#246: Jimmy Kirchdorfer, Chairman and CEO of ISCO Industries – Grow the business so your people can grow with it

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What’s the real purpose of business growth? According to Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of ISCO Industries, it’s not just revenue or market share. It’s about creating opportunity—for your team, your customers, and your culture. In this episode, he shares how a golf irrigation supplier grew into a global pipe distributor. It’s a powerful blueprint that shows you how reinvesting in growth (and people) can power your success and scale your business. You’ll also learn: Why “do what you love” might be terrible career advice What psychological safety looks like in a team (and how to preserve it) The one sales skill leaders often overlook Jimmy’s first-hand story of bailing Scottie Scheffler out of jail at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The How Leaders Lead App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daily Insight Emails⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0	People want to work for a growing company.
0:02.2	If you're reinvesting in a growing industry, you're going to grow as a company.
0:05.5	And growth creates opportunities for people.
0:08.3	If a company is in an industry that's flat and it's not growing, you really got to wait for somebody to retire or for opportunities to come.
0:16.1	But we've always been able to provide that.
0:18.7	And our mission statement starts with to provide, ISCO exists because to provide
0:23.7	long-term opportunities for members of the ESCO team. And the only way to do that is growth.
0:34.7	You know that old saying, a rising tide lists all boats?
0:43.1	Well, this week, we're talking about what it takes to raise that tide.
0:47.6	Welcome to How Leaders Lead.
0:49.1	I'm David Novak, and every week I have conversations with the very best leaders in the world
0:53.6	to help you become
0:54.9	the best leader you can be. Today, I'm sitting down with my good friend, Jimmy Kirstorfer,
0:59.7	the chairman and CEO of Isco Industries. I got to tell you, I love the Isco story.
1:06.7	They started out as a small golf irrigation supplier, but they dreamed bigger, and they expanded
1:12.5	into HDPE pipes for sewers and water lines and all kinds of infrastructure projects.
1:19.2	And this turned out to be a huge global market.
1:22.3	Today, they're approaching the billion dollar mark in revenue and even sponsoring a PGA
1:26.9	tour event, the Isco Championship,
1:29.2	which teased off next weekend right here in Louisville, Kentucky. But all this growth isn't just
1:35.0	for its own sake. For Jimmy, growth is how you create opportunities for your people.
1:40.8	Opening up pathways for others to succeed is one of the most fulfilling parts of leadership
	...

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