I recently read a 2025 Wall Street Journal interview with the CEO of Costco, Ron Vachris, who has spent more than 40 years with the retail giant. In the interview (at the 5:15 mark), he talks about his experience of being the final arbiter of what products get sold under the Kirkland brand. A buyer once brought him a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich that the buyer felt matched the national brand. But Vachris sent it back, asking, “How can we exceed the national brand on the bacon involved in that?”  He observed that, to the consumer, bacon was the “highest value attribute” in the product.

The Costco buyer came back with a sandwich that had 40% more protein, and Costco was still able to maintain their desired price point.  The most important decision criteria for Vachris is the highest-value-attribute test. Vachris argues that it’s not necessary to beat competitors on every ingredient in the Kirkland product. Instead, find the one attribute customers value most and then overdeliver on it.

I’ve always been a big believer that the most effective organizations build first upon their strengths when considering expansion and new asset development opportunities. My counsel to clients when thinking about the development of new assets has always been to consider this simple statement in their planning:

This current destination or attraction asset PLUS ______ would make us an even better place to visit. 

What do your visitors and guests consider to be your “highest value attribute”? How can you make it even better (i.e., adding 40% more protein to it)?

What’s your bacon?

Many of my friends and family members know I’m a huge sports fan. I would almost rather watch live sports over almost any other form of entertainment. And one of the maxims of that world is that head coaches in bigtime college and pro sports face one of three inevitable fates: retirement, being poached by another team, or getting sacked. (Mostly getting sacked.) And if a coach is fired in season, they are almost always replaced by…”the interim.”

Some of you also know I am among the world’s biggest fans of my alma mater’s sports teams, the Vanderbilt Commodores. (It’s a relatively exclusive club, but all are welcome.)  I can answer trivia questions about Vanderbilt sports like nobody’s business. But even I am hard pressed to name the last interim football coach the Dores employed during my fandom, even though it was just six years ago. (The answer is Todd Fitch, by the way. I had to look it up.)

I’ve now had the opportunity to be the interim leader of two organizations during the last seven years of my career, Explore Asheville in 2020 and Southeast Tourism Society for the first part of 2026. Both stints came during challenging times in those organizations’ histories. But I went into both jobs with clear eyes, a full heart, a commitment to doing my best, and the realization that much like interim coaches in the sports world, at the end of the day the only thing people really care about is for you not to screw it up. Because much like me and my alma mater’s interim coaches, no one will remember you past day one of the new leader’s tenure.

Which is how it should be. Vic Isley has done a great job for Explore Asheville since taking the reins in late 2020, and Nan Marchand is an inspired choice to be STS’ next leader. They are visionary thinkers, and that’s a big part of the job. The interim’s role is more triage physician in the ER at 3:00 AM. Apply immediate care to the critical victims, make sure the team is performing, and leave the many patients upstairs in the hospital rooms to the experts coming on shift at 7:00 AM.

There are always opportunities to go above and beyond, of course. On my first day as interim at Explore Asheville, I introduced myself via e-newsletter to our community partners and told them I was donating half my salary during the pandemic.  It was the right thing to do during a time of crisis. (It probably also made some people think I was massively overpaid if I was capable of that sacrifice.) But much like the ER doc doing her best work at 3:00 AM, hardly anybody took notice.

And that’s okay. Like most interim leaders, I didn’t do it for fame and fortune. Of course there are those who see it as an audition for the top job, and many interim CEOs have gone on to bigger roles at their organizations or elsewhere. Given the leaders who were eventually hired at both places, I made the right decision not to pursue either permanent job. But great interim leaders work just as hard regardless of whether they wish to be considered for the permanent role. They know, however, there are certain changes that are best left to the new CEO. That’s not laziness or timidity. It’s the recognition that substantial organizational change and strategic direction should be implemented in alignment with the new CEO’s vision. That doesn’t mean interim leaders can’t make significant contributions towards strengthening the viability of the organization and creating stability for the new leader while remaining faithful to its mission.

I don’t know if I’ll get another career opportunity to be an interim CEO. It’s not something one actively seeks out on Indeed or LinkedIn. But the next time you’re a part of an organization with an interim leader–and you will be, as a board member, stakeholder, or employee–give that person your full support and confidence. Don’t dismiss them as “just the interim.” Good interim leaders know their place, but they are also just as committed to the organization as the permanent CEO. (I was fortunate to have great board support in both of my interim jobs.)

(And please show your support of Southeast Tourism Society and new President and CEO Nan Marchand by registering for and attending this year’s STS Connections event in Richmond, September 9 -11. It will be a good time.)

For my friends in the Old North State…following a two-year absence, we’ve updated our new and improved annual study that reviews North Carolina lodging taxes and their investment across the state. We’ve produced this comprehensive report since 2013 and made it available free of charge to anyone who downloads it from our website: https://www.magellanstrategy.com/research/. It’s a helpful guide to understanding the many issues surrounding occupancy taxes in the Old North State and how that revenue is utilized. It’s also a very helpful sleep aid.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or discover any errors or omissions.