888-825-8800
Brian O'Leary - Values Over Rules - Permanent
Brian O’Leary | The Brutal Reality of Running a Family Business
From radio to manufacturing — why authenticity, long-term thinking, and values-based business win every time.
Episode Summary
Brian O'Leary, second-generation owner of REOTEMP, takes us from his days hosting radio shows at SiriusXM to running one of the most innovative instrumentation manufacturers in the industry. He shares why values-based businesses beat rules-based ones, how permanent owners think differently than private equity, and why a pressure gauge is actually a billboard. Plus: the power of authenticity in marketing and why courageous patience wins.
GuestBrian O'Leary, Second-Generation Owner, REOTEMP
HostGilbert Welsford Jr., Founder of ValveMan
PublishedNovember 2025
Runtime1:00:48
TopicsFamily business succession, values-based business, private equity vs permanent ownership, e-commerce innovation, authentic marketing, instrumentation manufacturing, employee wealth creation
Show Notes
Timestamps
- 00:00 – Intro: Sharing wealth creation with employees
- 00:56 – Brian's background and REOTEMP history
- 03:16 – From entertainment industry to family business
- 08:21 – Authentic marketing in industrial manufacturing
- 14:28 – Values-based vs. rules-based business
- 20:36 – State of the industry: Private equity takeover
- 26:01 – Permanent owners vs. tourist owners
- 31:11 – Sharing wealth creation with employees
- 37:30 – Innovation and e-commerce breakthroughs
- 45:47 – Building configurators: The industrial restaurant
- 51:27 – Understanding customers: Pressure gauges as billboards
- 57:13 – Apprenticeships and knowledge transfer
Key Themes
- Create a values-based business, not a rules-based business
- Permanent owners vs. tourist owners—think generationally
- Authenticity beats polish in marketing and relationships
- Big vision requires courageous patience
- Share wealth creation with the people who built it
- Understand customers deeply—a pressure gauge is a billboard
Links Mentioned
Featured Quotes
"Don't create a rules-based business. Create a values-based business."
— Brian O'Leary
"We optimize for sharing as much of the wealth creation as possible with the people who built it—the employees."
— Brian O'Leary
"Time is the friend of any wonderful business. If you're patient, it's your friend."
— Brian O'Leary
"A pressure gauge isn't a measurement device. A pressure gauge is a billboard."
— Brian O'Leary
"Permanent owners vs. tourist owners—one builds for generations, the other plans their exit from day one."
— Brian O'Leary