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Strategic Advisor·Building Products

Steve Swinney

Founder & CEO; Senior Advisor at Kodiak Building Partners / Aldus Capital Management

Denver, Colorado

SS
Why they matter

Built Kodiak from zero to a $3B building-products platform via 40+ acquisitions, then sold it to QXO for $2.25B — a proven roll-up operator now advising deals.

Background

Steve Swinney co-founded Kodiak Building Partners in 2011 and built it into a $3+ billion national distributor of lumber, trusses, windows, doors, and construction supplies through more than 40 acquisitions across 26 states. In April 2026, QXO completed its $2.25 billion acquisition of Kodiak from Court Square Capital Partners, and Swinney now leads QXO's newly formed Lumber & Building Materials division. He is also a Senior Advisor to Aldus Capital Management, a board member of US Fence Solutions, and holds a CPA with a BBA in Accounting from Abilene Christian University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Notable deals

  • 2026
    QXO announces definitive agreement to acquire Kodiak Building Partners from Court Square Capital Partners for $2.25 billion
  • 2026
    QXO completes $2.25B acquisition of Kodiak; Swinney becomes leader of QXO's new Lumber & Building Materials division
  • 2022
    Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Mountain West region, for building Kodiak into a leading building-products platform

Call-prep brief

Background

  • Co-founded Kodiak Building Partners in 2011 out of Englewood, CO; grew it via 40+ acquisitions and 3 de novo launches into a $3B+ revenue distributor of lumber, trusses, windows, doors, and construction supplies across 26 states.
  • Prior career: VP of Financial Planning & Analysis at ProBuild Holdings (M&A, investor relations), plus earlier finance roles at Western Union, Target, and Arthur Andersen. CPA; MBA in Finance (UT Austin).

Current Focus

  • Just completed the $2.25B sale of Kodiak to QXO (closed April 2026, sold by Court Square Capital Partners, Kodiak's PE backer since 2018); now leads QXO's newly formed Lumber & Building Materials division under Brad Jacobs' roll-up strategy targeting $50B in revenue.
  • Outside advisory roles: Senior Advisor to Aldus Capital Management, board member of US Fence Solutions, investment committee member at Brush Creek Partners, investor/advisor to Surface Brands.

What He Cares About

  • Decentralized, local-brand operating model; preserving entrepreneurial culture at acquired platforms rather than imposing top-down integration.
  • Building-products distribution consolidation and buy-and-build playbooks.

Sensitivities

  • Now an employee/executive of a public company (QXO) — may be limited in what he can discuss re: competitive or M&A specifics; likely under non-solicit/non-compete provisions from the Kodiak sale.
  • Balance outside board/advisory seats (US Fence Solutions, Aldus, Brush Creek, Surface Brands) against new QXO obligations — worth confirming which he's retained.

Questions to Ask

  1. How is the Kodiak playbook (decentralized, local-brand M&A) translating into QXO's much larger platform, and what's changing?
  2. What criteria made Court Square/QXO the right buyer, and how did that shape deal structure (cash + stock)?
  3. Given his advisory seats outside QXO, what's his bandwidth and appetite for new independent board/advisory work post-transition?

Outreach draft

Subject
Building-products roll-up playbook — quick call?
Hi Steve, Congratulations on closing the Kodiak/QXO combination — going from a single Colorado acquisition in 2011 to a $2.25B outcome is a remarkable run, especially keeping the decentralized, local-brand model intact through 40+ deals. I'm on the deal team at [Firm], and we're spending time in building-products distribution and adjacent roll-up plays. Given your operating and M&A experience — plus your advisory work with Aldus Capital and US Fence Solutions — I'd value 20 minutes to get your read on where the consolidation opportunity still exists and what separates a durable platform from a rollup that stalls. Would you have time in the next couple of weeks? Best, [Placeholder Name]

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