Sunday Interview with W.C. Bradley Co. President and CEO Marc Olivié: 'I couldn't be happier'

Marc Olivié was not the obvious choice six years ago to run the W.C. Bradley Co.

A native of Antwerp, Belgium, Olivié had spent much of his career as a top-level executive for U.S. companies in larger cities such as Chicago and New York.

Columbus -- the one in Georgia, not Ohio -- wasn't even on his map when an executive headhunter called and asked if he had any interest in interviewing for the chief executive officer's job. He reluctantly made the 12-hour trip for a conversation he suspected would be brief.

The W.C. Bradley Co., rich in Columbus history with significant land holdings and consumer brands such as Char-Broil, Zebco and Lamplight, was looking to place control of the day-to-day operations in the hands of someone who was not a member of the family.

Olivié discovered that the family-owned company, founded by W.C. Bradley in 1885 and steeped in the cotton business, was a perfect fit -- for him and them.

Olivié recently sat down with Ledger-Enquirer reporter Chuck Williams to discuss how he landed in Columbus and what he discovered.

Here are excerpts of the interview, with some of the questions edited for length and the order of some of the questions rearranged for clarity.

How did you end up in Columbus as CEO of the W.C. Bradley Company?

It's a very classical story. I got a call from an executive search firm -- from a headhunter as we call them. Somebody whom I had known for a very long time, had worked with him in the past. He had put me in contact with another company. I had used him several times, and he called me and said, "I'd like to talk to you about an opportunity in Columbus, Ga."

And I said, "Where?" I was living in Belgium at that time and I said, "No, I'm not interested."

What were you doing at the time?

I was actually retired. I had been working as a CEO for a large public company called Agfa-Gevaert N. V. in Belgium, but I had stopped about three or four months earlier. He called again and said, "You really ought to go talk to these people."

And I finally said, "OK, I'll do you a favor." He said, "It's only a flight. Do me a favor and go there." And that's what I did. Now, the interesting story is it's my understanding the same thing happened here in the sense that this executive search firm called on the people here and said, "I have this guy in Belgium you should really meet."

They also said, "No, no, we can't have that." He said, "I really would like for you to meet him," and they said yes. I understand there's a memo here of Steve Butler basically saying, "You know, we're going to interview this guy Marc Olivié, but it's really not going to go anywhere, but we'll do it as more of a favor to the headhunter."

And the rest is history.

So, you're coming into a place that you are not really interested in living or working, and the people who are hiring aren't really interested in talking to you. How do you get hired out of that situation?

Because there is a spark between humans that really makes the difference. I was blown away by the people that I met here. People from the family, people from the board, by how they talked about the business, how they talked about what this company meant to them.

And I guess they must have felt something similar from my side because they invited me back two more times, including with my wife, and we finally decided that we should do this -- on both sides. I couldn't be happier.

You talk about a "spark." Do you remember a point where this spark took place?

I think it came over the course of these interviews and these meetings of a couple of days. I met with Steve Butler, with Brad Turner. Those are the ones I spent the most time with -- individually, then together and then with their spouses -- and really got a chance to see how much they had personally invested in this business, how important this business was to them.

And how important the Bradley Company was to the whole family. And that they were really looking for somebody they could entrust -- call it the "family jewels." Their openness and honesty about what they thought they could do, what they couldn't do any more, why they needed somebody from the outside, I think that's really what brought it all together.

Could you sense their inner struggle?

No, I don't think they were in a struggle. They had made the decision that they wanted somebody from the outside to run the business. I think that has been something they have gone through, they felt was necessary. And then the question was: Who would be the best fit?

They also wanted somebody who had a broader experience than what they felt they could bring. I certainly could bring some international background, and the opportunity to bring my experience to bear I think was interesting to them.

This is a very interesting company. You have a lot of land holdings. You have Char-Broil, Tiki Torch (Lamplight), Zebco, you have very well known retail brands in this country and abroad. Is this similar to other companies you've managed, or was it different?

I've worked typically in companies that were in consumer goods or consumer durables with well-known brand names. I worked for American Standard, certainly a well-known brand name. I worked for Champion, the sportswear brand, certainly well known. I worked for Sara Lee. All of those are well known brands. Personally, I like products that I can touch and feel and I can kind of get my arms around. To me, running something like a software company or so would be less attractive.

I like just the physicality of the products that we deal with. So, Char-Broil is a product that I can see, that I can feel, that I can understand. You know, Zebco with the fishing products, the same thing, or Tiki with the torches, the same thing.

The different companies are autonomously run, correct?

Correct.

So, the W.C. Bradley Company is essentially the holding company for them?

It's a little bit more than a holding company because we have a number of services that are shared, like IT, finance, legal, etc. Yes, they are individual operating units and. as such. we have a management team in each of these units, we have a CEO or president in each of these business units. And he or she, which is the case for Char-Broil, is responsible for running that business day to day. But we have quite a bit of interaction. We sit together as a senior management team and we try to share best practices. So, it's not a holding company in the sense that you would think of it as purely a financial investment.

Which brand has grown the best outside of the U.S.?

Zebco has grown the best. We've done two acquisitions in Europe. We've done an acquisition in Germany. We've done an acquisition in the UK very recently. Chair-Broil has done one acquisition in Europe. They bought Dancook in Denmark. So, those two brands have been the ones that have been developing the most outside of the United States.

What has been the biggest challenge you've found?

I think the biggest challenge for me -- and I see the challenge here as a positive challenge -- was to instill in all the different team members the belief that, yes, we could do this. Yes, we had the ability to do that. We have a lot more capabilities than we sometimes believe we have.

Over the six years you've had growth, right? You've had revenue growth and you've had profit growth, correct?

Correct.

Describe your management and leadership styles.

I think what I try to be is somebody who is a team player and sets clear objectives together with my senior management team as to what needs to be achieved. And then let each of the business leaders go and do it. I've been in their shoes. I ran a division of part of a larger company, and what I always liked was if I had a boss who would sit down with me, clearly define what needed to be done, and then let me get on with it without trying to micromanage me. ... I try not to micromanage them.

Have there been any cultural obstacles as you came into the deep South from Belgium?

No, there haven't. Now, you have to understand I have spent most of my professional career working for American companies.

Here or abroad?

Both. I've lived in Chicago, New York, Pennsylvania. I've spent the majority of my professional career in the United States. And I've worked almost exclusively for American or American-based companies. So, to me, the style -- if there is such a style of American management -- was very familiar to me. In fact, I think other styles of management in some European companies would not be as familiar to me.

Have you worked for any companies that were Southern-based?

No, I have not. Although Sara Lee to some extent is a Southern-based company.

That's the bakery company, right?

The bakery company is a very small piece. They owned Hanes at the time, but now have split up. It's no longer the kind of business that it was, but it was run by a guy called John Bryan who was from Bryan Foods and who came from the South. It was in Chicago and was based in Chicago. Hanes came from the South and all the hosiery companies came from there. But I don't think at that point in time when I was in Chicago I perceived it as being a Southern company.

But this is truly a Southern company.

It is.

When you first came to Columbus -- let's talk about the town now, not the company -- did you know where it was before the headhunter called you?

Absolutely not. I knew of Columbus, Ohio, but I did not know of Columbus, Ga.

So, you probably did some internet research on Columbus and W.C. Bradley Co.

Yeah.

What did your research of Columbus, Ga., find?

I knew it had a river going through it. It seemed to have a very nice riverfront. A number of large companies that I was familiar with, particularly companies like Aflac, was headquartered there. I was surprised to learn that; I certainly did not know that.

I also learned that it was a very big military presence with Fort Benning next to it. And that was about the extent of what I knew. I also knew that it was originally a town that had a lot to do with cotton. I knew there were cotton mills or the remnants of cotton mills. Those kind of things I found out.

So, you're coming in with this working knowledge of Columbus. What did you think when you first saw it?

Flew to Atlanta, drove down, came down Second Avenue and thought, "Not really sure about this town." In the downtown area what I liked was the old buildings. I stayed at the Marriott, and you know the Marriott has a piece of an old building, obviously.

Across you have the Trade Center, which is the old Iron Works. So, those things I liked. I also saw the W.C. Bradley Co., which was also in an old building. I like old buildings. I particularly like old buildings that have been repurposed into contemporary facilities -- modern facilities in some way, shape or form. I think it's a wonderful way of connecting history with the present.

So, that to me was very positive. I was a little bit surprised in the downtown area that there wasn't more going on, and by the way, that has changed a lot in the last six years. But at that point in time, there wasn't too much going on.

I guess you saw a town that had character, right?

That's true. I drove through Hilton Avenue and remember seeing some of these real Southern homes and it really reminded me of what I knew at that point in time of the South.

So, you visit here. You go back to Belgium. Where in Belgium?

Antwerp.

So, you go back to Antwerp. What did you tell Marleen?

I said, "You know, this is an interesting company. I really like the people that I met. We'll see whether they're interested in continuing the conversation." I didn't know at that point in time. So, I got a call a little bit later from the executive search person, saying they really liked you.

They would like for you to come back, and they would like for you to come back and bring Marleen. And that's when we had some very significant discussions. Would we do this? Is this really the thing we want to do? I have to give it to Marleen: She said, "Yes, let's go. Let's go take a look."

Do y'all have children?

We have children but they're all adults. We were empty nesters.

Now, it's starting to get serious. What did Marleen think of the town when she saw it?

She keeps repeating this to me: What made her really like the town was she went for a long walk along the river. And she really liked that peace about the long walk around the river, and felt like, yes, this is a place that I can see myself.

The second thing that was really important for her was Eagle & Phenix. Believe it or not, we never looked at any other place to live than the Eagle & Phenix building. Buying a house or going to live somewhere else was not even an option for us as soon as we knew that building was there. We were one of the early residents.

I know that you and Marleen have a great interest in art. What do you think of the art collection that you see at the Columbus Museum?

It's a very nice museum. It has an outstanding collection of works on paper. That's really one of its strengths. It's a broad museum because it's not just an art museum, but it's also a history museum. And I think that Tom Butler, who is just retiring -- in fact we went to an event last night to celebrate his retirement -- has done, together with his team, an incredible job in moving this museum forward over the 20 years he has been in charge. This is a museum the city can be proud of.

Did y'all find more culture here than you expected?

Yes, absolutely.

Think about the Schwob School of Music. Think about the arts department at the university with all of the professors, the Illges Gallery doing regular exhibits, etc. I personally like music a lot. I like classical music. What the Schwob School of Music has brought with some of the professors that are there, some of the students that have been able to attract, for a town the size of Columbus, is really extraordinary.

Why are the arts important?

Life would be very boring without the arts. Art is what makes us humans different. The love of all kinds of art, and I include everything in it whether it is writing or visual art or music, all of that is what makes life interesting, what adds to the value of life, and it really makes you better as a human being.

Is that something that you have always felt? Or is that something you acquired over your life?

I think it came very early on. I was always interested in music very early on, but also interested in art. Obviously growing up in Belgium, the whole area of Flanders and the Lowlands was a very established area in the 16th, 17th century as far as art is concerned. Some of the major artists came from there, so we have in Belgium some extraordinary museums.

And as a child you are obviously exposed to that. So, that certainly was part of this, but as you know, Marleen and I are very interested in contemporary art. And contemporary art has been, particularly since the Second World War and the '60s, very much dominated by the United States with a lot of the artists there. So, we've always been very interested in that part.

You obviously collect art, too. ... Is it something you're purchasing for your enjoyment or are you purchasing it for an investment?

I find it sad that a lot of art is now being purchased by people who view it as an investment. You just have to look at the latest sales of Sotheby's and Christie's.

In the last three weeks, almost $2 billion of art has been sold in auction through these two auction houses. And the reason is that a lot of people seem to believe that art should be an investment. I totally disagree. It's an investment, but not a financial investment. It's an investment in beauty. It's an investment in something that makes your life better. It's an investment in something you really enjoy. So, whenever we buy a piece of art, we do not think about the investment at all.

One of the interesting things about the W.C. Bradley Co. is the art you see in this building. This company shares that value in art, does it not?

Correct. The family did a wonderful thing, which is when they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the W.C. Bradley Co., they did their homework: They asked museums who were the up-and-coming artists in the United States, and they commissioned a whole group of artists to come to Columbus and make work about the company, the people, the environment -- it didn't matter, whatever they felt like. And that's really the core of the collection here, and it has some really outstanding work.

Did you see that collection before you were hired?

I did see it before I was hired, in the sense that I walked through the museum on the way to the conference rooms, etc., but it wasn't clear to me exactly what this was. We talked a little bit about it, but I didn't get as broad a view about what this collection really represented.

Is that one of your connections with the Bradley and Turner families, the appreciation of art and the appreciation of culture?

Yes, but I think it's even broader than this. I think the connection here in what makes this family so special is they really want to do good in the community. They really want to invest in the community and that includes art and culture, but it is not only art and culture. It's much broader than that.

It's just trying to make this overall community a better place to live for them, for their children, and for all the people around here. And that, I think, gives it a much greater purpose. I really admire what they've been doing over generations now.

Mr. Turner is well into this 90s, and you've got the next generation, Steve and Brad, the ones that helped sell you on Columbus. Now you've got another younger generation coming up and you've got grandkids. What do you see in the next generation, the younger generation of this family?

I see a continuation of the same kind of values. I have quite a bit of exposure to that younger generation. I see that they believe strongly in the same values in making things better, leaving the place a better place. But they also have a broader view. They have a broader view of the world. They think broader as far as opportunities are concerned, as far as what a company like the W.C. Bradley family could be doing. But it is all based on the same values.

You've been involved in the Columbus State University on multiple levels. First of all, talk about the job you think Dr. Mescon has done as president.

I think he has done an incredible job. He has really moved this university to the next level. He has put the university on the map with all the powers to be, whether it's the regents or the governor or all of the others in the state and capitol. He has raised the level of expectation as far as what we expect from the students, what we expect from the faculty. I think he has done a terrific job, and they will be big shoes to fill for the next president.

As you are involved in the presidential search, what would you like to see in the next president?

I would like to see somebody who is going to continue this path. You know, the strategic plan of the university says we want to be your first-choice institution. Which means, they want students to come to Columbus State University not because they were refused somewhere else, but because they want to come to Columbus State University as their first choice.

They also want professors to be here because that's where they want to be. And that obviously raises the quality level, which benefits everybody. And I think that's the path I want to make sure we are going to continue to go on. It also needs to be somebody who can continue this work of making sure that Columbus State University is one of the really well-known, well-regarded institutions in Georgia's higher education system.

I think Columbus State University has moved up in the ranks quite significantly under Dr. Mescon, and I would like to see that continue. So, those are some of the things I would be looking for in a president who can do that. I heard it from students, especially, and I heard it from faculty that Dr. Mescon was visible in this community. He went to all the student events. He went to events outside of the University. He reached out to the community. He really made sure that the University was always front and center in everything that happened. We need to have somebody continuing to do that.

Where did you do your formal education?

I did it all in Belgium.

What university?

The University of Antwerp.

How big of a town is Antwerp?

Antwerp is about half a million people, the second largest town in Belgium.

How important is a quality university to quality of life in a community, whether it be Belgium or Columbus?

I think it is absolutely crucial. Quality education, and certainly quality higher education like an university, attracts people to come to that school, to come to the city, to come to the university, but it also allows employers to find talent, to find qualified people, and it will make it an attractive place to invest as an employer.

Just think of what happened to TSYS. TSYS would not be here if it weren't for Columbus State University, that created a special program to train the people they needed to have. That's one example of a company that really has a strong relationship with the university and they have stayed here because the university could satisfy those needs.

W.C. Bradley has a strong relationship. A lot of your managers and employees ...

Exactly. Have been at Columbus State University.

This is a homegrown university. It doesn't have a downtown campus without the philanthropic support of the community, particularly the Bradley-Turner Foundation. A lot of what has happened down here has happened because of the foundation associated with this company. Is that a burden, or is that something to be cherished?

Oh, it's something to be cherished. Absolutely. When they asked me to join the board of the university, I said I would be honored to do so because I believed that the best investment any community, any person can make is an investment in education. If we have better educated people, we have a better world. So, investing in making CSU better, or schools in general -- we don't just have to talk about universities -- but all of this is one of the best investments and one of the best things that any society can do.

What's the difference in the Belgium education system and the U.S. system of education?

It was free in Belgium. Makes a big difference.

So, your university was free?

Basically free. I think I paid $300 a semester. I think now it's roughly about $1,000 a semester -- any university in Belgium by law.

What do you think of our HOPE scholarship?

That's one of the things I think Georgia has done extremely well. This HOPE scholarship I think is very positive. It helps people who have good grades and who maintain good grades get an education and a good education.

What's the biggest difference in Antwerp and Columbus?

Well, Antwerp is a town that is probably close to a thousand years old. It used to be in the 16th century-17th century one of the largest towns in what was at that time Europe. It is a port city. It is a very large port, actually, one of the largest in Europe.

So, it's a very cosmopolitan city because of that, because people come from all over the place -- ports seem to do that to you. Belgium itself is a small country in the middle of Europe so you have people coming in and going out from everywhere. So, it's less homogeneous than a city like Columbus is.

How much longer do you plan to work?

I have no idea. I'm having fun and as long as I'm having fun I will continue to work. But I serve at the pleasure of the board and the family. It's not just up to me; it's also up to them.

But right now you're having a great time?

Absolutely.

Will you stay here when you're done or will you go home?

Oh, home is not Belgium for me. We have lived so many places in the world that certainly Belgium is not home. It is where we grew up, but it's not home in that sense. Where we will be I think will depend a lot on where our children, or even more important, our grandchildren are going to be. Because I think my wife and I will want to be close or to have access to our children and grandchildren.

How many children do you have?

We have four.

How many grandkids?

The first one is on the way, due to be born in December.

Where do they live?

Belgium -- the only one of the four children that lives in Belgium.

How long does it take you to get back to Belgium?

12 hours. ... It's not a problem. There's a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Brussels. From here to Atlanta, it's an hour and a half. From Brussels to Antwerp is a half hour. We've traveled so much, for us it doesn't matter. It's really not an issue.

Was the proximity to the Atlanta airport attractive to you? That's one flight to almost anywhere in the world.

Yes, it makes it very easy. You're close to Atlanta; and from Atlanta you can go anywhere.

Having lived in other major cities in the United States, what is your impression of the state of Georgia?

I think a couple of things. First of all, it's a very green state. You just have to drive from Atlanta to here and basically you are surrounded by trees 90 percent of the time, which is beautiful. That's one thing. So, it's a pretty state.

It's not so densely populated. I compare it to Belgium. Belgium is about the size of Maryland and it has as many people living there as Georgia, about 11 million. So, it's more densely populated. We don't have that here, but I think, overall, Georgia -- and I would even extend it to the South in general -- is very much underestimated by a lot of people who do not know the area.

The region is underestimated or the people are underestimated?

The people are underestimated. ... You know, when you go north of the Mason-Dixon Line there is this belief that the South is, well, that's the South. And I think that is really a misunderstanding and a wrong judgment about the abilities of what states like Georgia are able to do.

When you are traveling abroad -- obviously you don't have a Southern accent -- how do you sell Columbus, Georgia and W.C. Bradley?

The question is, what do you need to sell? If it's about the products you sell, then it's really not a problem where they come from, so it really doesn't matter. It's more about how do I bring people here? How do I sell new executives on coming to the W.C. Bradley Co.? I use my story as an example, and they are typically intrigued enough to at least come and visit, and then we have them hooked, because they really start seeing what the values are of this company, what the opportunities are for them and their families in a place like Columbus, and what the advantages are of working for a company as wonderful as the W.C. Bradley Co.

As you know, we just hired a new president and CEO for CharBroil, Chris Robins. She also had never been here in the South, had never been to Columbus, Ga., and was -- just like I was and her family just like we were -- really surprised at what you find here.

Over the last six years, the development of the downtown community has expediently changed.

It's been dramatic.

Take one sector, restaurants.

Absolutely. There were two restaurants when we came in the downtown area, and I think we now have 16 or 17, and two or three more being opened. And we have everything from really high-end restaurants like Epic to places where you can eat burgers, but you've got the whole gamut. And you just have to go on a Saturday night or on a Friday night to downtown. You can't find a parking space, you have to wait sometimes an hour to get into a restaurant. Nobody would have believed that five, six years ago.

Did you see what was coming?

I was hoping that was coming. I'm honestly amazed at how this has picked up speed and it kind of feeds on itself. You know, first it was one restaurant, and then there was another one, and then it really started snowballing. And now every time we look there is one or two restaurants that are in the process of being transformed or being open.

As someone who wasn't raised around here, you see it different than people who have lived their entire lives here, right?

I think, to some extent, yes. I think what you do when you grow up in a community, you kind of grow up with certain stereotypes, certain ideas, and you kind of overlook some things because you take them for granted. And when you come from the outside and look at it with fresh eyes, you kind of say, "You know, this is really a gem that you have here."

Think of whitewater, think of the river itself, think of the whole downtown area, also the Historic District. A lot of people tend to take some of these things just for granted because they've always been here. Of course, whitewater hasn't always been here, but the river has always been here. So, I think coming from the outside you kind of put it in perspective.

Do you ever have that conversation with people who are lifelong residents?

Absolutely. I keep saying to people, "You don't even know how wonderful these things are. You can't find some of these things somewhere else." But they don't necessarily realize it. Think of the RiverCenter. That complex is phenomenal. Cities five times this size would die to have something like that.

Would the RiverCenter be an acceptable venue in Antwerp?

It would be wonderful to have something like that in Antwerp. Now, it's an old town. You have some old theaters but you don't have something like that.

What about the Springer Opera House?

Well, the Springer is just a piece of history. It is wonderful.

Do you enjoy performances there?

Absolutely. You know every Christmas there is the Christmas play. So, we buy one performance for all of the employees and family members of the Bradley Company, and it's always fun to see the kids enjoying that. This year, I think it's "Mary Poppins." Should be fun.

What is the greatest value in this community that you have seen that people here may not see?

I think this community has come a very long way. It has significantly improved, but it still has a lot of opportunities to get even better and make it into an absolute gem of a place to live and to visit. So, there's still a lot of work to do, but the opportunity is there, the basics is there to build on.

Marc Olivie

Age: 60

Hometown: Antwerp, Belgium

Job: President and CEO, W.C. Bradley Co. Has held that job for last six years.

Education: University of Antwerp, master's in engineering and business management, 1976.

Family: Wife, Marleen. They have four children and are expecting their first grandchild.

This story was originally published December 6, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sunday Interview with W.C. Bradley Co. President and CEO Marc Olivié: 'I couldn't be happier'."