About Us
Learning, Leading, and Doing the Impossible
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have landed a job at Pentair in June of 2001. From day one, I was surrounded by smart, innovative people grounded in a strong Midwestern work ethic. At the helm was Randy Hogan, an MIT graduate and a true trailblazer.
As a technologist, it’s a dream to work under a leader who’s not only comfortable with technology but also willing to take calculated business risks. Discovering that Randy shared my passion for cars was just the cherry on top. I had the privilege of learning and growing both personally and professionally under his leadership for many years.
I worked at Pentair not because I had to, but because I loved the work. I loved the people. I loved making a difference. Together with my talented global teams, we worked tirelessly to support the business to the best of our ability. Randy grew the company tenfold and led by example, instilling in us key leadership traits and inspiring a culture of innovation.
When Randy retired in May 2018, I questioned whether I could stay, since so much of what I enjoyed was tied to his leadership style. But when John Stauch, then CFO and someone I’d collaborated with closely on many projects, became CEO, he asked me to stay. I accepted.
John wasn’t technical, but his willingness to learn, ask the right questions, and support well-reasoned risks was admirable. His approach made me want to be part of the next chapter.
At Pentair, we grew primarily through mergers and acquisitions, which gave me deep, hands-on experience leading integration efforts—from HR systems to ERP—across diverse and complex environments. Often, my team and I had to make these systems talk to each other on day one post-acquisition, regardless of size or geography.
I constantly challenged the team to streamline integration, moving fast while remaining compliant—thanks to my background in cybersecurity. We didn’t rest on our past wins. Instead, we pushed the envelope, chasing stretch goals that many “experts” told us were impossible. To us, “impossible” simply meant challenge accepted.
While most technologists might only experience one or two system integrations in a career, I had the privilege of leading many, often under intense pressure and tight deadlines. It became a sport: let’s do it faster, cheaper, and better, all while delighting our business partners.
We built a culture of innovation and accountability, where failure was seen as a stepping stone. We were encouraged to fail fast and fail forward. The result? Groundbreaking processes that slashed costs and delivery times. Nothing is more rewarding than achieving what others believe can’t be done.
One of my biggest takeaways? Project success comes down to two things: technology and people. Technology can be solved. But getting the right people, with the right culture fit and shared goals, is far more difficult. I was lucky to have a phenomenal HR partner, Chris Passaro, who taught me the strategic value of HR and helped me navigate the human side of transformation.
A New Chapter: Helping Others Win
After 21 years at Pentair, it was time for a new challenge. I wanted to take everything I’d learned and help other organizations achieve their goals.
To do that, I knew I needed a business partner—someone who was an expert in talent development and global people strategy, someone who understood diverse cultures and how to build high performing teams. After months of searching, I asked Matt Luke to join me as a co-founder on this next adventure called Pivot Holdings.
Our mission was clear: help companies rapidly achieve their goals through the right people and technologies. No lengthy slide decks. No bloated consulting projects. Just results.
We structured our model so that we’d only be compensated if agreed-upon objectives were met. We didn’t want to embed long-term—we wanted to enable our clients to learn our rapid methods, adopt them, and run with them. We would remain available for guidance, but ultimately, it was about empowering them to succeed on their own terms.
