Slide 1: Austin Kirtley Slide 2: Mehrdad Erfan
Austin Kirtley and Mehrdad Erfan
Differentiating yourself in the vast food and beverage industry can be a challenge even for the savviest of companies. Fortunately, they all have an experienced, innovative ally in KESI Management. This Indianapolis-based management company serves everyone from startups and family-owned businesses to billion-dollar companies, providing them with insight and problem-solving to help them bring their dreams into reality. Agnostically leveraging automation and technology, co-founders and managing partners, Austin Kirtley and Mehrdad Erfan, create personalized plans to drive sustained, scalable growth. Their dedication has earned them a 95% retention and return rate and has seen KESI grow over 100% each year since its founding in May 2020.
Austin Kirtley
Austin Kirtley brings over a decade of experience in large-scale fresh produce distribution, RTE manufacturing, and the industrial greenhouse industry to KESI. He cultivates relationships with clients and drives innovation through strategic consultation. His multitude of different experiences and being exposed to a host of different facilities, companies, and cultures, each with its own unique challenges, allows him to see not only the bigger picture, but the parts that make the whole. “One of the ultimate reasons we started this company was to help people find success in the businesses they set out to build,” Austin says. “Most clients and partners have something holding them up and one of the most satisfying things we do is help them remove those barriers to achieve success.”
Mehrdad Erfan
Mehrdad Erfan is the other half of KESI, covering the responsibilities of a traditional COO and CFO and managing the company’s largest accounts. He has over a decade of experience in the manufacturing industry, with a large portion specifically in produce manufacturing. He’s handled facility design, layout optimization, automation, product flow management, and client-facing negotiations in both union and non-union environments and across various departments and disciplines. Mehrdad’s background in data and engineering allows him to draw on multiple methodologies to drive growth and deliver value. “My greatest satisfaction is seeing the client’s vision come into reality, seeing them happy it’s running, working, and done,” he says
Austin Kirtley
Co-Founder & Managing Partner — KESI Management
Mehrdad Erfan
Co-Founder & Managing Partner — KESI Management
Website: www.kesimanagement.com
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