Jul 29, 2016
Edison turns 30 this year! Each Friday through year end, we'll be giving you a little blast from the past -- this week, a more recent past. True to the Edison Code, this photo blog campaign emphasizes an important fact that here at Edison we are candid -- refreshingly and uncomfortably.
In the Spotlight - Jordy Albert & BFS Capital
When Jordy joined Edison in April of last year, we wanted to expose him to operations inside one of our companies. At that time, BFS Capital happened to have a lot transformation underway -- from diversifying channels, to adding new executives, and more. One of those new executives was the company's first CFO. He assumed responsibility for a finance department that was pretty lean and in need of an extra set of hands. With this in mind, we threw Jordy to the wolves down in Coral Springs, FL, where he spent his first 3–4 months with Edison assisting Rob (CFO) and Marc (CEO) of BFS Capital on everything ranging from FP&A, budgeting, setting KPIs, as well as a few corporate development projects.
I sat down to chat with Jordy about his experience at BFS Capital.
Q: So your first few months as a new Edison employee were spent at another company?! Did that change your perspective of Edison?
A: Definitely changed my perspective on Edison. It was a quick lesson on how we’re not like other firms. A lot of my friends work in venture firms and they always think it’s so peculiar and fascinating that I had this experience. While a handful of other firms have built out “platforms” or other support programs for their portfolio companies, it’s rare to see a firm willing to send in one of their own to make sure the work gets done.
Q: What’s the status of your relationship with BFS Capital and CEO, Marc Glazer now?
A: My relationship with Marc and BFS has stayed pretty active following my assignment a year ago. They’ve roped me in on a number of projects and I make sure to call in favors with the two of them as often as I possibly can. I’m extremely grateful to both Marc and Rob for my experience there; it’s difficult to convey just how much I gained personally.
Q: Well, it may be difficult, but let’s try anyway. Say more about your time at BFS Capital. What did you take away from the experience, specifically?
A: I probably enjoyed it a bit too much… I really only had one operating gig before Edison, which proved to be quite relevant for my time at BFS. In fact, even the names were similar; previously, I had run corp dev at a company in the consumer debt world called CFS.
Anyway, being able to build off of my experience at CFS in a larger, though leaner, organization like BFS was equal parts challenging and rewarding. Given the lean nature of the team, I found myself with a lot more responsibility than initially expected, and since most initiatives we’re pretty time-sensitive, there were a lot of 80-100 hour weeks; not just for me, but everyone on the management team. So while I was only there for 3-4 months, it felt like twice that time given all that was going on. But I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and, hopefully, BFS got a thing or two out of it as well.
#2 in the Edison Code was the theme of my entire experience at BFS; “we will do whatever it takes.” This not only rang true for me personally at BFS, but every day for Edison as a firm and how we approach our partnership with each of our portfolio companies.
When BFS calls, Jordy Albert answers -- smiles and all, even at 3:00 AM. In the photo on the left, BFS President & CEO, Marc Glazer had his game face on during Urban Orienteering at our 2016 CEO Summit at West Point. On the right, Jordy, onsite at BFS in 2015, couldn't contain his enthusiasm as he approached the light at the end of the tunnel at 3AM while working on a particularly time-sensitive project.
We hope you'll join us on this #EdisonTurns30 campaign. Any and all contributions from our network are most welcome.