About Us
Katie Tornow, Founder
Katie Baylor Tornow is an accomplished leader with a passion for optimizing operations and driving excellence. With a background rooted in education and a deep commitment to continuous improvement, Katie is dedicated to helping organizations achieve peak performance.
Katie's leadership and work experiences span across both the non-profit and private sectors. With a rich background in financial and operations management, she's demonstrated her ability to drive remarkable growth in non-profit organizations, doubling their assets within just a few years. Additionally, Katie has leveraged her expertise to collaborate with business owners, crafting and executing M&A strategies that maximize their selling potential.
She holds a Master of Business Operations Excellence (MBOE) from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business, equipping her with a comprehensive understanding of operations management and the tools necessary to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. Her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification further underlines her commitment to excellence, demonstrating her ability to lead teams and drive transformative change. Recently, she received her certificate from EOS® Worldwide as an Integrator Masterclass Graduate. Her education serves as a foundation for her unwavering dedication to operational excellence.
Katie Baylor Tornow is ready to partner with your organization to lead fractional leadership initiatives, utilizing her extensive education and leadership experience to enhance your operations, drive excellence, and achieve your performance objectives. With a strong emphasis on continuous improvement, EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and results through a tactical lens, she is the leader you need to guide your organization to success.
Experienced Industries:
Non-Profit
Financial Services
Health Care Education
Manufacturing & Distribution
Promotional Products & Marketing
The Name | Eight Seat
Katie has been an athlete all of her life and rowed throughout high school and college in the eight seat (or commonly known as stroke seat in rowing) position.
The relationship between eight seat (or stroke seat) and the coxswain is one of mutual trust and communication. The stroke seat relies on the coxswain to guide the crew, provide feedback, monitor the competition, and keep them motivated. In turn, the coxswain relies on the stroke seat to execute the rowing rhythm and help translate their instructions to the rest of the crew.
Effective communication and synchronization between the stroke seat and the coxswain are critical for a successful rowing team, as they work together to optimize the boat's performance and competitive success.
In business, the partnership and synchronization between the business owner (or visionary) and 2nd in command (integrator) is similar to the eight seat and coxswain in the sport of rowing. The business owner has an eye on the competition and outlines the business plan while the eight seat executes the race plan with the crew following and supporting through the whole race.
