Stacey Hartnell is a seasoned senior executive whose career has been defined by profitable growth, disciplined execution, organizational transformation, and the development of high-performing teams. With more than 25 years of leadership experience across wholesale distribution, industrial supply, building materials, and beverage sectors, he has built a reputation for translating strategy into measurable business outcomes. His expertise spans P&L leadership, sales management, marketing strategy, operational excellence, digital transformation, change management, mergers and acquisitions, customer growth, and talent development.
Stacey’s career began in the beverage industry with Labatt Breweries of Canada, where he advanced through progressively larger commercial leadership roles. As a Territory Manager, Field Sales Execution Manager, and later Commercial Planning & Execution Manager for Western Canada, he developed a strong foundation in sales execution, market development, customer engagement, promotional strategy, and brand growth. His performance consistently placed him among the organization’s stronger contributors, while his work securing sponsorships with professional sports organizations and expanding market presence demonstrated an early ability to combine commercial creativity with disciplined execution.
He continued building his leadership credentials at Acklands-Grainger, where he progressed from Regional Director to General Manager. In these roles, Stacey led multi-branch operations with significant revenue responsibility and helped transform the Atlantic Canada business from a declining region into the fastest-growing region in the country, achieving approximately 28% year-over-year revenue growth. He also guided the integration of two corporate acquisitions, expanded into four new branch markets, and strengthened operational processes and customer relationships. His contributions earned him Regional Director of the Year recognition in 2010 as well as President’s Club Awards in 2011 and 2012.
Stacey later joined CanWel Building Materials as General Manager for Alberta, overseeing more than $50 million in annual sales, more than 100 employees, and two high-volume distribution centers. Through strategic sales initiatives and operational improvements, he helped the Alberta region achieve 11% revenue growth and 13% earnings growth in 2015, elevating it to top-performing status within the organization. This experience further sharpened his capabilities in distribution economics, supply chain management, team leadership, and regional growth strategy.
One of the most significant chapters of Stacey’s career came during his nine years as General Manager of Westburne’s Western Canadian operations, a division of Rexel. He was responsible for approximately 25 branches, more than 300 employees, and roughly $460 million in annual revenue across British Columbia, Alberta, and the Territories. Under his leadership, the division delivered industry-leading revenue growth, margin expansion, and EBITA profitability, earning recognition as Rexel’s top-performing division every year from 2016 through 2023.
At Westburne, Stacey became a driving force behind digital and operational transformation. He spearheaded a digital sales initiative that increased digital warehouse sales from approximately 8% to 35% of total warehouse sales, improving customer convenience, omnichannel capabilities, and sales performance. He also introduced a quarterly inventory-turn review process that improved inventory turns by approximately 40%, enhancing working capital efficiency and reducing obsolescence. His ability to connect technology, process improvement, and customer experience with bottom-line performance became a defining characteristic of his leadership style.
Stacey also demonstrated a deep commitment to talent development and organizational culture. He created succession planning frameworks that resulted in consistent internal promotions and double-digit annual advancement of high-potential employees into leadership positions. He also launched performance initiatives designed to align branch managers and sales teams around margin improvement, digital adoption, product mix, and profitability. Beyond financial results, he championed initiatives focused on employee engagement and mental health awareness, reinforcing his belief that sustainable business performance begins with strong people and strong cultures.
Most recently, Stacey served as President of Mosaic Holding Corporation, where he was responsible for strategic growth, operational performance, acquisition activity, and post-acquisition integration across a portfolio of architecture, engineering, and construction management businesses. His mandate included developing scalable systems, improving governance, aligning cultures, advancing digital transformation, and creating long-term enterprise value. He also oversaw P&L performance, capital allocation, executive talent development, and relationships with investors, clients, acquisition targets, and industry partners.
Throughout his career, Stacey has consistently operated at the intersection of strategy, finance, operations, customers, and people. He understands how to evaluate growth opportunities, improve profitability, strengthen market position, integrate businesses, develop leadership pipelines, and create accountability across complex organizations. His experience managing large multi-location operations gives him a practical understanding of how executive decisions impact every level of a company, from frontline employees and customers to investors and senior leadership teams.
Stacey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in advertising from The Ohio State University, where he was a four-year Dean’s List student and attended on a full athletic scholarship for hockey. His athletic background helped shape the competitive discipline, teamwork, resilience, and performance mindset that have remained central throughout his professional life. His executive development has also included training in organizational change, high-performance teams, business acumen, project management, sales performance, and high-impact presentations.
Now retired from full-time executive leadership, Stacey is focused on the next stage of his professional journey through board and advisory opportunities. He is particularly interested in distribution, wholesale, and beverage-related organizations, while remaining open to opportunities across industries and company sizes. For Stacey, board service represents an opportunity to apply decades of experience in a new context, remain intellectually challenged, contribute practical operating insight, and help leadership teams navigate growth, transformation, and strategic decision-making.
Outside of business, Stacey enjoys travel, golf, and exercise, interests that reflect his active lifestyle and appreciation for continued learning and challenge. As a board or advisory candidate, he brings a rare combination of commercial depth, operational discipline, transformation experience, financial accountability, and people leadership. His career demonstrates not only an ability to produce strong results, but also a consistent commitment to building organizations that are stronger, more capable, and better positioned for long-term success.
Character:
Stacey demonstrates resilience, accountability, and a strong commitment to developing the people around him. He has consistently led through challenging business environments with a steady focus on integrity, performance, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Knowledge:
He brings more than 25 years of practical executive experience across distribution, wholesale, industrial supply, building materials, and beverage markets. His background in P&L management, operations, sales, acquisitions, digital transformation, and talent development gives him a broad and deeply practical perspective on enterprise performance.
Strategic:
Stacey has repeatedly transformed strategic priorities into measurable outcomes, whether improving profitability, expanding markets, integrating acquisitions, modernizing sales channels, or strengthening organizational capability. He approaches strategy with a disciplined understanding of how financial objectives, customer needs, people, and operations must work together to create sustainable value.
Communication:
An experienced executive communicator who has led large organizations, presented to sizable groups, and engaged effectively with employees, customers, investors, and senior stakeholders. His communication style emphasizes clarity, accountability, and alignment, helping teams understand both the direction of the business and their role in achieving results.
