Larry E. Daniel · Clayton, NC
Operations executive. Turnarounds, growth, and exits.
What I do
Senior operating leadership, part time.
Plan, discipline, and execution without a full-time hire.
Run the operation end to end.
From the front line to the boardroom.
Stabilize what is failing.
Then build growth that sticks.
Stories
MasterTech
No bonuses or commissions were allowed, so I created the MasterTech ring and added diamonds as technicians hit their targets. Technicians also learned to sell. I still wear the ring.
$1.1M → $5M sales in 2 years
ACT Controls
I moved a struggling project manager into calling clients, GCs and public schools, to ask what was holding payment. His bonus was based on receivable age. He was happy and successful: a win-win.
90% cut in receivables over 90 days
ACT Controls
I joined as Director of Operations and stabilized and repositioned a failing building-automation business. As VP of Operations I wrote the strategic plan that resulted in selling the company.
$40M sale
SRS Lighting
I founded SRS Lighting and grew it through internal growth and strategic acquisitions. I ran the P&L and played a key role in acquisitions by providing operational analysis of targets.
$20M revenue in 24 months
MasterTech
I redesigned technician schedules around Thursday–Sunday, when restaurants earn 70% of revenue. I gave technicians $500 on-the-spot approval authority. Repairs got faster and client satisfaction rose.
$500 on-the-spot authority; overtime and 1.5x after-hours fees eliminated
MasterTech
In my first six months I built predictive failure models from legacy mainframe data. I set up a hub-and-spoke inventory system to get the right parts to the right vans.
90% first-call completion in 90 days
Photos are illustrative scenes, not images of the companies named.
How I work
“I observe, analyze, then implement.”
Walk the floor, read the numbers, find what is really broken.
Fix cash, people, and process so the business stops bleeding.
Build the systems and team that make growth stick.
About
I started at KFC in 1981 as a service technician. I bought college textbooks on operations, management accounting, and finance, and taught myself programming. Within five years I was National Maintenance Manager, leading 135 people supporting 1,400 restaurants in more than 40 states and Canada.
Since then I have run operations at ACT Controls, founded and scaled SRS Lighting, built two technology companies, and, as Technical Director at Envista Forensics, grown a practice from $1.2M to $3.5M in two years.
I am at my best where a business needs a clear plan, disciplined execution, and growth that sticks.
Download résumé (PDF)
Speaking
A practical talk for ACG chapters, Vistage groups, and private equity teams: real stories of stabilizing businesses and scaling them.
Book the talkContact
Fractional, full-time, or a talk for your group. I’d like to hear what you are working on.