Chris Rozell, Managing Partner at Cresta, joins us to discuss his journey from portfolio exec to founding a PE firm, scaling businesses to billions, and investing in decarbonization-focused infrastructure. He shares pragmatic insights on ESG, early-stage infra, and building trust with management teams—plus how Cresta bridges the gap between VC and large infra players.

[00:00] Chris Rizel, Managing Partner at Cresta, on infra investing, founding a PE firm, LP returns, and ESG.

[00:29] Early career: banking, power, then scaling Regency to billions and launching Cresta.

[01:49] Lessons from CCO role—scaling a PE-backed startup to public exit.

[02:40] Real leadership is learned in the trenches, not in transactions.

[04:33] Portfolio vs. PE firm: loss of customer insight, importance of trust.

[06:24] Mistake: avoiding early-stage infra. Cresta tackles it head-on.

[08:20] Built Cresta Fund Services to support early-stage founders.

[09:18] Go all-in on early infra—don’t dabble.

[10:17] Why decarbonization? Deep sector knowledge, big opportunity.

[11:44] Focused on waste, ag, logistics, and industry—high emission areas.

[12:43] Not impact-first. Returns come from low-cost, proven tech.

[14:08] Avoid high-cost hype. Stick to scalable, pragmatic solutions.

[15:35] Investing in “dirty” sectors to drive green efficiency and profit.

[16:56] Strategy: build from scratch, bridge gap between VC and big infra.

[18:21] Targeting the “missing middle” — commercial but small-scale tech.

[19:48] De-risk, scale, exit to strategics or infra roll-ups.

[21:41] Trends like RNG and biofuels are consolidating—Cresta’s in it.

[23:37] Long-term contracts appeal to infra buyers—interest growing.

[24:01] ESG: take a pragmatic, cost-first approach.

[25:27] Climate’s real, but so are other global issues—balance the spend.

[26:51] Keep climate solutions affordable to avoid wider harm.

[27:18] Influences: Founders Podcast, Acquired, stoicism.

[29:10] Stoic mindset: control your response, not external events.

Connect with Chris Rozzell on LinkedIn. Thanks for tuning in.

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Got feedback or questions? Email Alex at alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com. Until next time—keep smashing it!

The discussion in this podcast is for informational purposes and should not be relied on as investment advice or an offer to sell or a solicitation for an offer to buy any securities. Any opinions expressed are those of the speaker and are subject to change. Any discussion of past performance is provided for informational purposes only, is not track record information and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance. Any information regarding the performance of prior companies was discussed in order to illustrate the experience of the partners of the firm and does not reflect the private equity fund management experience of the partners. It should not be assumed that investments made by Cresta will be comparable in quality or performance to the prior companies.

Sam Bendix, Partner at Chicago Pacific Founders, returns to share his framework for capital raising using motivational interviewing. He explains how it uncovers real motivations and qualifies prospects faster—without a hard sell. We cover how it applies to investor meetings, deal sourcing, hiring, and beyond. A practical framework for better conversations and better results.

[00:00] Sam Bendix, Partner at Chicago Pacific Founders, shares his capital-raising framework using motivational interviewing.

[00:28] Alex praises its use in candidate interviews, prospecting, and deal origination.

[00:58] Framework inspired by Sam’s wife, a dietitian, helping patients change behavior.

[01:53] Sam realized it draws out investor motivations instead of pushing a pitch.

[02:51] Ideal for hesitant prospects or those juggling priorities.

[04:13] Helps quickly qualify whether someone’s worth pursuing.

[05:37] Sam uses it on intro calls with LPs at the contemplation stage.

[06:33] It’s flexible — works even outside of work.

[08:30] Four stages: Engage, Focus, Evoke, Plan.

[10:15] Key question: "What led you to take this meeting?"

[12:09] Use “change talk” to uncover real motivations.

[13:59] Always leave with clear next steps.

[15:50] Similar to AIDA — build rapport, qualify, find the why, plan action.

[17:15] Real-life case study: reframed a real estate pitch to win infrastructure LP interest.

[22:28] Even a "no" reveals future opportunities.

[25:22] ORS method (Open questions, Reflective listening, Summarizing) is critical.

[27:17] Reflect objections back to build clarity and trust.

[28:13] Alex draws parallels with talent assessment — most firms hire for now, not the full journey.

[30:40] Exceptional execs have frameworks. If they can't articulate their playbook, you can’t scale them.

[32:07] Too many firms wing it with clients while being structured with candidates — both need frameworks.

[34:29] Sam praises Alex’s consultative approach to hiring — problem-finding > solution-pushing.

[36:55] Knowing the why behind hiring helps tailor the search to real business needs.

[39:47] Ideally, firms would hire 3 execs per hold period — one for each phase. Instead, you need one who can run the full race.

[43:10] Negotiation tips: frame your goals around the LP’s goals.

[45:35] Use three steps: Reflect objections, Reframe as shared objectives, Confirm buy-in.

[48:27] Book recs: Negotiation Genius (Harvard), Start with No (Jim Camp), and Quit (Annie Duke).

Sam’s open to connecting on LinkedIn.

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Got feedback or questions? Email Alex at alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com. Until next time—keep smashing it!

In today’s episode, Jared Weisel, SVP at Revenue Analytics, joins us to break down how PE-backed manufacturing and distribution businesses can use pricing to drive serious EBITDA gains. We dive into why most firms ignore pricing, how to avoid customer churn while raising prices, and why a 3–7% increase can deliver outsized impact. Jared shares the biggest mistakes PE firms make, how to build long-term pricing strategies, and why this lever is the most underutilized tool in the value creation plan.

[00:03] Jared explains his role at Revenue Analytics, focusing on pricing strategy for PE-backed manufacturing and distribution firms.

[00:29] Discusses pricing as a lever for EBITDA improvement with minimal customer loss.

[00:58] Pricing is often underused; Jared emphasizes using data to drive targeted decisions and compliance.

[01:54] PE firms overlook pricing in VCPs, relying on cost-cutting. Jared argues for ongoing pricing strategies, not one-time actions.

[03:44] Sales reps often quote inconsistently due to lack of tools. Structure and guardrails lead to better pricing outcomes.

[05:02] Visibility is key—track changes, product mix shifts, and enforce compliance to prevent leakage.

[06:25] Raw Selection offers salary reports via YouTube—useful for benchmarking comp in PE and portfolio roles.

[06:54] Jared warns that pricing based on gut feel or fear of customer loss leads to missed value. Start with the pain.

[09:47] Jared outlines pricing plays across the investment lifecycle—diligence, early wins, long-term optimization, and positioning for exit.

[12:12] A 3–7% price increase typically sees no customer churn—if done surgically, not blanket increases.

[14:01] Recommends Pricing Brew, Professional Pricing Society, and books like Revenue Management and Pricing: The New CEO Imperative.

[16:28] CEOs hesitant on pricing should compare pricing impact vs. other ops improvements—pricing wins big.

[18:21] Jared’s recommendations: Bain's Dry Powder, Adam Coffey’s Private Equity Playbook, Dan Cremons' Winning Moves.

[19:39] Contact Jared at jwiesel@revenueanalytics.com or on LinkedIn.

[20:36] Alex thanks Jared for the focused and actionable conversation on pricing.

Connect with Jared Wiesel on LinkedIn. Thanks for tuning in.

Subscribe for more episodes on iTunes & Spotify

Got feedback or questions? Email Alex at alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com. Until next time—keep smashing it!