Inside Carpenter Company’s Evolution: CEO Brad Beauchamp Discusses Acquisitions, Company Culture, and European Strategy - Ep. 231

How does a 75-year-old manufacturing company successfully transform through bold acquisitions and shifting market conditions? Brad Beauchamp, President and CEO of Carpenter Company, sits down with Victoria Meyer to share Carpenter’s journey from “old-school” chemical company to global leader in comfort cushioning and consumer bedding. Brad offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Carpenter navigated the integration of major acquisitions—including Recticel, NCFI Polyurethanes, and the iconic Casper mattress brand—amid supply chain turbulence, economic uncertainty, and evolving industry demands. 

Victoria and Brad also tackle the changing culture in manufacturing, Carpenter’s approach to digital transformation and AI, and how leaders can balance people-first values with the drive for profit and growth. With practical leadership advice and candid stories from the front lines, this episode is a must-listen for chemical industry professionals interested in business transformation, growth strategies, and the future of manufacturing.   

 

Victoria and Brad discuss the following: 

•  How to keep a company growing during unpredictable times.
•  How bold acquisitions are reshaping Carpenter’s future.
• Maintaining a people-first culture through major change.
•  Evolving the chemical value chain 
•  Leadership, digital transformation, and Carpenter’s formula for resilience.

 

Killer Quote: "Sales is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality."  — Brad Beauchamp, President and CEO of Carpenter Company 

00:00 "Carpenter Company Insights with CEO" 

03:42 Guest Appreciates Podcast's Positive Impact 

06:55 Journey from R&D to Chemical Sales 

11:45 Growth Strategy Over Coasting 

15:53 Flexible Foam Acquisition Discussion 

17:28 "Understanding the Casper Story" 

21:37 Changing Mattress Market Dynamics 

26:17 Brand-Driven Billion-Dollar Businesses 

30:18 "Understanding Organizational Talent Variability" 

31:17 Balancing Growth and Pace 

34:48 Investing in Europe's Consumer Market 

39:22 Carpenter's Transformative Profit Sharing Plan 

41:16 AI's Role in Evolving Work Practices 

44:53 Navigating Information in New Industries 

49:51 "Curiosity Fuels Lifelong Learning" 

51:05 Uncontrollable Career Advancement Factors 

 

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