Honoring Our Roots While Moving Forward: A Conversation with COO Leah Belzer-Adams
The Companion Group’s new COO, Leah Belzer-Adams, joined the company as a sales assistant in 2012 with the intention of filling the role for a summer and moving on to another career path. However, she fell in love with TCG’s mission to create problem-solving products and the company’s culture of putting people before profits. Two years later, she was promoted to sales manager, where she developed strong relationships with and increased or opened sales to major retailers including Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Menards, Home Depot, Walmart and the TJX Companies. In 2015, Leah was promoted to Director of Sales where she worked to restructure the sales team for increased efficiency, effectiveness and growth.
Leah has recently moved into the Chief Operating Officer position representing both her significant increase in management responsibility and the beginning of an intergenerational leadership transition within The Companion Group. The company was founded in 1984 by her father, Chuck Adams, and business partner Doug Fielding.
We sat down with Leah recently to pick her brain about her new role and her plans for the Companion Group’s future.
What are some of your goals for the Companion Group?
We have a strong culture of innovation here and I want to make sure that culture continues as we move forward. I am really excited about bringing that culture to all parts of the company, from data entry to sales and even to managing the creative process.
I also want to empower people to do their jobs, to encourage them to take ownership of their roles and find new ways to support and collaborate with employees.
More long term goals include scaling the company and making us highly distributed. We’d like to add more lines, just as we have recently with Not In My Backyard ™. And down the road I’d also like to think about possible acquisitions.
What are a few projects that are in the works that you’re excited about?
I am thrilled about the next generation of the Not In My Backyard ™ line which we are developing now (so it’s still under wraps!).
We’re doing a lot of awesome development in our outdoor candle line, Patio Companion, as well. When we present to customers, we’ve really found a balance between creating new themes every year and using some items we’ve already developed. We’re working with artist Jen Fisher, who has an amazing background in both art and industrial design.
Another thing that we’re working on now is putting together a Grillers’ Club, which would be an online community for grillers. This would be subscription-based and would include special discounts, promotions and content that they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. We want to create a community for fans of grilling and a place where they can connect and share their experiences. We have such a strong tradition in grilling so this is a natural fit for us.
Who are some people or companies that inspire you?
My dad [CEO Chuck Adams], (no surprise there!) He really keeps an open mind when it comes to product development. He can look at something and figure out a way to do it better. I also feel lucky that he’s built a culture that is heavily focused on his employees and which balances being business-oriented with our fundamental values of caring about people.
In terms of companies, there are so many I can think of that it’s hard to list. Brands are learning that they have to become more consumer-friendly, and that they have to think creatively to be successful. That makes it a really exciting time to be a leader of a company. Customers are asking more questions than ever before — they want to know why they need something and why it should be part of their lifestyle. Off the top of my head, a few brands that have connected with customers and really changed their respective industries are Warby Parker and Dollar Shave Club. It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this shift towards consumers.
What are some challenging experiences that you’ve had in your time at The Companion Group and what have you learned from them?
I’ve definitely had my fair share and gotten some good takeaways. There are a lot of people here who have committed themselves to the company and who have been here a long time. I’m young and I came in as an assistant, so I had to prove myself. For the people who have been here a long time, they already know I work hard, and I also have been and will continue to assure them that I am committed to the company’s values as well.
Another challenge has been separating myself from things that happen at the company, especially when something doesn’t go as planned. Because I’m so invested in The Companion Group, if we run into a roadblock, sometimes it can be personally upsetting. But I’m definitely learning how to roll with the punches and ready to meet more challenges.
