Adam Rao, CEO at Showcraft General Benefit Corporation (GBC), Episode 201
Listen Here Now on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to podcasts)
Adam is a serial entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of launching and leading organizations that generate both financial returns and social impact results. He is the CEO of Showcraft GBC (General Benefit Corporation), a leading exhibit production company. Before his role at Showcraft, Adam served as Managing Partner at Third Path Capital, a search fund for social good created to buy and build the Twin Cities' next great impact company, which successfully acquired Showcraft in 2021; he led corporate strategy and innovation at Sunrise Banks, a for-profit impact company, where he architected the bank's expansion into providing bank and compliance services to financial technology start-ups; and, he served as the Founding CEO at Exodus Lending, the nation's leading nonprofit organization working with payday loan borrowers seeking to achieve long-term financial stability.
Adam is with me today, discussing where his entrepreneurial spirit came from and why he and his partner decided to buy Showcraft, an exhibit production company, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss why he spent so long searching for the right company to buy and why the need to find a company where they could genuinely make a positive social impact drove the search. Adam also shares the process when they partner with a business that wants to be represented at trade shows and contacts Showcraft for their expertise, and dives into a few of the company’s future plans.
“I've always been interested in creating impact with my career and with my life.” - Adam Rao
“We create the environment so that you can come in and show up and sell what you're selling.” - Adam Rao
“Success can mean different things from monetary to impact.” - Adam Rao
This Week on The Wow Factor:
What prompted Adam to find out whether there is a way to create organizations that are financially sustainable and self-generating because they're for-profit entities that are also creating social and environmental impacts
How he pulled Showcraft out of a financial death spiral and why he was game to take such a big risk
Why he took so much time to find the perfect opportunity in the Twin Cities with his business partner
How Adam and his team built the Showcraft back up to where it is now
Services Showcraft offers to streamline a company’s trade show experience
How they navigate all the regulatory pieces involved in creating an exhibit at a convention center
What makes potential partners stand out to Adam, including their environmental and social impacts
Why Showcraft recently acquired a company called Display Arts, and how they plan to integrate it into their current offering
Adam Rao’s Words of Wisdom:
You should absolutely be afraid of failure, but if you're only afraid of failure without also being optimistic about success, you're probably too afraid of failure.
Connect with Adam Rao:
Connect with The WOW Factor:
