Q&A: Briggs & Stratton CEO wants brand ‘to be known for generations to come’

Sep 25, 2024 10:53 am

Kristina Cerniglia, CEO of Briggs & Stratton

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Last updated Sep 25, 2024 10:53 am

Kristina Cerniglia has led Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton since February, initially as interim chief executive officer before stepping into the role permanently in July. Having joined the engine manufacturer in 2022 as chief financial officer, Cerniglia spent two years working as a “strategic partner” with the CEO – that is, two different CEOs: Steve Andrews

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Kristina Cerniglia has led Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton since February, initially as interim chief executive officer before stepping into the role permanently in July. Having joined the engine manufacturer in 2022 as chief financial officer, Cerniglia spent two years working as a "strategic partner" with the CEO – that is, two different CEOs: Steve Andrews and Joe Liotine, who each exited the company suddenly in July 2023 and February 2024, respectively. That experience ultimately prepared Cerniglia to take the top seat, where she is aiming to increase engagement with Briggs’ global workforce of 3,800 employees as a top priority. In a recent interview with BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer, Cerniglia shared her plans for leading the iconic Milwaukee brand into its next generation. BizTimes: How have the past nine months been since taking the helm? What are your main priorities? Cerniglia: “It was an easy transition for me, I’d say in part because a lot of what we've been doing over the past two years has been transformational, and I like to do transformational work. And a lot of that work over the past couple of years continues to build on itself and as we look at the future, we're going to continue to do this type of transformation. For me, it was really a continuation of that and so things have been going very well. "I would say that we've been really focused on a couple of areas in the short term, really focused on what I would call our three strategic imperatives. These imperatives have been really in place since I started at the beginning of February, but it's pretty simple. We're focused on quality and service, business simplification and growth. The organization is aligned with those strategic imperatives and so that's what we're driving. "I think the other thing that we're really focused on is strengthening our operational processes, our foundational operational processes, with a focus on the customer. We can't lose focus on the customer. It's part of our core values, part of how we want to win. And then, I’m really focused on increasing employee engagement by building what I would call a ‘one Briggs’ culture, focusing on a continuous improvement mindset. We have a lot of businesses, multiple different products. This focus on ‘one Briggs’ and ‘one Briggs’ culture is extremely important to help us win. And so, it's just continuing that work. That's what I've been working on for the past nine months. We have some more work to do, but that's really how it's been going.” What attracted you to the permanent CEO role and what prepared you to take the top seat? “When you're a CFO, you are a strategic partner with the CEO. And so, that partnership together defines the strategy and that partnership executes the strategy. And so, why am I prepared? In part, because for the past two years, I've been working with the CEOs and defining what that strategy is. I've refined the strategy slightly based on some of the things that I've just shared with you, but that's why I feel prepared to take the step up. And I would say that over the past couple of years, I have come to know the team here and it's a very talented, passionate and dedicated team of employees. It was very easy to make the decision to want to lead these employees and that combined with really reinvigorating the iconic brand of Briggs & Stratton. And so, that's what has attracted me to the role. That is why I feel I'm prepared for the role, and I think we've got really a bright future ahead.” How do you see the company’s presence in southeastern Wisconsin continue to evolve? “Listen, we are that iconic brand. We are doing very well. We are excited about the future as an enterprise. And so, as we think about the type of work we're doing here, what's special is here in Wisconsin is where we design the products for the future. And this is where we obviously guide the business forward. Innovation and technology is very important and we continue to bring new technologies, products to the market and all that innovation begins here in the Milwaukee area because this is where our primary engineering and new product development centers are located. Innovation, I would say, is the backbone of the company and that obviously continues to be located here in Milwaukee. “I mentioned both a short-term and long-term goal of mine is to increase employee engagement and then, on a long-term basis, it’s really being an employer of choice for the Milwaukee area. And it's not just for the Milwaukee area, but it's just an employer of choice generally. But when I think about becoming an employer of choice, it's really building that engaged, motivated workforce. I want the culture and I want the workforce to really unite around developing these innovative products and focus on the customers daily and so, at the end of the day, I want people to want to work for Briggs & Stratton, and I think that will continue here in Milwaukee. "The other thing is, again, tied to the iconic brand. We are community-focused. We've been around for 116 years. We've been a good community member, we've been supporting the greater Milwaukee metro community. We are always seeking ways to be active in the community. We do have our Summerfest sponsorship that we’ve had over the past years, and we will continue that and some nonprofit work that we do around the community as well.” How has the product line shifted and what are some of the innovations the company is working on? “Briggs & Stratton, while it's known for its gas engines, we do have such a wide range of products. Not only do we provide power with gas engines, but we also provide power with battery systems. We've got battery systems. We have both industrial and home standby generators. We have battery storage systems and so think about backup storage. If you want to live off the grid, you can live off these batteries. That's another product that's up and coming. We've just launched a brand new battery storage system. We obviously have products around lawn care. Ferris is our big brand as it relates to lawn care. And then probably something that you're not familiar with is a company of ours, called Almond, which manufactures light towers and heaters for construction sites, these industrial generators. And so, we actually do have a very broad product offering and some of the exciting things that we're doing is around electrification. "We talked about offering battery storage systems, but some of the other things that we're doing is we just introduced to the market what I would call a hybrid light tower. What that does is it uses both our vanguard lithium battery system as well as gasoline because it's a hybrid and it really delivers unmatched performance that meets just a huge, growing demand for hybrid technology. And then we also have an electrified zero turn ride lawnmower that also uses our Vanguard batteries. And so, we're really expanding a lot around our electrification product offerings and that will continue in the future. … the goal is to be a diverse power provider, to be able to provide power in multiple different ways.” What’s Briggs’ approach to flexible work arrangements for office employees? “We're hybrid, so we offer our employees the opportunity to work here in the office as well as a couple of days remote. As you're driving culture change, it's really, really important to have an office presence so that we can continue to build an engaging workforce. And so, as an example, our (recent) Demo Day (a daylong event for all local employees to learn about and experience Briggs' entire product line) was a perfect opportunity for people to engage not only with each other, but also with a product and that type of engagement really builds the culture that we are trying to build, which is an engaging workforce. I would say that certainly the busiest day here is Mondays and it's buzzing. When people are in the office, it's buzzing, which is really, really nice. And yet, we're flexible enough to give people the opportunity to work remotely also during the week, so I think we have a nice balance.” Is there any indication KPS Capital Partners (the private equity firm that purchased Briggs out of bankruptcy in 2020) would look to sell the company in the near future? “I can't speculate on the future, but what I would say is that KPS is committed to Briggs & Stratton's long-term success. Since the acquisition in 2020, they have made significant investments in Briggs to help launch new, innovative products, to expand our product lines, improve efficiency and operations, invest in new plants and, of course, enhance employee safety, which is very, very important to KPS. So while I can't speculate on what's going to happen, what I can tell you is they are extremely supportive. "My focus and the organization's focus is really just to execute our strategic plan and continue to drive that innovation, deliver value to our customers and our stakeholders and, just sitting here today, I'm just really excited to have the opportunity -- and frankly humbled to have the opportunity -- to lead such a talented team.” What do you want your legacy to be as CEO of Briggs & Stratton? “I want Briggs & Stratton to be known for generations to come. It is an iconic brand. We need to reinvigorate the brand. I know, for me, I grew up with a father who only purchased Briggs & Stratton engines for tractors and that kind of brand loyalty is rare and if my legacy is really making sure that Briggs & Stratton is known for future generations to come, that would be great.”

Q&A: Briggs & Stratton CEO wants brand ‘to be known for generations to come’

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