Howard Brownstein on Turnaround and Crisis Management

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

For the past 65 years I have been in an ongoing dialogue with my childhood friend, Howard (aka Howie) Brownstein. Howie used to work as a delivery driver for Mama’s Pizzeria, which many of you know as the place I revere as cheesesteak heaven. When he couldn’t work his shifts he would ask me to fill in for him and the inter-weaving aromas of Mama’s super-cheesy pizzas and juicy cheesesteaks (both of which relying on Mama’s secret 3-cheese blend)  embedded a powerful taste and olfactory memory, associated specifically with Mama’s, that has forever driven my never-ending quest for the perfect pizza. In the meantime, Howard became an internationally successful expert in something callled “turnaround and crisis management.” For the past forty years, he has regaled me with stories of his adventures interceding for companies (and their families) for whom he is often their last hope before losing everything. His”turnaround” journey is not unlike my own adventures with pizza (except that turnaround intervention pays much better) and it also serves as another ideal metaphor for the journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the overcoming of adversity, as you will hear in this engaging conversation with the best “fixer” I know. Enjoy….