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I am an operational executive and transformation leader with experience helping…
Articles by Andrew
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Clover Brewer Experience
Clover Brewer Experience
One of my guilty pleasures is getting a Clover brewed coffee from Starbucks. It costs a little more than a traditional…
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Blue Bottle & Hot Pockets?
Blue Bottle & Hot Pockets?
My wife and friends will attest that I’m a total coffee nerd - it’s only fitting that my first post be on the subject…
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Andrew Leinfelder posted thisWe're hiring a Controller at Creative Labs! After a strong stretch of growth and getting our accounting function on solid footing, I'm ready to bring on a permanent Controller to help lead it forward. Creative Labs is a vertically integrated haircare manufacturer — six brands sold through salon distribution and major U.S. retailers. We're growing fast, standing up better systems and processes, and this role sits at the center of it. Reporting to me, the Controller will own the close, financial reporting, and technical accounting, and partner across the business as we scale. The person I'm looking for doesn't want to sit behind the numbers — they want to be in the business. Someone who gets energy from walking the floor, understanding how product actually moves, and rolling up their sleeves to drive process improvement across our financial and operational workflows (think AP, inventory, procurement, and the systems that tie them together). If you see a broken process and can't help but fix it, we'll get along well. This is a great fit for someone who wants ownership, likes building (not just maintaining), and thrives in a fast-moving, PE-backed environment. Twin Cities based. One note: I'm looking to connect with actual candidates, not recruiters or staffing firms. If this sounds like you — or someone you'd genuinely recommend — reach out to me directly.
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Andrew Leinfelder shared thisAwesome role and great leader! Join us!Andrew Leinfelder shared thisBuilding the team here at Creative Laboratories Inc. We are Looking to find an Amazon leader who's excited to jump in on a growing business for a portfolio of personal care brands.
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Andrew Leinfelder shared thisCome join us! Exciting things happening with Aluram and Shibui! If you’re a sales leader who want to be a part of building something great - check this out!Andrew Leinfelder shared thisWe're hiring a Senior Sales Director to lead the team behind Aluram and Shibui - if you know someone great send them our way!
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Andrew Leinfelder shared thisOur new brand, BLVD & Co, was picked up in WWD. https://lnkd.in/gmG5HmvC Big things happening at Creative Labs!
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Andrew Leinfelder posted thisHuge milestone for our team — BLVD & Co is officially launching at Walmart. From concept to shelf, this was a true sprint. Our team identified a gap in the market, partnered closely with our customers, developed the product, and executed the launch in record time. Moments like this show what a focused, aligned organization can accomplish when commercial, operations, and supply chain all move together. Seeing a product you built sitting in 2,600+ stores nationwide is pretty special. Proud of the Creative Labs team for making it happen — a lot of late nights, problem solving, and cross-functional work went into this one. On to the next. https://lnkd.in/gd9QCs_P
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Andrew Leinfelder shared thisIf you're looking for an FA role, it'd be hard for you to find a better leader to work for!Andrew Leinfelder shared thisI’m #hiring! Our team is looking for a financial analyst that's eager to help drive insights, improve reporting, and enhance decision support for our organization as we transform the culture of mental health. If you or someone you know is looking, please reach out!
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Andrew Leinfelder posted thisI'm looking for our first FP&A team member — a Senior Financial Analyst who’s excited to build something from the ground up. This is a high-impact role with direct exposure to senior leadership and our board. You’ll be my right hand in building our forecasting and reporting capabilities and helping us scale in a high-growth, high-energy category. If you love turning data into decisions, enjoy being close to strategy, and want to be part of a team that’s building something awesome — we should talk. 🔍 What you'll get: - A front-row seat at a fast-growing company - Real ownership and visibility - A chance to help shape the future of finance at Creative Labs Know someone great? Or think this might be you? Send me a message — I’d love to connect. #hiring #FPandA #financejobs #creativecareers
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Andrew Leinfelder posted thisI’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined Creative Laboratories as Chief Financial Officer! This opportunity marks an exciting new chapter, and I’m incredibly grateful to Kristin Steen at Gemspring Capital and Brett Simmons at Creative for believing in me and entrusting me with this role. I’m especially excited to be back in the world of physical product—there’s something uniquely rewarding about building and scaling something you can actually hold in your hands. I also want to thank my wife Christine Leinfelder—my steady hand and biggest supporter—for standing beside me through this transition. None of this happens without her. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with the broader Creative team as we take the next steps together. Let’s go build something great.
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Andrew Leinfelder shared thisReposting for reach. Tom's a great dude and any company would be lucky to have him in their Product department.Andrew Leinfelder shared thisHi everyone! I’m seeking a new role and would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message or comment below. I’d love to reconnect. #OpenToWork About me & what I’m looking for: 💼 I’m looking for Product Owner or Management roles. 🌎 I’m open to roles in Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area. ⭐ I’ve previously worked at Dynata and Best Buy.
Andrew Leinfelder replied to a comment
3w
Hi Mahari - we are looking for candidates that are local in Minneapolis and are not exploring expats at this point. Cheers.
Andrew Leinfelder replied to a comment
3w
Hi Andrea! It's hybrid but would be 4 days in-office. Hope you're well!
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Andrew Leinfelder liked thisAndrew Leinfelder liked thisProud is an understatement. Sobrynth won the Impact Division of the MN Cup, the largest statewide startup competition in the country. We had the privilege to compete alongside of incredible organizations doing truly meaningful work, all so deserving of recognition and success. Marin Nelson crushed every pitch, and the feedback we recieved from the judges not only helped us strengthen our pitch throughout the competition but also helped us build major momentum as a team and contribute to our overall positioning. The most exciting part? The validation and recognition of the broad social impact of substance use disorder, and that our solution does belong in the workplace. This is the ultimate win for a highly stigmatized condition, a stigma we will continue to break down as we partner with companies across the US to build recovery friendly workplaces that truly change (and save) lives.
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Andrew Leinfelder reacted on thisAndrew Leinfelder reacted on thisI haven't met a single person whose life hasn't been touched by alcohol or substance use disorder. Not one. And yet we almost never talk about it. I've been thinking about why. Stigma is part of it. So is a lack of education. A lot of us still see addiction as a personal failure instead of what it actually is: a disease. And most people have no idea that treatment doesn't have to mean inpatient rehab. There are options that don't require someone to disappear from their life to get help. There are options that never require a disgnosis of "Substance Use Disorder" on your medical record. Here's what really gets me. On average, it takes ten years from onset to seeking care. TEN YEARS. And once someone finally decides they're ready, they still have to figure out how to find care while worrying about whether it'll cost them their job. We've made this as hard as humanly possible. 1 in 10 people (likely more) are living with an untreated substance use disorder right now. Most of them are still showing up to work every day. We don't talk about that either, because if we admit it, suddenly it's real. And if it's real, we have to do something about it. I'll be honest. I've felt insecure about my role at Sobrynth at times. I'm not sober, I'm not in recovery. But this work has changed how I think about my own relationship with alcohol, and it's made me realize how much of my own language may have added to the stigma without me ever noticing. A few months ago, I helped host an event for another client in downtown Minneapolis. Social event, not clinical, nothing formal. We offered a signature drink in two versions: one alcoholic, one mocktail. The number of people who chose the mocktail shocked our bartenders and our whole team. People are already making different choices. We just haven't made it safe for them to say so out loud. So here's what I'm asking. Watch your language. Words like "alcoholic" and "addict" carry more weight than we realize. Don't assume you know someone's story just because you know they're struggling, or that they're in recovery. This is a disease. We fight it by changing the culture around it. That's the work we do every day at Sobrynth, and it's the reason I'm so proud to be part of it. Thank you Marin Nelson for the opportunity to tackle this head on with you. #EndTheStigma #RecoveryFriendlyWorkplace #SubstanceUseDisorder #HarmReduction #Sobrynth #sobertoday
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Andrew Leinfelder reacted on thisAndrew Leinfelder reacted on thisWe were at a founders’ offsite, a cabin in upstate New York, and we had a real decision to make. We got offered an amazing contract… but it came at a price. Taking it meant building features outside our core offering and maintaining them indefinitely. Alternatively, we could’ve walked away and gone deeper on the one thing we were already doing and excellent at. Verification of benefits, done at a level of accuracy nobody else in the market had committed to. I’m happy to say we made the right decision and went deep. A mentor of mine, who was head of product at Plaid, had given me a frame that kept coming back: “Just be the best at one thing.” Fairly straightforward advice. But think about how many companies actually focus on purely one thing? I’d argue not many. "Verification of benefits" had been treated as a commodity for years, given away free, expected to be inaccurate, tolerated as background noise. It’s a problem we wanted to solve and be the best in the world at. That’s why we declined that otherwise incredible contract opportunity. Because I believe narrow excellence is what makes your company truly special. The jack of all trades, master of none, concept is definitely accurate. And we want none of it.
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Andrew Leinfelder reacted on thisAndrew Leinfelder reacted on thisFriday marked the end of an incredible 15½-year chapter at DWS. Fifteen and a half years ago, I walked through those doors with a lot to learn, and no idea how much the next chapter would shape me. Before I joined DWS, a mentor encouraged me to take a chance on a new chapter. His advice was simple: “If you work hard, the opportunities here are endless.” At the time, I couldn’t have imagined where those words would lead. As I stepped into my first management role, another moment of guidance shaped the way I would lead. During the interview process, a senior leader reminded me that vulnerability and authenticity were not weaknesses—they were strengths. Sometimes all it takes is one person to reaffirm that it’s okay to show up as your whole self. That advice has stayed with me and has shaped the way I lead, the way I build relationships, and ultimately the person I’ve become. Over the next 15½ years, I was fortunate to experience more opportunities than I ever could have imagined—countless promotions, incredible clients who challenged me to think differently, and the privilege of leading remarkable teams. Watching people grow, accomplish goals they once thought were out of reach, and make an impact at DWS and beyond has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. While I hope I helped shape a small part of their journeys, the truth is they shaped mine just as much. They taught me resilience, humility, gratitude, and that the best leaders are far less about having all the answers than helping others discover their own. As I reflect on this chapter, one lesson rises above all the rest: The people are what matter. They celebrate the successes, give the tough feedback, share in life’s milestones, and bring laughter that makes the days go by too quickly. But their true character is revealed when life becomes difficult. Throughout my time at DWS, colleagues became friends, and friends became family. They showed up for me through life’s hardest moments with compassion, kindness, and support I will never forget. Fifteen and a half years ago, someone believed in me enough to tell me that if I worked hard, the opportunities would be endless. They were right—but not because of the promotions or the titles. The greatest gift wasn’t the career itself. It was the people. The clients who challenged me. The mentors who believed in me. The teammates who became lifelong friends. And the people I had the privilege to lead, who taught me just as much as I hope I taught them. As I close this chapter, I’m filled with gratitude for what these 15½ years have given me. I’m excited for what’s ahead and look forward to sharing more about my next chapter soon. To everyone who has been part of this journey—thank you.
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Andrew Leinfelder reacted on thisAndrew Leinfelder reacted on thisNEWS | Christina Hennington has been named the club's Chief Executive Officer. Shari Ballard will remain through the 2026 season to support a seamless leadership transition before retiring. Read » https://utd.mn/4gxGn0h
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Andrew Leinfelder reacted on thisAndrew Leinfelder reacted on thisThe energy from the Switchback community did not disappoint. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the SiS display Switchback Event to talk fueling, hydration, and what's next for your customers. Harry Gardiner and I had to sneak in the World Cup when we could. Several teams in the tournament are SiS customers, but watching England holds a little extra meaning as that's where it all started for us. SiS is now fully available in the US, and we're just getting going. If you didn't catch us in New Orleans, be sure to check out our website. Link is in the comments. #Switchback2026 #SiS #ScienceInSport
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