[Stage] Patrick Morin - Your Culture is Your Competitive Advantage

Company culture strategy isn’t just important—it is your competitive advantage. In this powerful conversation from Take the Stage, Brad Bialy sits down with Patrick Morin, Partner at Transact Capital, to explore why company culture is more than a part of the business—it is the business. Especially in the highly commoditized staffing industry, culture is the invisible hand that shapes performance, retention, and client trust. Drawing on insights from Bill Taylor (Fast Company) and firsthand experience in M&A and organizational leadership, Patrick breaks down: Why culture defines your brand more than your strategy doc ever will How top-performing firms build cultures of accountability, learning, and responsibility The role of leadership in embedding values into operations, not just words How cultural fit—even for a 12-week assignment—can drastically improve outcomes Why the most disruptive companies hold everyone, even executives, accountable The golden framework for owning, competing, and reaching for business in uncertain times If you’ve ever felt like your staffing firm lacks a true differentiator—this is the conversation you can’t afford to miss. Chapters and Key Moments: 00:01 – Culture is the strategy: unpacking Bill Taylor’s insight 02:15 – Innovation as differentiation in a commoditized staffing world 03:47 – Top-down and grassroots culture development 05:12 – Hiring for cultural fit vs. skills 06:41 – Embedding temps into client culture 08:00 – Necessary evil to trusted advisor 11:28 – Culture of accountability, responsibility & learning 14:57 – A story of accountability—from the maintenance guy up 16:30 – Humility and “I’m sorry” as leadership superpowers 19:28 – Empathy and handwritten notes: the human advantage 24:32 – Own, compete, and reach: a framework for market strategy 28:31 – How to pivot in uncertain markets 30:58 – Optimism for the future of staffing 32:32 – About Transact Capital Partners 36:12 – Advice for new staffing professionals About the Speakers Brad Bialy is host of Take the Stage and InSights, two of the leading podcast for the staffing industry. He has a deep passion for helping staffing and recruiting firms achieve their business objectives through strategic digital marketing. For over a decade, Brad has developed a proven track record of motivating and educating staffing industry professionals at over 100 industry-specific conferences and webinars. As a visionary leader, Brad has helped guide the comprehensive marketing strategy of more than 300 staffing and recruiting firms. His keen eye for strategy and delivery has resulted in multiple industry award-winning social media campaigns, making him a sought-after expert and speaker in the industry. Patrick Morin is a partner with Transact Capital Securities, a Richmond, Virginia- based investment banking firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions of privately-owned companies with enterprise values up to $250MM. Transact specializes in the staffing industry, serving clients in technology, light industrial, marine/stevedoring, skilled labor, hospitality, logistics, financial & administrative, legal, and medical staffing specialties. He was also one of the founding partners of BrightHammer, LLC., a global consultancy engaged by private equity groups, boards of directors, and CEOs to improve the performance of their invested companies. BrightHammer works with select start-ups, growth companies, and turnarounds to stabilize operations and ramp up revenue and employee performance. Prior to his current engagement, he was seven years as Senior Vice President with Cornerstone Realty Income Trust, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-traded company that owned and operated apartments throughout the US. Before joining Cornerstone, Mr. Morin was with Dale Carnegie Training for five years and was an instructor for almost two decades. He was ranked among the top instructors globally and was a member of the elite Global Delivery Team. While a member of the National Speakers Association, he personally conducted thousands of keynotes and training meetings for businesses, associations, government agencies and community groups. Notable groups he's addressed include: the National Independent Staffing Association, McDonalds, National Association of Women In Construction, NASA, the National Ground Intelligence Center, the DEA, National Apartment Association, and the staffing associations of NY, Wisconsin, New Jersey. Mr. Morin appears on television, radio, and in print (Forbes, CNBC, Crain’s) as an authority in his field and wrote a weekly column on sales for the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal and www.lendio.com. He serves on the boards of several local charities including the YMCA and the Franks Foundation. Patrick makes his home in Richmond, Virginia and in chairlifts of ski resorts around the country.