Middle Market Transformative CEO Features Bigelow Tea's Cindi Bigelow

RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – and The CEO Forum Group are pleased to announce the fourth episode of “The Middle Market Transformative CEO,” featuring guest Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of family-owned Bigelow Tea. The episode, which aired over 25 nationally-syndicated AM radio stations on Sun., Sept, 30, is now also available as a podcast.

Co-hosts Robert Reiss, founder and CEO of The CEO Forum Group, and RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas, spoke with Bigelow about the pricing pressures in light of the recent tariff policy as well as other opportunities and challenges for the consumer product sector in the current economic landscape.

Some of the other key topics discussed during this episode of “The Middle Market Transformative CEO” are: the importance of continuous innovation; the importance of understanding your consumer and using that insight for product development; the necessity for product differentiation within key markets; the formation of a company’s culture and development of leaders, and maintaining Bigelow’s position as the number one specialty tea company in the U.S.; and the significance of strong relationships for the success of a company.  

“Our products are what makes Bigelow Tea what it is,” said Bigelow, while explaining the challenges associated with recent tariff policy. “We can’t just buy a product [tea] from a country, and then if that country becomes an issue…just go somewhere else, as the taste profiles are completely different. Whatever happens, I can’t allow the quality to degrade. So we’re very committed to these countries."

“We’ve been with many of our vendors for 20 to 30 years,” continued Bigelow, when explaining who they turn to while navigating these challenges. “As a family company, we are very loyal, which I think is one of the characteristics about private middle market companies: we have strong relationships. It’s really working with them [vendors] on solutions.”

Regarding her leadership philosophy, Bigelow explained: “From a leadership perspective, I have one goal, and that’s to ethically grow the company in the long term. I have to constantly be thinking about what that means two, three and four years out.”

For more insights from this month’s Middle Market Transformative CEO, listen to the full episode. 

About The CEO Forum Group
The CEO Forum Group, founded in 2007, is a Tier 1 media company focused exclusively on disseminating wisdom from and to leading or “Transformative” CEOs to elevate business, the economy and society.  

The company’s impactful platforms and tools for storytelling, learning and connections include a bi-monthly magazine and nationally syndicated radio show, cited as the #1 podcast for CEOs in America.

The CEO Forum Group has become recognized as “The Transformative CEO Community” for its efforts in helping to build success, one CEO at a time, by sharing best practices, driving job creation and expanding innovation and value throughout the world.