I hop out of bed every morning...fired up and excited to get to work.

Why?

God has a plan.  I finally realized I'm along for the ride, but I need to be an active participant.

His plan put me in situations where I succeeded, failed, and learn some tough lessons.
Likely true for most of us.

After selling my startup I "fell" into the world of executive search.  And I loved it.  Still do (strange to say).

Then it happened.

God sent me down a path I didn't see coming.  An opportunity to join a startup as employee #4...at at time where I had found comfort running a small consultancy - and success.  

I didn't think I could learn, grow and frankly, find ways to be better at this point in my career.
Instrumentum is a special place, with an amazing team.  We are reinventing the surgical landscape.

Change is hard.  We are a dedicated bunch, committed to seeing this through.

As Chairman and Founder of Cruxible Partners, I get to watch an amazing group of talented "talent finders" grow that business as well.

Unfortunately, that's not how many people feel about their job, or their state in life.
Doesn't need to be that way.

Trust God, but don't be a passive participant in the journey.

Try a hobby.
Start a side hustle.
Meet new people (on LinkedIn, I've met some wonderful people who inspire and teach here).

If I can be this energized at this stage, so can you...

Pete Durand

MacGyver’d the hotel AC today.  

Taking video calls from the desk, AC blowing 40 degree air on my bald noggin unless I shut it off.  

Then sauna like temps. 

Improvised a little curtain. 

Problem solved.  

#macgyver

President, Instrumentum | Host of the Eating Crow Podcast | Chairman, Cruxible Partners

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Most companies have a plan.  

We do. 

2025 was about laying a foundation after several acquisitions and heavy integration. 

A few lessons, a few scars, and a few wins.  

Looking back it’s about the people who joined the team more than anything.   Amazing people.  

We laid the foundation together. 
We built this plan together. 

2026 is off to a great start - we are firing on all cylinders, well ahead of plan.

It’s rare air.  

Grateful for our team who work tirelessly to care for our customers, travel nonstop and support each other. 

Many of us go through entire work life without experiencing this feeling. 

I freaking love my job and am blessed to know how lucky I am.  Heard the same energy from our team today 💪👍👏

Hope everyone finds an opportunity to be part of a fast growing company who isn’t afraid to dare, think big, stumble now and then, but get back up and go. 

It’s a blast. 

Jeff Eardley Dean E. Darby Hubbell Rachel Meador (Knorr) Austin Wratchford, FACHE Bradley Schoening, CFO, MBA, CPA Ken Maready Jennifer Del Real, MSHRM Candy Schlicklin

SPD is not a sexy investment conversation.

Until you see the numbers.

I'm presenting at LSI USA '26 next week in Dana Point, CA — and I'll be making the case that the most overlooked bottleneck in surgical growth isn't clinical. It's operational.

Health systems are adding ORs. Recruiting surgeons. Forecasting case volume.

And then hitting a wall they didn't see coming.

Tray capacity. Sterilization throughput. SPD.

Instrumentum removes that ceiling. Variable costs tied to volume. No massive capital outlay. No construction timeline.

The ASC market grew 33% year over year. That growth goes somewhere.

Make sure it's going to you.

See you in Dana Point.

"I'm so sorry, how can I help?" 

This response seems natural, but ACTUALLY helping tends to put us in a place of discomfort, and so we say it, but don't really mean it.

This hit me during my morning meditation.  The topic:  The Corporal Works of Mercy (Matthew 25:35-46): 

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead

If I'm being honest, my batting average is low here.

Jesus wasn't pulling any punches.  How will we be judged by these works?

Time to reassess my priorities, which typically focus on "things of this world" and prayer, when action should the call of the day.

Visit the imprisoned?  

Pick any of the above; probably not at the top of most of our to-do lists.

Perhaps they should be?

Admitting there is a better way is difficult.




Southwest's new "That Was Wild" ad campaign does this with humor, humility and tremendous creativity.

At Instrumentum, we are constantly trying to find a better way.  The industry needs it, the old ways don't work.

And yes, it's wild 🙃

Jenny Drake, MBA

Belmark inc

Sales Representative

PRA Business Events

Ad hoc advisory and corporate destination event management support in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisor/Field Event Production Management

Displayplan

Displayplan specializes in branded Point-of-Purchase/Point-of-Sale (POP/POS) retail merchandising solutions, customized permanent display fixtures, retail media, and digitally-integrated shopper experiences for leading global brands and retailers.

Reason for Leaving:  Company acquired by industry leader HH Global, rendering position redundant. 

•Pipeline and Forecast Management: Independently directed Americas commercial activity, managing a $1.5M Americas project budget in 2023 and forecasting over $4M in projects with existing clients and $2M in new business for 2024.
•Market Expansion Leadership: Handpicked to lead global expansion effort into the Americas market as the first and only US-based hire, successfully establishing market presence and driving growth.  Oversaw 200+ impactful retail experience installations, achieving historic milestones with company’s first projects in Canada, and first installations with major American retailers Walmart and Meijer.  Navigated complex issues with supply chain and vendor setup, import/export, customs clearance, transacting in USD and CAD, and leading cross-functional global teams across different countries and time zones.    
•Strategic Account Management: Ownership of key client relationships with leading brands in food and beverage, consumer electronics, and toys, including Lindt, Sazerac, Mars Wrigley, Red Bull, Garmin, and LEGO. Streamlined project briefing processes to effectively capture and communicate client KPIs and deliverables to internal production teams, ensuring successful project outcomes.
•New Business Development:  Independently led end-to-end Americas sales efforts, including market and competitive research, prospecting and cold outreach, sales collateral development, discovery, and pitch meetings.  Successfully negotiated and closed deals with new logos Ole Smoky Moonshine and Atomic Brands.

Director, Americas

Hotel Tango Distillery

Ad hoc advisory and brand ambassador support for consumer events in the Kentucky market.

Advisor/Kentucky Brand Ambassador

Stealth Venture Labs

Stealth Venture Labs is a boutique digital performance marketing agency for D2C e-commerce brands.  

Reason for Leaving: Agency faced budget shortfall upon loss of largest client. With layoffs imminent, I was recruited for and accepted an opportunity with greater responsibility at Displayplan.

•The agency’s first Business Development hire, entrusted to build and execute revenue engine and champion array of acquisition marketing services.   Client roster included subscription-model brands such as Home Chef, HelloFresh, Fabletics, Factor_, MUD\WTR, Happy Viking by Venus Williams, VitaHustle by Kevin Hart, Pou-Pourri, Gobble, Scentbird, and more.
•Marketed agency’s services, including paid search/social media advertising, email marketing, user-generated content (UGC) production, affiliate marketing management, and conversion rate optimization (CRO) services.  Closed deals that generated $1.2M in ARR and acquiring 22 new clients in less than a year. Exceeded Y1 quota in early Q3.
•Led client digital marketing audits and pitches, showcasing team expertise and driving deals to completion. Maintained client relationships after onboarding, remaining engaged to identify and secure upsell opportunities.  
•Developed agency B2B marketing plan, including demand gen strategy using paid ads targeting personas in company’s ICP.  Made drastic improvements to the company’s website and social media platforms.  Initiated the company’s first content marketing efforts through LinkedIn.
•Directed production of all client-facing collateral, pitch decks, proposals, client audit presentations, case studies, and web content.
•Implemented CRM (HubSpot), authored Sales Rules of Engagement policies and refined workflows.  Implemented repeatable and scalable processes and systems such as continuous testing and monitoring tactics for cold outreach, paid advertising, social selling and brand evangelism.

Business Development Director

iHeartMedia

Leading global media and entertainment company functioning as a mega ad agency, specializing in concerts, promotions, live events, radio, digital, mobile, social media, and on-demand entertainment.
• Account Management and Growth: Maintained and grew existing advertiser accounts for the nation's #1 audio company. Entrusted over longer-tenured peers to manage the largest advertiser in the KY/IN region, increasing client spend by $80K in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Cultivated relationships with key clients, including Live Nation, AC Entertainment, and Wendy's.
• Leadership and Sales Enablement: Modernized outdated systems, including the automation of processes using CRM (Salesforce), resulting in significant time savings for mass email distribution. Trained over 100 regional staff members on the effective use of Salesforce automated email marketing functions, enhancing efficiency and productivity in client communication, saving
approximately 4000 work hours across the region for one mass email initiative.
• New Business Development: Earning a promotion to senior position in only four months, successfully acquired 25 new accounts within one year by championing iHeartMedia's diverse advertising and marketing solutions including broadcast and streaming audio, podcast, SEO/SEM, paid search and social, display, streaming television (OTT), contesting, influencer marketing, and events.  Conducted comprehensive market and consumer research for clients, leveraging data from Nielsen, Kantar, and proprietary tools, to gain deeper insights into clients and their competitive landscape.
• National Events: Leveraged extensive network within CPG industry to secure sponsorship packages for high-profile national events, including iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, iHeartCountry Music Awards, and other notable gatherings. Played a pivotal role in revitalizing the live events landscape post-COVID-19.

Senior Outside Account Executive

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

SGWS is the world’s largest distributor of BevAlc brands. 

Reason for Leaving:  Tenure ended due to nationwide workforce reduction in response to COVID-19 pandemic. 

After only 10 months as a sales representative, promoted to specially-created statewide management role with oversight for both marketing and sales.
•Represented Pernod-Ricard, the world's second-largest wine and spirits producer (ABSOLUT, Jameson, Malibu, The Glenlivet, etc.). and was recognized nationally for generating double-digit channel sales growth for the portfolio, higher than any other market. 
•Analyzed Nielsen TDLinx and IRI data and utilized internal sales reporting tools to assess performance, forecast inventory, evaluate pricing, and seek opportunities to achieve metrics.  Designed sales incentives and volume discount programs to benefit both the customer, sales team, and company.  
•Employed successful brand marketing initiatives for growing the portfolio’s legacy brands like ABSOLUT Vodka, while simultaneously bring new brands such as Rabbit Hole, Smooth Ambler, and Jefferson’s to a heavily saturated whiskey-centric market.
•Oversaw statewide force of 20+ sales representatives, implementing KPI goals and incentive programs, providing training and development modules, and offering strategic mentorship and field support.  Entrusted by top leadership to mentor and onboard six peer managers in similar roles for other brand portfolios on ways of working and best practices.  
•Partnered with agencies such as Wasserman Media Group to execute national experiential marketing and brand activation initiatives, and led the planning and execution of the G.H. Mumm Champagne sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby, collaborating with Churchill Downs, Levy Restaurants and stakeholders in New York, Chicago and France to support brand activations. Conducted post-event and promotion analysis and communicated results to stakeholders at all levels.

Brand Portfolio Manager, Pernod-Ricard

-Acquired underperforming account base that previously showed preference to the competition and overturned the book of business to gain majority share of sales, replacing competitor brands.  Grew book of business from 40 to 85 accounts in eight months and outpaced expected annual earnings by $15K, leading to a multi-level promotion in less than a year.
-Grew business in every category, hitting sales targets across 30 various goals and qualifying for nearly every channel incentive
-Collaborated with strategic suppliers to execute programs and sponsorships reaching an audience of up to 75K, including Heaven Hill Brands sponsorship of the KFC Yum! Center and the Beam Suntory sponsorship of the Forecastle Festival
-Partnered with suppliers and designers to create point-of-sale merchandise and signage
-Analyzed sales history and account base reports to create growth objectives, identify opportunities to expand and upsell existing book of business, and ensure pacing against growth targets
-Conducted wait staff training seminars, execute promotions, and design and install point of sale marketing materials
-Designed custom wine lists, cocktail lists, and wine by the glass programs to secure brand placement and increase sales volume.

Sales Consultant

Thorntons Inc.

KY’s largest privately-held company with $2B revenue, Thornton’s operates 200+ retail convenience stores in six states.
Reason for Leaving:  Successful acquisition by industry giant, BP.  

• Budgeting & Project Management: Appointed by C-suite as Project Manager for Refreshing Convenience, a pivotal comprehensive corporate strategy overhaul encompassing adding kitchens into stores, streamlining vendor processes, and launching proprietary food offer. Full P&L oversight for Marketing department and ownership of cross-functional project budgets.
• Consumer Insights & Loyalty: Led Thornton’s first consumer insights research program in collaboration with vendor partners such as Hershey, Mondelez, Nestle, MillerCoors, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, and PepsiCo. Utilized first-party POS data, insights from vendor partners, and research initiatives to reconfigure store layout, optimize merchandising, and design category plans to drive incremental in-store revenue while improving shopper experience. Developed company's first loyalty program, Refreshing Rewards, personally coining tagline “Make Every Visit a Big Deal.”
• Event Management: Managed all events, conferences, vendor appreciation events, and employee incentive trips. Led planning and execution of annual General Managers Conference and Humanitarian Day service project, leading cross-functional project team of 30, overseeing event budget of $2M and coordinating speakers, entertainment, F&B, travel, gifts, and logistics for 700+ attendees. Directed external agency to create event branding and signage, recognized with an American Graphic Design Award.
• Brand Management and PR: Standardized brand guidelines for uniformity across diverse initiatives including store design, social media, print ads, signage, digital assets, direct mail, billboards, TV, print, and radio. Led PR efforts, fielding media inquiries, authoring press releases, statements on behalf of C-suite, internal/external communications, and crisis communications.

Marketing Manager

University of Louisville

-Collaborated with ad agencies to develop marketing programs for the College of Business graduate programs 
-Developed orientation video, published bi-weekly HTML email newsletters, and managed social media marketing
-Planned and facilitated orientation retreats, receptions, and events for students, alumni, faculty, and staff
-Served as academic counselor for approximately 300 graduate students
-Streamlined administrative processes internally and with other university offices such as the Registrar and Bursar.
-Led Graduate Programs Office, managing recruitment, applicant screening, candidate interviews, and admission for nationally ranked MBA programs and the Master of Accountancy program

Admissions and Recruiting Manager

Promote, recruit, screen, interview, and select students for a nationally-ranked MBA program.  Serve as academic counselor for current students, communicate announcements to student body, register students for courses, facilitate special events, approve degrees, manage graduation, and serve as a point of contact for MBA and Masters of Accountancy alumni.

Graduate Academic Counselor

Ivy Tech Community College

Instructed multiple sections of COMM 101 Introduction to Public Speaking.

Adjunct Faculty, Public Speaking

Designed and implemented opportunities for students, faculty, and staff in the areas of civic engagement, volunteerism, service learning, and DEI.

Assistant Director of Civic Engagement

Marketer. Let’s talk about CPM—Cats, Puns, Memes! 😺

VALUE PROPOSITION
► I am an accomplished go-to-market leader with a 14-year history of integrating marketing, advertising, and sales strategies to elevate consumer engagement and maximize sell-through across retail and digital sales channels, driving revenue growth for global brands. 

► Delivers consumer experiences that guide shoppers through each phase of the marketing and sales funnels, fostering repeat purchases, unwavering loyalty, and fervent brand advocacy.

► Effective as both an individual contributor as well as a leader of sales and marketing departments and project teams, keen to optimize processes, remove obstacles, and coach high-performing individual contributors and teams to exceed goals.

► Leverages a unique mix of strategic, creative, tactical, and analytical expertise, consistently exceeding goals through P&L management that ensures business KPIs are met.

► My success is driven by my open-minded and affable demeanor, insatiable curiosity and thirst for personal and professional growth, resilience, adaptability, and a high-EQ that enables strong relationships with internal teams, retailers, vendors, partners, clients, and consumers.

LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
★  History of facing ambiguity head-on with an upbeat and entrepreneurial mindset:  Directed UK-based company displayplan’s inaugural expansion effort into the Americas market as the first US-based hire, built Stealth Venture Labs' Business Development division from scratch as first sales and marketing hire, took on statewide leadership for Pernod-Ricard portfolio in newly-created role at Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits.  

★  Experience elevating global brands across alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage, food, candy and snacks, toys, and consumer electronics.  Brands I've worked with include Pernod-Ricard, DIAGEO, Beam Suntory, Heaven Hill, The Wine Group, Treasury Wine Estates, Bacardi, Campari, Constellation Brands, LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), Proximo, Shaw-Ross, Ole Smoky Moonshine, Sazerac, MillerCoors, Hershey, Mondelez, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, Lindt, Mars Wrigley, Wendy's, Red Bull, Garmin, LEGO, HelloFresh, Lashify, BistroMD, MUD\WTR, Happy Viking, VitaHustle, Gobble, Verb Energy.

SPECIALTIES
Key Account Management, Business Development, Strategic Planning, C-Level Collaboration, Consumer Engagement, Insights/Competitive Research, P&L, Forecasting, Trade Marketing, Shopper/Retail Marketing, Experiential Marketing, Sponsorships, Digital Marketing, Brand Strategy, Contracts, Agency/Vendor Management, Revenue Operations, Sales Enablement, Omnichannel, CRM

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Pete Durand

Jenny Drake, MBA

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The Battle

Pete Durand

Jenny Drake, MBA

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Pete Durand's LinkedIn Performance

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