Listen to the Episode With Brad Here:
How does a 75-year-old manufacturing company successfully transform through bold acquisitions and shifting market conditions? Brad Beauchamp, President and CEO of Carpenter Company, sits down with Victoria Meyer to share Carpenter’s journey from “old-school” chemical company to global leader in comfort cushioning and consumer bedding. Brad offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Carpenter navigated the integration of major acquisitions—including Recticel, NCFI Polyurethanes, and the iconic Casper mattress brand—amid supply chain turbulence, economic uncertainty, and evolving industry demands.
Victoria and Brad also tackle the changing culture in manufacturing, Carpenter’s approach to digital transformation and AI, and how leaders can balance people-first values with the drive for profit and growth. With practical leadership advice and candid stories from the front lines, this episode is a must-listen for chemical industry professionals interested in business transformation, growth strategies, and the future of manufacturing.
Victoria and Brad discuss the following:
- How to keep a company growing during unpredictable times.
- How bold acquisitions are reshaping Carpenter’s future.
- Maintaining a people-first culture through major change.
- Evolving the chemical value chain
- Leadership, digital transformation, and Carpenter’s formula for resilience.
Killer Quote: “Sales is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality.“ — Brad Beauchamp, President and CEO of Carpenter Company
Watch Brad and Victoria’s Conversation Here:
Inside Carpenter Company’s Evolution: CEO Brad Beauchamp Discusses Acquisitions, Company Culture, and European Strategy
On this episode of The Chemical Show, I was joined by Brad Beauchamp, President and CEO of Carpenter Company. Brad is not only a returning guest—our “OG” guest number one—he’s also a familiar leader for many in the chemical industry. Since his last appearance, Carpenter has been through significant changes, and Brad’s insight into steering a private manufacturing company through growth, acquisitions, and shifting market forces makes for a compelling conversation.
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From Chemistry to the C-Suite
Brad’s path to leadership started, as it does for many, from humble beginnings. With a background in biology and chemistry, his first venture into the industry was a sales role at Stepan in 1989. A series of roles and a return to Chicago eventually led him to Carpenter, where he ran their chemical business before stepping into the role of CEO in 2020.
“It’s almost five years as CEO, which seems like five minutes, right?” Brad remarks, highlighting the pace of change Carpenter has experienced under his leadership.
Growth Beyond the Comfort Zone
Over the last several years, Carpenter has made major moves—acquiring Recticel’s foam and comfort business in Europe, bringing NCFI Polyurethanes into the fold, and acquiring Casper, a well-known consumer brand in bedding. Each move reflects intentional strategic planning: geographic expansion, product diversification, and the challenge of integrating different company cultures into Carpenter’s strong, traditional base.
What drove these decisions? For Brad, it comes down to vision: “How can we be improving? How can we be getting better?” He notes that simply maintaining the status quo doesn’t suit him—or Carpenter.
One thing Brad emphasizes is that growth, especially through acquisitions, is as much about people as it is about profit. “I’m a real people first person,” he says. The company’s approach is to identify the right talent, understand the unique contributions of each acquisition, and take time to integrate rather than rush through change.
Building for the Long Term
Our conversation also covered the company’s approach to investment, digitalization, and sustainability. Carpenter’s approach is measured and long-term: “Sales is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality.” For Brad and his team, investment decisions are grounded in long-term value, not just quarterly results.
As for digital transformation, Carpenter is focused on systems that bring the right information to the right people at the right time. Whether that’s using AI to streamline lab work or connecting plant data from Finland to California, it’s about making every process smarter and more responsive.
Reflections on Leadership
To close out the episode, Brad offers two pieces of career advice: first, excel at your current job before seeking the next one (“People notice performance, and so do other companies if yours doesn’t”); second, stay curious. It’s curiosity that allows leaders—and organizations—to keep learning, asking questions, and adapting.
As Carpenter celebrates 75 years as a private company, Brad’s leadership is a reminder that in an industry driven by assets and innovation, it’s the people—and the culture—that carry a company forward.
For chemical industry professionals thinking about their next leadership challenge or seeking new ways to drive growth, this episode underscores the power of vision, adaptability, and staying grounded in what matters most.
Listen to the full conversation for more on Carpenter’s acquisition strategy, its approach to sustainability and digital transformation, and Brad’s approach to authentic leadership.
About Brad Beauchamp:
Carpenter is a diversified manufacturer of polyurethane foams,
chemicals and insulation materials. The primary markets are
comfort cushioning materials, CASE, and insulation. The
company is based in Richmond, VA and is privately held.
Brad joined the company in the fall of 2008 as National Sales
Manager, Chemicals. He became General Manager and then
Vice President of Chemicals. In 2018 he became the President
& Chief Operating Officer, and in 2020 transitioned to
President & Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Carpenter,
Brad worked for Stepan Company for 18+ years where he
started in the sales group before eventually moving into product and business management including
Global Manager, Flexible Polyols.