The Growth Seat

Episode 4: Dean Warras and Stacy Peters | Turning Customer Problems Into Products

In this episode of The Growth Seat, host Dhani Jones sits down with Dean Warras, CEO, and Stacy Peters, Chief Commercial Officer, of Veterinary Solutions Holdings (VSH), a Granite Creek portfolio company serving the animal health market. Dean and Stacy discuss VSH’s evolution from a specialized livestock compounding business into a broader animal health platform, including its acquisition of Diamond Animal Health. They share how the company turns customer challenges into practical product solutions, why innovation often starts in the field, and how VSH is expanding into new species and capabilities. The conversation also covers the role of culture, thoughtful pacing, and the importance of knowing when to “go slow to go fast” while scaling a business. Listeners will hear how platform growth requires more than acquisitions: it takes the right people, sharp commercial focus, disciplined execution, and a clear view of where the market is headed.

Episode 3: Mike Ray | Either You Grow, or You Die

In this episode of The Growth Seat, Mike Ray, operating partner at Granite Creek Capital Partners, joins host Dhani Jones to discuss the mindset, discipline, and risk tolerance required to build lasting businesses in agriculture and beyond.   Drawing on decades of experience as an operator, founder, investor, and board member, Ray shares how a willingness to take smart risks, work relentlessly, and stay grounded in data helped him build and scale companies across livestock, animal health, and adjacent sectors.   Listeners will come away with practical insight into what it takes to operate and grow a business in the agricultural sector, including how to lead through uncertainty, spot growth opportunities in tough markets, and build a business that can endure through changing cycles.

Episode 2: Kevin Werner | Building What the Banks Left Behind

In this episode of The Growth Seat, Dhani Jones sits down with Renovo Financial CEO Kevin Werner to discuss building a culture-first private lending platform from the ground up. From recognizing opportunity after the financial crisis to scaling toward a $5 billion annual goal, Werner shares lessons on authentic leadership, ambitious goal setting, and why partnership—not just transactions—drives long-term growth.

Episode 1: Sal Calvino | You Don't Climb a Mountain in One Push

In the debut episode of The Growth Seat, Dhani Jones [https://www.granitecreek.com/team/dhani-jones/] sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Sal Calvino, Founder of Equivu Capital [https://www.equivu.com/], to unpack what it really takes to build, scale, and survive businesses over decades. Sal grew up around airplanes, started his first company at age 26, navigated 9/11, the financial crisis, Covid, and volatile markets, and has built a global workforce of 5,500 people.  In this episode, Sal shares the hard-earned lessons you don’t learn in a classroom — only by being in the seat when the pressure is on. This conversation cuts through theory and gets practical: leadership under stress, calculating risk, building businesses that don’t collapse when challenges arise, and why people — not spreadsheets — ultimately determine outcomes. No playbooks. No shortcuts. Just lessons learned the hard way.

The Growth Seat: Official Trailer

Welcome to The Growth Seat, a podcast presented by Granite Creek Capital Partners [https://www.granitecreek.com/] and hosted by former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones [https://www.granitecreek.com/team/dhani-jones/]. In each episode, we sit down with leaders, founders, investors, and operators behind growing businesses to unpack what really drives scale, resilience, and long-term value. This trailer offers a preview of the conversations ahead—focused on leadership, strategy, capital, and collaboration, grounded in real-world experience. If you’re involved in building or backing growth, this is your seat at the table.