Lavitt Group has been a trusted name in high-end architectural doors, windows, and hardware for over 75 years, serving architects, designers, and builders with premium products and expertise. Now led by third-generation co-CEOs and brothers Jason and Keith Lavitt, the company has continued to evolve while staying true to its deep-rooted values. But as the business grew more complex, so did its financial and operational challenges.

Why Lavitt Group Engaged a Fractional CFO

After eliminating the company’s President and COO positions in 2023, Jason and Keith stepped deeper into day-to-day operations. A few months later, a CFO vacancy left a gap in leadership. Initially, they searched for a short-term solution that could provide stability and expertise while looking for a full-time replacement.

Their search led them to ProCFO Partners and Kathleen Reynolds, who quickly became integral to their leadership team. What began as a temporary engagement has turned into a lasting partnership, reinforcing their financial strategy, improving operational efficiency, and aligning seamlessly with the company’s culture.

Finding the Right Fit

Jason and Keith turned to their network for recommendations to help address their CFO needs, and ProCFO Partners was a name that kept coming up. At first, they weren’t sure if a fractional CFO could fully integrate into their company culture or provide the strategic insight they needed.

The Lavitt Group operates on guiding principles known as the Lavitt Way, reinforced through their Fundamental of the Week, a structured approach that keeps core values at the center of every business decision. Employees, leadership, suppliers, and even customers are held to these principles.

That’s where Kathleen Reynolds stood out.

Kathleen didn’t just come in and start throwing numbers at us. She really took the time to understand how we work, what’s important to us, and how the financial strategy needs to align with our long-term vision.

From their first conversations, Jason and Keith saw that Kathleen’s experience, strategic mindset, and leadership approach aligned perfectly with their business. She understood the balance between numbers and culture, a key element of the Lavitt Group’s identity. As Jason points out, “She didn’t just come in and start throwing numbers at us. She really took the time to understand how we work, what’s important to us, and how the financial strategy needs to align with our long-term vision.”

A ProCFO Plus

One of Kathleen’s first priorities was improving financial automation and efficiency. Before she joined, many financial processes were manual and time-consuming. She helped the team improve accuracy, reduce workload, and increase financial visibility by streamlining accounts payable, employee expenses, and reporting systems.

Beyond process improvement, Kathleen’s strategic leadership has provided Jason and Keith with high-level financial guidance while still allowing them the flexibility of a fractional CFO model. Through ProCFO Partners’ Thought Collective, she has also brought in additional expertise as needed.

“A great thing about ProCFO Partners is that it’s not just one person; it’s a whole network of experts,” Kathleen explains. “If there’s something I don’t have direct experience with, I can tap into our broader team to bring in the right resources. That’s a huge advantage for our clients.”

The Competitive Advantage of Culture

Culture is a driving force behind Lavitt Group’s success. Jason and Keith have always understood that maintaining their strong culture creates an environment where employees, partners, and customers feel aligned with a shared mission and values. The trust, consistency, and long-term relationships that alignment provides helps give Lavitt Group a competitive edge that goes beyond the balance sheet.

For Kathleen, having worked with other organizations that didn’t have this strong cultural foundation, she immediately recognized how much of an asset it was. “There are plenty of companies that don’t have a strong culture, and you can feel that in the way decisions are made and how people interact,” Kathleen explains. “At Lavitt, culture isn’t just a statement on a wall. It’s real, and it drives the way they do business. That makes a huge difference in how financial strategies actually work in practice.”

This cultural integration is a valuable lens through which key business decisions are seen. Whether it was restructuring leadership, refining financial processes, or managing the direct-to-consumer shift, maintaining the integrity of the Lavitt Way made it so these transitions strengthened – not diluted – the company’s foundation.

At Lavitt, culture isn’t just a statement on a wall. It’s real, and it drives the way they do business. That makes a huge difference in how financial strategies actually work in practice.

By embedding financial strategy into the company’s cultural framework, Lavitt Group adapts to change by leveraging its values as a business advantage. A strong culture is a reflection of Jason and Keith’s leadership, and it’s an asset that creates resilience and makes for smart decision-making and lasting growth.

Change In an Evolving Business Model

In addition to the brothers’ evolving roles, Lavitt Group made a significant shift from wholesale distribution to a direct-to-consumer sales model, driven by changing market demands and the opportunity to build stronger relationships with customers. While this move opened up new opportunities, it also introduced new complexities. Managing pricing strategies, forecasting revenue, and optimizing operational priorities required complete rethinking of revenue streams, pricing strategies, and operational priorities.

Kathleen has been instrumental in refining these areas. With her guidance, the company has:

• Strengthened its pricing strategy to ensure long-term profitability.
• Improved cost management by identifying inefficiencies and streamlining operations.
• Developed financial scenario models to quickly see the impact of changing assumptions.

“I think there have been a lot of moments in our business where we’ve had to step back and say, ‘okay, we need to change something’,” Keith reflects. “And Kathleen has been instrumental in helping us see where we need to make those changes and how to do it in a way that makes sense for our business and our culture.”

More than managing numbers, Kathleen has helped guide the company through necessary shifts while keeping its core identity intact.

From Tradition to Tomorrow

With Kathleen and ProCFO Partners as part of their team, Jason and Keith have the financial insight, strategic support, and cultural alignment they need to lead with more confidence.

Lavitt Group’s story speaks to the power of partnership, the importance of the right cultural fit, and the benefits of an adaptable financial strategy.

As Jason says, “We’re in a better place now than we’ve ever been, and I think a lot of that has to do with Kathleen being part of our team.”