The LFM Quarterly // Inside LFM: Our Talent Network
An Interview with Zack Balent, Director of Process Improvement at ShopSabre and MIT LGO Alum
The Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program at MIT is a dual-degree MBA and Master of Engineering program. All 3 Managing Directors at LFM Capital are alumni of the program and maintain strong ties. LFM’s continued engagement and partnership with this program attracts top-tier talent to our portfolio companies.
Zack’s Background
Zack grew up in Fort Lauderdale and earned his Civil Engineering degree from West Point, which interested him because of his father’s military service, “the discipline and structure appealed to me.” Zack went on to achieve his dual Master of Engineering and Business from MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program. The program was founded in 1988 as the Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) program, launched to develop the next generation of manufacturing leaders in the US and, with that goal in mind, is our firm’s namesake.
Zack chose to attend the LGO program because it would not only further his engineering acumen but also marry it with business leadership. He noted, “the MIT program offers great real-world experience and was a good transition out of military life.” By 2016, when Zack enrolled at MIT, he had lived in Germany for five years as a US Army Officer. Part of what drew Zack to both West Point and the LGO program was his desire to build a background that laid a strong foundation for him to have a positive influence on those around him.
After graduating from MIT, Zack joined Amazon as Operations Manager and then spent two years at Boston Scientific as a Manufacturing Engineer Supervisor. While LFM Capital and ShopSabre aren’t quite the brand names as Amazon and Boston Scientific, Zack was familiar with LFM and its core values: “During my time at the LGO program, one of the speakers was from Eckhart (another LFM portfolio company) and I immediately felt connected to the work he was talking about. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity at small manufacturing businesses in America.”
Zack at ShopSabre
Zack, whose title is Director of Process Improvement, joined the ShopSabre team in February 2021 and, so far, he is “learning a lot and having fun.” He and his wife had been living in the Minneapolis area for two years when Dan Shockley, Managing Director at LFM, reached out to him about the opportunity.
At ShopSabre, Zack is helping scale the Company’s small business model to fit its latest growth and developments. One of his challenges is to create and implement systems that are scalable, transparent, and efficient. To be an effective leader in these efforts, Zack defers to his military experience, where he built a strong foundation of people skills including how to earn trust and respect.
His work at ShopSabre allows him to fulfill two of his biggest passions, engineering and working with people. “Through the opportunity to wear many different hats, I’ve learned more in five months here than I could have in any of my previous jobs,” said Zack. Since his start, he has worked to pick up and carry manageable, necessary projects across the finish line, to not only take incremental steps towards improving efficiency but also to build trust. “Quick wins earn respect,” Zack espouses, “it’s important to read between the lines and deliver the tools and resources people need.”
Zack’s largest project at ShopSabre has been the implementation of Epicor, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool. “This system will ultimately improve efficiency and reporting, which is currently managed in Excel spreadsheets.” He is working to ensure “the new system fits ShopSabre and not vice versa; there’s a balance to be found.” At MIT, he gained the business structure knowledge, process mapping, and execution skills that are being utilized for this implementation.
Five months in, and Zack is very clearly making an impact at ShopSabre and finding the work very rewarding. LFM Managing Director and ShopSabre Chairman, Dan Shockley, agrees, noting “Zack transitioned from a big company environment to our more intimate, family-like culture at ShopSabre almost immediately. He is already adding significant value and we are thrilled to have him on the team.”
Power BI
Over the last year, in addition to the continuity plan, Ken also championed the use of Power BI, a data presentation tool that allows decision-makers to have near-time data. Ken knows from experience that “with better data, you have an increased probability of making better decisions.” With Power BI, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be measured and presented in an easily digestible manner. “It is an efficient way of achieving consistency and a single version of the truth,” he explained. “Using Power BI allows us to spend time on what the data is telling us, rather than collecting it.” Ken started his career in engineering analytics and saw “to be the best leader, you need to have the best data.”
There are some caveats that come with using Power BI. “How success is defined and measured drives behavior, so be careful about what you measure,” Ken advises. After implementation of a tool like Power BI, it is important to be continuously engaged with the program and course correct to keep the KPIs in line with the business’s strategy. Ken noted that “this allows leadership to look at the scoreboard and make adjustments 364 times during a fiscal year.” To create the unique KPIs for each company, Ken suggests asking, “what’s the definition of winning?”
New programs also require adaptation from those who will be using them. Ken’s advice for smooth change management is to have the program make a good first impression and make sure those working within it have the “aha” moment of the tool working for them, rather than vice versa.
To learn more about ShopSabre, check out the company’s website here.
New Faces
Jack Jeffrey - Associate
Prior to LFM, Jack was a Senior Analyst at VRA Partners, an Atlanta-based boutique investment bank, where he worked on middle-market M&A transactions across a wide range of industries.
At LFM, Jack is focused on deal evaluation and execution. He received his B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Virginia. He grew up in Connecticut and enjoys golfing, running, skiing, and all things UVA.
For Jack's full bio, click here.
Ryan Richardson - Business Development Associate
Prior to LFM, Ryan was an Analyst at The Halifax Group, a Washington D.C.-based middle-market private equity firm focused on health & wellness, outsourced business services, and franchising where he worked in business development.
Previously, Ryan worked for three years as an account executive at Intralinks, where he worked closely with hundreds of private equity firms across the country to help facilitate fundraises, buy and sell-side transactions, and investor reporting projects.
Ryan earned his B.S. in International Business and B.A. in Spanish from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Ryan is a Southern California native who enjoys soccer, volunteering, going to concerts, cooking, traveling, playing guitar, and spending time outdoors.
For Ryan's full bio, click here.
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ABOUT LFM CAPITAL
LFM Capital is a private equity firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. The firm’s mission is to partner with portfolio company management to develop and build world-class operations through a combination of manufacturing and operations excellence and targeted growth and expansion strategies.