JJ Foley
It’s been said that JJ Foley is an entrepreneur at heart and a builder at the core. In his current role at Madison Air, a company formed just over three and half years ago with the ambition to grow $20 billion in the next five years, Foley bears financial ownership of a P&L that includes 20+ companies and brands in the indoor air solutions sector.
“I got involved in the industry because Madison Air was an ‘inverse startup’ that offered the opportunity to build a $20 billion+ business from the ground up, rather than just running one,” Foley said. “The chance to impact people’s safety and health in places where we eat, sleep, shop, learn, and play was incredibly compelling. Madison Air’s genuine commitment to making change and pushing for regulations to ensure safer, healthier air is another strong motivating force for me.”
Foley’s biggest HVAC achievements revolve around improving hurting businesses. For example, Foley lead an operational turnaround for a critically underperforming business. He did this by implementing
rigorous operational and customer-oriented initiatives that would yield 3x the revenue for the first three years, and setting the business on a path to a 5x increase over five years.
“For another business, which had seen EBITDA dip to 12%, we focused on cash, productivity, business segment strategies, and engagement to drive improvement to 22% in one year,” Foley said.
Foley has also built a strong team of finance talent that have all been tapped to step into larger roles within the company.
“When it comes to building a strong talent pipeline for Madison Air, and the manufacturing industry overall, I’m a strong believer in the role of culture in attracting best-in-breed talent,” Foley said. “Manufacturing becomes a viable and desirable career path when organizations let entrepreneurs be entrepreneurs and by giving people opportunities to build business, lead with a growth mindset, and develop careers.”
Foley hopes to build a highly successful and profitable enterprise that revolutionizes indoor air quality and climate control in end markets that matter.
“By addressing complex challenges with creativity and ingenuity, we plan to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs, ultimately boosting profitability,” Foley said. “My goal is to create a financially robust company that delivers exceptional value to stakeholders and have fun while doing so.”
