on the company’s strong track record of value creation and resilience through the pandemic and the changing dynamics in the material handling industry.

Columbus McKinnon is a global leader in lifting and motion-control technology, and they are “moving businesses forward with smart solutions for high-value problems.”  With its restructuring initiatives, programmatic M&A approach, and strong cashflow performance even during the pandemic, Columbus McKinnon is a case study on driving alpha returns within the Industrials sector. 

Join us for a glimpse into some of the internal strategies for growth and success that Greg has been part of with Columbus McKinnon’s “great transformation” over the last 10 years, including his ideas on industry trends, thoughts on mergers and acquisitions, and finding and fostering talent.

Discussion Points

• Columbus McKinnon’s “intelligent motion solutions” and the main markets they serve
• Opportunities and challenges faced by Columbus McKinnon during the pandemic
• Columbus McKinnon’s “Blueprint for Growth 2.0”
• Trends in automation and changing dynamics in material handling industry 
• The most susceptible and resilient markets to downturn
• Looming threats, opportunities, and trends in the industry
• Greg’s personal journey including his path to becoming the CFO of a company
• Columbus McKinnon as a case study on value creation
• Greg’s learnings as the CFO of a public company over the last 10 years
• The secret sauce for talent acquisition and retention
• Greg’s advice for CFOs of companies embarking on transformational journeys

Fernweh Insights is brought to you by Fernweh Group. The host of this episode, Paolo Baldesi, is Senior Vice President at Fernweh.

This episode is part of Fernweh’s Industrials series which focuses on transformational journeys of companies in the industrials sector, one of the most prominent sectors and the bedrock of the U.S. economy. Fernweh Group is an investment company that is adapting an engaged investor and operator model to create alpha – performance superior to market indices – in the industrial/industrial tech sector.  

For More Information

Columbus McKinnon Website: https://www.columbusmckinnon.com/en-us/

Greg Rustowicz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-rustowicz-a2211670/

Fernweh Group: https://www.fernweh.com

Paolo Baldesi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolo-b-a47b344/