Strategic Acquisitions Group, LLC

Strategic Acquisitions Group (SAG) is a private investment company focused on acquiring and managing real estate and acquiring and growing exceptional operating businesses.

Chief Financial Officer

E-Jay Thermo, Inc.

E-Jay Thermo Inc. supports the aluminum industry with unique consumable products which support and improve the handling of molten aluminum during the entire life cycle including primary smelting, recycling, and manufacturing using aluminum. From our facility in Lenoir City, TN we ship throughout North America and overseas, supporting companies both large and small.

www.ejaythermo.com

Operating Partner

Dalen Products

For more than 40 years, Dalen Products has provided gardeners with solutions to better enjoy their yards and gardens. We focus on sustainable, USA-manufactured products and have uncompromising standards of quality and performance.

Director of Finance

Avkem

I held several key leadership roles at Avkem, a private equity owned, global manufacturing and industrial organization specializing in chemicals and foundry-related products. I was instrumental in achieving unprecedented YOY growth by restructuring operations and aligning processes, teams, and financial management strategies with company goals. This comprehensive approach and an unwavering commitment to new business discovery allowed us to identify potential revenue streams, diversify product offerings, and systematically enhance distribution pathways to extend market reach in global environments. Through a deep understanding of industry drivers, I spearheaded several full spectrum initiatives that dramatically improved profit margin and leveraged resource reallocation, cost-reduction frameworks, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies to outperform internal KPI goals while outmaneuvering the competition. I was fortunate to work with an amazing team of talented, highly skilled individuals and I relentlessly worked to equip leaders with the tools necessary for success in an effort to establish a cohesive culture grounded in common goals.

By directing the organization towards a value-added model, I was able to cultivate solid relationships with industry-leading clients while simultaneously securing viable margins with excellent contract retention rates. I also facilitated an M&A project that purchased a Michigan-based company and effectively integrated production processes into our operations, resulting in double-digit margin gains for a large component of our product portfolio. Throughout my time at Basic Resources/Avkem, I was able to achieve sustained expansion with historic levels of growth, which advantageously positioned Basic Resources to sell to Avkem. After leading the transition to Avkem, the equity buyout subsequently provided stakeholders with an excellent ROI.

Basic Resources, Inc.

Basic Resources, Inc. supports the metals industry with superior quality and unmatched service and has developed an outstanding reputation in the industry by building long-term partnerships with clients, suppliers, employees, and the surrounding community. During this time period, I spearheaded numerous initiatives that expanded brand presence within the market, generated significant revenue growth, and strengthened performance across a wide range of KPIs.

President and CEO

ARC Automotive, Inc.

My role at ARC was multifaceted and centered around managing financial reporting, cap-ex strategies, and cost reduction initiatives designed to improve profitability. I was integrally involved in managing critical aspects of an M&A project and developing reporting, creating projections, and showcasing financial performance data to support the transition process. I also cultivated an outstanding accounting team with offices in Mexico, China, and the United States while establishing best practices to ensure standardization and adherence to best practices. During my experience at ARC, I was involved in managing a mission-critical ERP migration project that produced enterprise-wide gains in reporting quality and provided a more granular understanding of cost, scrap, labor, and other key metrics.

Controller

ImagePoint

At ImagePoint, I managed financial-related processes spanning general ledger accounting, monthly closing, and year-end reporting as well as designing in-depth financial analysis tools for multiple business units. This data played an integral role in continuous improvement and strategic planning efforts, resulting in improved insight into company-wide financial performance.

Financial Analyst

As a Business Executive with over 20 years of experience, I have a career history of managing operations both large and small and proven expertise in aligning processes and teams to position organizations for both growth and sustainability. Throughout my career, I have held CEO, COO, and CFO roles that have given me the opportunity to develop tactical business expansion plans and create goal-driven strategies that produced unprecedented gains in gross revenue as well as cash flow.

Do you have a non-compete agreement? 

Depending on the circumstance around it, it might be going away.

Today the FTC announced a rule banning non-competes - a rule that also voids existing non-competes under many circumstances (link in the comments). 

The FTC estimates that this will have a huge economic impact including more business startups, increased wages, better benefits, and more innovation. 

What say you?

David Youngblood

What advice would you have given your younger self?

I have the privilege of speaking next week to some classes at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee with my good friend Tory Kinson. One of my favorite topics to emphasize is what I would have told myself ~25 years ago.

I'd love my LinkedIn connections and observers to share in the comments what advice they would have given themselves. I can incorporate into my presentation! I'll share one quick story:

During one of my visits a student asked what I would have done more of when I was a student, knowing what I now know. I answered that I wish I had read more and networked more. Then there was a great follow up - of these two, which one is more important?

Well, both are important. But I did share something with them - none of the great opportunities I've been blessed with occurred while I was reading a book!

#advice #vfl #haslamcollegeofbusiness #students 

Are you paying overtime to salaried employees when you should? 

Some companies make employees salaried so that they can work them more hours for less pay and avoid overtime, which is just wrong.

But many companies don't realize the rules around salary vs. hourly and when/whether you have to pay overtime. 

The announcement of an increase in the overtime salary threshold came out this week (Link to announcement and full rule in the comments).

As of July 1, 2024, the threshold of salary to pay overtime will be $43,888, increasing to $58,656 at the beginning of 2025. There are other rules around when/whether to pay overtime but the salary thresholds are very important. 

This will most likely affect the way people do business and how hourly vs. salary and overtime is handled. Will it affect you or your business?

#overtime #salary #hourly #labor #economy

Do you want to reward someone who has gone above and beyond for you?

One of the most effective methods is to seek out their supervisor and provide direct, detailed, and positive feedback.

I recently was working through an audit and needed detailed information quickly. When I reached out to the service provider, he responded quickly and proactively multiple times. 

I of course thanked him but also inquired for the contact information of his supervisor so that I could pass along the thank you to her as well. 

Take 5 minutes and give someone a win with their stakeholders. It's often the best way to say thank you.

#gratitude #thanks #reward #aboveandbeyond

One of the best gifts you can give or receive is time. 

We all have a limited quantity of it and we all have desires that require it. 

I had a conference call yesterday that started after hours and was scheduled for one hour. The other party was very respectful of that and we ended the meeting 15 minutes early. I was thankful for a productive meeting and no desire to just fill the time because it was on the calendar. What a great result!

Just because you've scheduled 30 minutes or an hour does not mean you have to fill it if you've accomplished what's needed in the meeting. Instead of filling the time, simply say, "I'm giving you back 10 minutes. Enjoy it." Give the gift of time!

#time #meetings

Do you want better answers? 

ASK BETTER QUESTIONS. 

I heard a great tip this morning that I've been using but had not defined - ask assumptive questions. This simply means turning a yes or no question into a more interactive question. Let me give three examples of how assumptive questions will improve interactions.

Example 1 - Diligence of a Company: Instead of asking "Is there anything we should be concerned about?" ask "What should we be concerned about?" This slight difference (and assumption of a concern) will lead to better responses or at least some cues that perhaps something is there that is concerning.

Example 2 - Interaction with employees: Instead of saying, "Is there anything you need from me?" ask "Give me 2-3 ways in which I can more effectively support your success and growth here." Employees might be tempted (because they don't want to appear negative) to answer that you are doing a great job and that they don't need anything. By assuming you can be more effective with them, you are opening the door to better feedback.

Example 3 - Trying to help someone (this one is more personal but has been very fruitful). When we've had a friend or family member who is in need of support, my wife and I used to ask "What can we do?" That question rarely (if ever) led to anything. People are often stressed/overwhelmed and cannot think of anything. A while back we started saying, "We'd like to bring you a meal. What would you like us to bring and when would be the best day/time?" This question has a nearly 100% success rate.

Take some time to craft your questions more effectively and make them assumptive. It will lead to better answers and higher quality interactions.

#questions #answers #assumptive #communication

When is bad news good news? 

Depending on who you are, you desperately want employment numbers to be worse so that the Fed will be pushed to cutting rates (link to a recent article on this in the comments). 

Because the Fed has the dual mandate of price stability and low unemployment, they will adjust their monetary policy accordingly based on data points from these areas. 

Since inflation has remained stubbornly above the 2% target (and will most likely remain high based on FISCAL policy), we will most likely have to rely on unemployment data to drive rate cuts. 

Powell said that he had "the luxury of strong growth and a strong labor market" to keep rates high. If you don't think inflation is coming down and you want rate cuts, be rooting for a worse employment situation and slower economic growth. 

Not the most fun pathway to rate cuts.

#unemployment #interestrates #inflation #fed #economy

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