I’m a strategic operator and builder. For almost two decades, I’ve helped shape and run winning businesses.

I’m the former CEO of New Stand, head of retail experience innovation at Verizon, and have driven growth at leading design and innovation consultancies, including frog.

I've helped transform employee experience for hybrid work, reimagined retail through a digital and customer-first lens, and upgraded the vending machine for the modern era.

My expertise lies in building companies, products, and teams that amplify real world experiences to enhance customer connection, foster community, and deliver value.

As a strategic operator, I've secured multimillion-dollar financing rounds, successfully navigated business pivots, and closed ground-breaking partnerships.

As a builder, I've created new products from scratch, given shape to emerging technology, and reoriented legacy businesses to adapt to the shifting nature of the world in which they operate.

My results stand apart.

A combination of intellectual rigor, operational horsepower, and applied creativity has propelled my success.

Calculated risk-taking is core to my approach; I ‘kill sacred cows’ and ‘break glass as needed’ because that’s how meaningful change happens.

I believe in doing good business, where deep customer and employee focus spark not only financial return, but also yield a net positive impact on society.

It wouldn't surprise you that I believe value is created through differentiation.

While the typical discussion about differentiation focuses on product, my view extends beyond that.

I believe businesses can drive profitability and increase differentiation by excelling in one or more of four key dimensions:

Building a unique product that appeals to customers both rationally and emotionally
Adopting a new business model that enables sustainably lower costs and more competitive pricing
Ensuring greater availability and distribution so that products are available when and where customers are most likely to purchase
Creating unmatched customer connections through valuable, repeatable experiences that competitors simply cannot replicate

However, not every company can differentiate across all domains.

To give you an idea of how I think, here's how I would assess Costco:

When planning, my goal is to develop complex strategies that drive business growth, manage risk, and leverage market opportunities across all the available domains.

That's valuable.

Employers and employees have always been part of a virtuous value exchange.

Employees offer their skills and time in return for salary, job security, career growth, and a sense of achievement. Employers, on the other hand, provide these benefits in exchange for productivity and commitment.

But today, both parties want more, and this shift was inevitable, pandemic or not.

My leadership style is anchored in this understanding, and I consider the extent of my influence in every action and word.

I have dedicated myself to leading with empathy and precise communication, serving both as a captain and a player/coach.

I equip teams to win with a clearly articulated vision, rapid and well-considered decision-making, and zero tolerance for bureaucracy or toxic team members.

My teams thrive in an environment of shared accountability, where work product is reliably produced and critiqued, and high performance is rewarded.

And they are cared for as humans.

Hi, I'm Dave Garcia

A senior executive based in New York