Download the Full Case
Organizational Goal
CenterLine (Windsor) Limited is a global supplier of advanced welding and automation solutions, serving customers across the automotive, aerospace, and mass transit industries. Founded as a family‑owned business, the company has grown steadily into a $250‑million enterprise, offering solutions that range from robotic welding systems to consumables and fully integrated turnkey automation lines. CenterLine is widely recognized for its reliability, innovation, and strong, long‑standing customer partnerships.
As CenterLine continued to expand, its leadership team faced a common challenge for successful mid‑sized manufacturers: preserving the entrepreneurial spirit and close‑knit culture that fueled early success while evolving into a globally integrated, strategically aligned organization. Although the company had long engaged in disciplined strategic planning, shifting industry dynamics and generational leadership transitions signaled the need for a new approach—one that would strengthen alignment, elevate strategic dialogue, and prepare CenterLine for its next phase of growth.
Solution
CenterLine partnered with Ivey Executive Education to design a strategic facilitation process that addressed both leadership alignment and long‑term growth. The engagement was tailored to CenterLine’s culture and business context, balancing rigorous strategic analysis with a strong focus on trust, candour, and shared accountability among the senior leadership team.
The facilitation unfolded in three integrated phases. It began with structured pre‑work that helped leaders surface external trends, internal strengths, and underlying tensions, creating a shared fact base for discussion. Facilitated sessions then focused on building trust and candour, enabling open dialogue around silos, expectations, and how leaders worked together. In the final phase, the group aligned on a small number of strategic priorities and adopted shared ownership for execution, ensuring the strategy was not only defined but collectively led.
Impact
The facilitation delivered both immediate cultural shifts and longer-term strategic outcomes that are reshaping how CenterLine leads, plans, and grows.
Result |
Voice of the Business |
| Candor and Communication | “We created a charter of communication to create a safe place—and that’s something we’ve carried forward into other activities.” — Darryl Beneteau |
| Shared Accountability | “For the first time, the three brothers who own the company all had to report out. Managers were saying, ‘We’ve never heard that brother’s point of view before.’ Now it’s a team versus individuals.” — Adrian Vido |
| Collaboration | “We’ve never had so many people speak as this year—managers raising their hands, executives sharing perspectives openly. It’s not measurable yet, but you can see the culture changing in real time” — Adrian Vido |
| Confidence | “Our dialogue has gotten a lot better. It’s clear what we’re doing and why, and we’re working on it together as a team” — Darryl Beneteau |
| Unified Leadership | “Up until now, each executive cast their own shadow. Now it’s one unified leadership team casting a broad, consistent shadow across the company.” — Adrian Vido |
The CenterLine case demonstrates how strategic facilitation can unlock both cultural and organizational potential. What began as a routine planning cycle evolved into a transformational experience that reshaped communication, leadership accountability, and strategic ambition.
To learn more about the longstanding learning partnership between Ivey and CenterLine, download the full case and enter your information to get in contact with our team.
Full Case Download
Please complete the form below to download a copy of the full case.
