Gritty in Turbulent Times: Build Your Roadmap with the EO Mindset

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Economic uncertainty, rising costs, talent shortages, and rapid AI-driven change are testing every company.

The employee-owned companies that come through stronger usually don't have a better strategy on paper. They have employee-owners who understand the business, can see the scoreboard, and act like owners when it counts.

In this hands-on Preconference session, Tom Bagwell, Alexa Lott, Patrick Carpenter, and Michael Northrup of GRITT Business Coaching share a system built inside PFSbrands, a 100% employee-owned company, and refined with ESOP companies across North America. The session is grounded in the GRITT values and walks you through the GRITT 3-Year Roadmap:

- Year 1: Build the foundations in People, Financials, and Operational Excellence.
- Year 2: Move into Strategic Planning.
- Year 3: Sustain Strategic Execution.

You'll use GRITT's CEO Checklist to assess where your company stands today and find the gaps most likely to stall you under pressure. You'll leave with a draft one-page roadmap and a 90-day action plan to bring back to your leadership team and ESOP committee.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This session is designed for CEOs, executives, and leadership teams at employee-owned companies, along with ESOP committee members who help shape strategy and ownership culture.

Learning Objectives

  1. Assess your company's readiness across People, Financials, and Operational Excellence using the GRITT CEO Checklist and identify the gaps that matter most in a volatile environment.
  2. Explain how financial literacy and open-book practices connect your employee-owners' everyday decisions to profit, cash, and share value.
  3. Draft a Plan on a Page and a 90-day action commitment to take back to your company.

Session info

Date & time: April 12, 2027 | 1:30 PM–4:30 PM

Presenters: Tom Bagwell, Alexa Lott, Patrick Carpenter, and Michael Northrup, GRITT Business Coaching; Maria Richmiller, PFSbrands

Sponsor: GRITT Business Coaching

Presenters

Headshot for Tom Bagwell

Tom Bagwell

Tom is the VP of Learning & Development at Gritt Business Coaching. Previously, he was the EVP for an International Truck and Caterpillar dealer for twenty years. His team earned awards for outstanding financial performance and Environmental Stewardship.

Lifelong learner and three-time “Teacher of the Year” professor at CSUEB, Tom graduated from UC Berkeley (BA, Economics & History), University of Chicago (MBA, Finance & Marketing), University of Pennsylvania (Master of Applied Positive Psychology), is a recognized Executive Scholar at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Sales and Marketing, and Certified Executive Coach at Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.

Headshot for Patrick Carpenter

Patrick Carpenter

Patrick has over 30 years of Open Book Management (OBM) experience. He is a second generation OBM practitioner. Most recently Patrick was the vice president for The Great Game of Business and is now the president of GRITT Business Coaching. Patrick has implemented business and financial literacy with 100+ clients including New Belgium Brewing, BP Alaska, Kiolbassa Sausage & Peterson Caterpillar.
Headshot for Alexa Lott

Alexa Lott

With 25+ years in strategic HR, Alexa combines real-world expertise with behavioral science and AI to help companies build high-trust cultures, retain top talent, and grow confident leaders. She is a certified Predictive Index Partner, Gallup Strengths Coach, and Kolbe Consultant, and the creator of an ESOP custom GPT for her company and an AI-powered coaching tool that personalizes leadership development at scale. As Vice President of Communication for The ESOP Association’s Heart of America Chapter, Alexa speaks nationwide, challenging leaders to rethink how they lead, connect, and unlock the full potential of their employee-owners.

Headshot for Michael Northrup

Michael Northrup

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