71 - Ridgewells at Scale: How a DC Institution Planned for the Next Chapter w/CEO Susan Lacz

Welcome to Digital Doorways, the podcast where we explore the intersection of brand, growth, leadership, and the strategic decisions that shape modern companies. I’m Jason Siegel, founder of Bluetext. On this show we talk with founders, operators, and leaders about how businesses actually scale — how positioning, culture, and disciplined execution open the digital doorways that lead to growth, enterprise value, and long-term relevance.Today’s guest has built one of the most iconic hospitality brands in Washington. Ridgewells Catering has a history stretching back nearly a century, having participated in 16 presidential inaugurations, and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top privately-held catering companies. Susan Lacz joined the company in 1986 as a sales representative, purchased it with her business partners in 1997, and over the past decades has been instrumental in building a diversified portfolio of brands, revenue streams, and venue relationships that few competitors can match. Along the way she has been honored with the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award, named to their Power 100 list for two consecutive years, and most recently inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame. She survived a life-threatening aneurysm in college, an experience that pushed her to live with urgency, gratitude, and a different kind of grit, and when she took over Ridgewells, the company was struggling. What she built from that moment is a masterclass in brand stewardship, entrepreneurial leadership, and the kind of culture-driven growth that produces lasting enterprise value. Susan, welcome to Digital Doorways.On the Origin Story1. You started at Ridgewells as a sales rep in 1986, spent a decade learning the business from the inside, and then bought it when it was struggling. Looking back, what did you see in the company that others clearly missed?2. Taking over a nearly century-old institution is a different kind of entrepreneurial bet than starting something from scratch. What did you do in those early years to stabilize the foundation before you could focus on growth?3. Your grandmother’s hospitality and your father’s leadership style shaped you early. How do those two influences show up in the systems and culture you’ve built at Ridgewells?On Brand and Positioning4. Ridgewells has catered presidential inaugurations, PGA Championships, and events on Capitol Hill. How has that blue-chip client base shaped the reputation of the brand, and how do you keep winning at that level year after year?5. You built multiple brands under one roof, Ridgewells, Haute Catering, Capitol Hosts, Purple Tie. Walk us through the thinking behind that portfolio strategy and how each brand serves a distinct market.6. In a service business, the brand is entirely delivered by people. What are the systems and standards you’ve put in place to make the Ridgewells experience consistent and repeatable across dozens of events simultaneously?7. The Washington Business Journal called you someone who has “redefined excellence” in catering. What does operational excellence actually look like inside this business, day to day?On Growth and Strategy8. Breaking out of the Beltway with the PGA Championship in Chicago was a turning point. What did going national teach you about the scalability of this business model?9. COVID devastated the hospitality industry. How did you protect the core of the business through that period, and what did you come out the other side with that you didn’t have before?10. You recently became the preferred caterer at the Mellon Auditorium. How do anchor venue relationships like that change the revenue profile and predictability of the business?11. The industry has shifted from food being the centerpiece to experience and design leading the conversation. How did you reposition Ridgewells around that shift, and where do you see the next evolution happening?AND MUCH MORE...