Lay of The Land
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#225: Jeff Berlin (Bridge Industries) — American Manufacturing, Permanent Capital, and Patiently Scaling an Industrial Platform
Jeff Berlin is the Founder and President of Bridge Industries & Chairman and CEO of TransTech Energy. Jeff’s journey spans from his early days at Parker Hannifin to helping grow Hawk Corporation from a $20 million single-plant business into a $200 million global operation, and ultimately to founding his own company, Bridge — an industrial holding company anchored by TransTech — that has quietly scaled into a multi-hundred-million-dollar enterprise based in Chagrin Falls. In our conversation, we cover Jeff’s conviction in the importance of American manufacturing and how it shaped his career-long commitment to building enduring businesses; the creation of Bridge Industries and his intentional choice of a permanent holding-company model over traditional private equity; the more than 25-fold scaling of TransTech into a diversified industrial platform with over 700 employees, up from just 35 a decade earlier; and the lessons learned along the way — the resilience and philosophy that guide him, how to weather downturns, usefulness as a true measure of value and success, culture across companies, and much more. 00:00:00 - The Roots of American Manufacturing Belief 00:07:35 - Formative Experiences in Leadership 00:09:00 - Transformational Growth at Hawk 00:11:55 - Resilience in Business 00:13:10 - The Birth of Bridge 00:14:14 - Understanding Industrial Holding Companies 00:16:25 - Differentiation from Traditional Private Equity 00:19:00 - The Journey of Bridge 00:20:47 - Strategic Growth and Acquisitions 00:27:31 - Managing Geographic Expansion 00:30:01 - Introducing TransTech 00:31:28 - Building Infrastructure for Energy Solutions 00:35:59 - Strategic Growth and Acquisition Insights 00:38:10 - The Importance of Vertical Integration 00:42:51 - Cultural Dynamics in Business Integration 00:43:43 - The State of American Manufacturing 00:46:30 - Defining Success and Value Creation 00:48:10 - Future Ambitions for Bridge and TransTech 00:49:40 - Mentorship and Leadership Evolution 00:51:22 - Understanding the Nature of Industrial Work 00:54:40 - The Role of Infrastructure in Daily Life 00:55:56 - Excitement for Future Challenges 00:58:07 - Investing in Financial and IT Infrastructure 00:59:52 - Automation and Its Implications 01:01:53 - Guiding Wisdom and Philosophy 01:02:51 - Renewable Natural Gas and Environmental Impact 01:05:51 - Hidden Gem ----- LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-berlin-9b156a12/https://bridgeind.com/ ----- SPONSOR: Roundstone Insurance Roundstone Insurance is proud to sponsor Lay of The Land. Founder and CEO, Michael Schroeder, has committed full-year support for the podcast, recognizing its alignment with the company’s passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership. Headquartered in Rocky River, Ohio, Roundstone was founded in 2005 with a vision to deliver better healthcare outcomes at a more affordable cost. To bring that vision to life, the company pioneered the group medical captive model — a self-funded health insurance solution that provides small and mid-sized businesses with greater control and significant savings. Over the past two decades, Roundstone has grown rapidly, creating nearly 200 jobs in Northeast Ohio. The company works closely with employers and benefits advisors to navigate the complexities of commercial health insurance and build custom plans that prioritize employee well-being over shareholder returns. By focusing on aligned incentives and better health outcomes, Roundstone is helping businesses save thousands in Per Employee Per Year healthcare costs. Roundstone Insurance — Built for entrepreneurs. Backed by innovation. Committed to Cleveland. ----- Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here. Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs. Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/ Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayoftheland https://www.jeffreys.page/
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