Episode #10
From Leechmere to the Ranch: Paul Spitale on a Life of Leaving It Better [010]
About Paul Spitale Paul Spitale spent twenty-five years at Sony Electronics, rising through the ranks from regional sales associate to senior vice president. After Sony, he led a successful turnaround of a struggling paperboard company in New Jersey before joining Colt's Manufacturing in 2015, one of the oldest and most iconic firearms companies in America. At Colt, Paul served as Chief Commercial Officer and was instrumental in rebuilding the commercial business, modernizing the product line, revamping distribution, and reintroducing the legendary Python revolver to the market. Under his leadership, Colt went from heading into bankruptcy to generating over fifty-three million dollars in EBITDA before being acquired by CZ, a fellow firearms manufacturer. What made Paul uniquely suited for Colt was something very few executives in the industry could claim: he was an active shooter himself. Paul competes in IDPA, the International Defensive Pistol Association, where he has won local matches in New York and Connecticut and captured the IDPA State Championship in Pennsylvania twice. His hands-on experience as an active competitor gave him a credibility and product instinct that set him apart in an industry where most senior executives do not actually shoot. Today Paul lives on a ranch in Michigan where he creates content for his YouTube channel, Paul at the Ranch, which has grown to over sixty-two thousand subscribers. The channel covers shooting, hunting, outdoor skills, fitness, woodworking, and ranch life, all taught with the same values-driven approach Paul brought to every leadership role in his career. Ron Boire and Paul Spitali have known each other for thirty years, first meeting at Sony Electronics in Boston in the early 1990s. What We Cover Ron and Paul trace thirty years of friendship and professional overlap, from a tiny Sony sales office in Newton, Massachusetts to the boardrooms of Best Buy, Colt, and beyond. They tell the story of Mike London, the legendary merchant at Leechmere who mentored both of them in ways that shaped everything that followed. They dig into what it takes to turn around a company in bankruptcy, why values-driven leadership works in any industry, how Paul took Colt from near collapse to acquisition, and what made him walk away from the executive world to build something of his own on a ranch in Michigan. Along the way they talk about the 1911, the Python, servant leadership, AI in the workforce, win-win deal making, and the particular kind of authenticity that makes a YouTube channel worth watching. Ron Boire and The Upland Group Website: http://www.ronboire.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RonBoire Executive Coaching: https://www.ronboire.com/executive-coaching Keynote Speaking: http://www.ronboire.com/keynote-speaking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronboire/ Paul Spitale YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Paulattheranch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulspitale/
