#397 - Wiley Curran - Co-Founder @ CPC - Building A Perpetual Holding Company Of Lower Middle Market Businesses
Description
Today, I sit down with my good friend Wiley Curran to break down the story behind CPC, a family-built perpetual holding company that buys and holds businesses indefinitely.
We also discuss how CPC approaches acquisitions, management incentives, and organizational design to create enduring value across industries.
We discuss:
- The evolution of CPC from a family chemicals business to a multi-company holding group
- Why long-term ownership outperforms short-term investing strategies
- How to build companies around customer intimacy and employee satisfaction
- The “five key battles” CPC uses to evaluate and improve every business
- Lessons learned from buying, integrating, and supporting 14 companies over time
Topics:
(00:00:00 ) - Intro
(00:03:12 ) - Running a CEO search
(00:08:26 ) - The story behind CPC
(00:23:39 ) - The importance of customer intimacy
(00:37:02 ) - CPC's long-term vision and employee engagement
(00:40:33 ) - Executive ownership and equity
(00:41:29 ) - Structuring equity buyouts
(00:42:58 ) - Valuation and liquidity rights
(00:44:49 ) - Investment strategy and business acquisition
(00:47:11 ) - Sourcing and evaluating business opportunities
(00:50:14 ) - Onboarding and integration of new businesses
(01:03:09 ) - Customer lifetime value and profitability
(01:09:13 ) - Board meetings and CEO summits
(01:14:36 ) - AI experiments and business impact
(01:18:30 ) - Future vision and personal goals
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