What does it actually take to step into executive leadership at a company that was already running before you were born?

In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Brendan Thompson, President of Bernie's Electric Supplies Ltd. Brendan is third generation at a company his grandfather founded in 1976, and has been President since 2023. They get into what the executive leadership transition actually looks like from the inside, how to bring change to an organization with deep roots, and what it takes to build a team that can carry a business into its next 50 years.

Brendan came up through almost every department at Bernie's before taking the top role, from the warehouse floor, to purchasing, to inside and outside sales. That ground-level foundation shapes how he thinks about hiring, developing people, and building systems that hold up over time. His approach is deliberate and long-term oriented in a way that most leaders only develop after they've already made the expensive mistakes.

Bernie's Electric is in its 50th anniversary year and actively planning for expansion. This episode is a study in what it looks like when executive leadership is built on genuine operational fluency rather than title alone.

What you'll learn in this episode:

How to enter an established leadership team and win trust without dismantling what's working
Why small wins matter more than bold moves when you're new to the top role
How Brendan uses monthly conversations tied to variable pay instead of annual reviews, and why it changed his organization
The case for growing people into roles from within rather than hiring finished products from outside
What presenting a united front in management actually requires, and why alignment has to start in the room before it can reach the floor
How Brendan used EOS/Traction as a consistent implementation framework rather than chasing new ideas with every new book

About Brendan Thompson

Brendan Thompson is the third-generation President of Bernie's Electric Supplies Ltd., an independent electrical wholesaler based in Edmonton, Alberta. He holds a business degree with a major in human resources from the University of Lethbridge and is a Red Seal journeyman electrician, a combination that gives him an unusually broad understanding of the business he leads.

Books and resources mentioned:

Traction by Gino Wickman
Leadership 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)
Tech Alberta

Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty:

Contact Brendan Thompson:

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