Mario started his career in the FP&A (Financial Planning and Analysis) track.<\/span> It provided great insight into all aspects of business and was instrumental in creating budgets and strategies to achieve success.\u00a0 You could say that he had a front row seat to the core fundamentals of companies and was able to see what worked and what did not.\u00a0 Mario found that strategies which focused on the core KPI (Key Performance Indicator) of an industry were the most successful. He also discovered that companies that perpetually chase the new initiatives for the sake of saying they are innovating are often not successful in the long term.\u00a0 Typically, they neglect the core to focus solely on new initiatives, and in the end, do everything poorly.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that having a sense of the business landscape, your customer, and industry trends helps a senior leader determine where to focus both their time and efforts.\u00a0 Achieving the balance of maximizing core business, innovation, and funding new initiatives makes an organization successful for the long term,\u201d Centola said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Mario$

Mario Centola,
Executive Leadership, Operating, and Finance Professional<\/p><\/div>\n

Mario shared some thoughts about companies selling everything from beverages to cereal to toothpaste as a great example.\u00a0 \u201cMany of these companies have been around for a long time and have remained contemporary.\u00a0 They have done so by focusing on core business and innovating at the same time.\u00a0 By contrast, looking at retail and companies that confined themselves to four walls are disappearing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Mario took on bigger roles such managing the accounting organization of a multibillion-dollar company and later driving day-to-day operations, a good strategy was important.\u00a0 For the accounting organization, it was a function of innovating to support a changing marketing focus.\u00a0 Pay-as-you-go plans, reoccurring payments, all-you-can-dine programs became the norm.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a strategy to evolve the business internally is just as important.\u00a0 Backoffice functions support the core business.\u00a0 Innovation related to online sales channels and the accounting methods to go along with it was something I have always worked on to help the businesses I\u2019ve managed to succeed.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mario took his cue from the tactics and initiatives on the marketing front to prioritize his part of the organization.\u00a0\u00a0These would not have been a natural focus for an accounting and finance team, but they evolved and supported the business to become successful.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the operations front, I\u2019ve found that listening is critical.\u00a0 The customer says so much, and today, with the vast amount of information that is collected on people consuming products or services, there are great insights available to meet or exceed customer expectations.\u00a0\u00a0Acting on these insights is a way to formulate or enhance a strategy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on Mario\u2019s prior experience, he used this information to change operating hours and added upcharge attractions to generate incremental revenue. People were willing to pay more for a premium service. This, again, goes back to the point of driving the core business while innovating. Packaging offers, bundling multiple items, and providing exclusive use drove up incremental sales revenue, and ultimately, profit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n