When the title plaque at the front of an office reads “CFO,” the assumption is that the duties being handled within are rather cut and dry. But Kelly Dolphin has better insight into the chief financial officer role she occupies at Gordon Flesch Company (GFC).
Droll, repetitive and monotonous chores don’t have the chance to inflict boredom on Dolphin’s day. She dons many a hat, bouncing between accounting, business operations, purchasing, pricing, and contracts, often conferring with fellow team members. That keeps the day-to-day experiences fresh and stimulating.
“I love that every day looks different, and the size of the organization and industry has plenty of complexities to keep me challenged,” notes Dolphin, a 2024 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “At the same time, we can work with others to get things done.”
That collaboration helps bring the best out of intelligent and talented team members, she notes. It also prompts Dolphin to dig deep to help the team through various challenges and strategies. That, in itself, she finds quite rewarding.
“We get to challenge each other to be better,” she said.
A graduate of the University of Iowa with a master’s degree in accounting, Dolphin made her professional debut in public accounting before transitioning to the insurance space. But it was at Gordon Flesch Company where she truly found a home. She spent the first six years as controller, then added VP of finance to her oversight before taking the CFO helm late in 2020.
Dolphin is eternally grateful for the knowledge she’s gleaned from her predecessor, former CFO Keith Breunig. It was Breunig who ensured she was able to participate in meetings and discussions about the business that helped position her for success.
“He guided me along the way, while also allowing me to figure things out on my own,” Dolphin added.
Max Performance
Drumming up an encore to GFC’s wildly successful 2023 will be a daunting task. She feels the company’s fortunes can be traced back to the collective efforts from sales, service, administrative teams and the managed IT group. GFC onboarded a record number of prospects and integrated multiple acquisitions over a short period of time.
Dolphin notes continuous improvement is a major checkmark for 2024 accomplishments. “We are ultra-focused on how we can serve our customers better, while at the same time looking to drive efficiencies throughout the organization,” she said.
While GFC is gaining more traction, it was the pandemic that earned the dealer its battle scars. “As a company, and for me personally, it showed our resiliency and ability to navigate through challenges that were oftentimes outside of our control,” Dolphin noted.
With 10 years under her belt at GFC, Dolphin believes solid relationships from an internal and external perspective will be critical to her continued development. “We have a great team and I look forward to future collaborations that will grow the company and ensure customer experience excellence,” she said.
Away from the office, Dolphin and her husband, Shawn, have been married for 17 years. They have three children: Julia (15 years old), Will (12) and Drew (8). The family is always on the go between sports activities such as baseball, softball, soccer, swimming, football and basketball. When the hectic schedule allows, the family loves to spend time at the beach.
