The Super Bowl is just around the corner, so it seemed like a good idea to name our newest editorial feature, the Two-Minute Drill, in its honor. The TMD is a bite-sized Q&A geared at providing you with an overview of our industry’s top newsmakers. You’ll get the lowdown on what’s driving their businesses and dictating game plans in less time than it takes Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes to find the end zone.
Our debut “drill” takes a look at Doug Albregts’ first 100 days on the job as president of St. Cloud, Minnesota-based megadealer Marco. Albregts led Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America for seven years before becoming group CEO at Scientific Games, with oversight of $2 billion in business and 4,000 employees globally. Last October, he returned to the industry, joining CEO Jeff Gau and Marco to help spearhead its national growth strategy.
Tell us about your first three months on the job and what you have focused on during this ramping-up stage.
Albregts: I arrived in October just as we were starting to kick off our 2020 strategic planning process. We presented the final product to over 90 Marco leaders at our annual Leadership Conference in January. We are focusing on eight main corporate initiatives around three key areas: growth, efficiency and investment. Gaining efficiencies means our leaders will look for ways to eliminate waste and optimize operations. In the coming weeks, we will aggressively embark upon the execution phase. This will be another big year for Marco.
After spending seven years with Sharp, can you share some of the similarities and differences with being on the dealer side?
Albregts: There are big similarities with Sharp’s direct business and Marco’s business. However, having to balance Sharp’s dealer business with a direct operation was always a challenge. I don’t have that burden with Marco. It was a bit more challenging to make strategic moves at Sharp as bigger corporations have larger bureaucracies that can slow down decision-making. Marco is much more nimble even though it’s become a large company. It’s interesting getting the opportunity to peer into the strategies of other OEMs now that I’m at Marco. Whatever side of the fence you are on, each day brings a new set of challenges!
What aspect(s) of your experience from the OEM perspective serve you well in your current role at Marco?
Albregts: At Sharp, I was able to see the other half of the equation – product incubation, technology development, design and build. I also had more of a global view of technology impacting the document industry as we know it today. Understanding the OEM mindset certainly has its advantages and has shaped some of the strategies and initiatives we’re implementing here at Marco in 2020. I’ve been fortunate to work for two great companies on each side of the equation.
Can you share some personal and team goals for 2020?
Albregts: My personal goal is to utilize my experience to help augment the already incredibly talented management team here at Marco. I had a bit of a rebuild project at Sharp, but Marco presents a different challenge as the business is on an aggressive growth trajectory. The team goals will still be about growth, we just intend to go about it a bit differently. For example, in 2019, 80% of our revenue and EBITDA growth was acquired. In 2020, we are flipping the switch as 80% of our growth will be organic. The goal here is to grow more efficiently. Let me be clear, we will still aggressively acquire companies. We just understand that highly efficient companies are more secure, more resilient and more sustainable.
