Contact Chris

Chris Pickett

Operational Alpha

I build the systems, teams, and habits that turn strategy into compounding results.

What I Mean by Operational Alpha

Alpha is the value you create beyond what the system produces on its own. In finance, it's excess return above a benchmark. In operations, it's the difference between a company that runs and a company that compounds — one that gets measurably better every quarter because someone built the systems, habits, and feedback loops that make improvement automatic.

That’s what I do. I generate operational alpha.

Scale: Anheuser-Busch InBev

18 years of progressive leadership at one of the world's most operationally rigorous companies. I ran logistics execution across 30 states, 7 breweries, and 800,000+ annual truck loads of finished product. I led North America-wide warehousing and transportation strategy. I implemented S&OP and demand planning across a multi-billion dollar portfolio. I delivered tens of millions in measurable cost improvement — not through one-time cuts, but by building teams and processes that sustain excellence year after year.

AB InBev taught me what operational discipline looks like at world-class scale.

Speed: MASS Group (SaaS CEO)

I acquired sub $5M ARR B2B SaaS company through a search fund and spent 2.5 years building it into a professional, scalable business. I installed the entire operating infrastructure from the ground up — GAAP accounting, CRM, DevOps, HR, and a full EOS/Pinnacle operating system that connected company vision to individual KPIs. I built the leadership team, modernized the product, launched a next-generation platform, and deployed AI across every function.

MASS Group taught me what it takes to build from zero — and that the principles of operational excellence apply at every scale.

Active Top Secret / Classified Clearance

I hold FSO, ITPSO, and SMO credentials. I built and led a Facility Clearance program through a DCSA security audit, achieving a High Satisfactory rating with zero required follow-up actions. This opens direct access to defense, intelligence community, and government-adjacent work that most executives simply cannot touch.

Technology is the Delivery Mechanism

I don't treat technology as a separate function. It's how operational excellence gets delivered now. I led the modernization of a legacy SaaS platform — removing 100k+ lines of technical debt and achieving 10X performance improvement in speed. I architected a next-generation MES on .NET Core 9.0 with a product-led growth model that was a first in industrial manufacturing software. I deployed AI across development, product, marketing, sales, and operations — not as experiments, but as production tools with measurable results.

Technology fluency isn't a line on my resume. It's embedded in how I think about every problem.

What Drives Me

I Love to Learn.

I'm wired to go deep on new domains — manufacturing execution systems, government security compliance, AI tooling, supply chain optimization. Curiosity isn't a side interest. It's how I lead. Every system I've built started with learning how things really work before deciding how to make them better.

I Love to Teach.

The most rewarding part of every role I've held has been developing people. I've trained brewery managers in Six Sigma, coached a first-time CTO through building a modern engineering org, and built operating rhythms that taught entire teams how to think strategically. Knowledge compounds fastest when you share it.

I Love Progress.

Improvement over time is what gets me out of bed — in a business, a product, a person, myself. Not change for the sake of change, but measurable, directional growth driven by disciplined effort. That's the engine underneath everything I do.

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