LevelUp: Where Agile Finance Meets Real-World Execution With Justin Norton
Change is accelerating rapidly, but most finance teams were designed for a slower, more predictable world. When volatility is the norm and expectations keep rising, what actually allows a finance organization to stay agile without breaking under pressure?
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Justin Norton, CPA, MAcc, is the Chief Financial Officer at Brekhus Tile & Stone, a Denver-based commercial and residential construction company specializing in high-quality tile and stone installations. Under his financial leadership, the company has strengthened operational discipline and driven meaningful process improvement. He is known for transforming complex accounting environments into scalable, efficient systems that support execution and growth. Justin brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and hands-on operational experience, honed in construction and other project-based businesses.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
• [00:00] Introduction
• [5:56] The moment that sparked Justin Norton’s finance journey
• [18:05] Why modern CFOs must go far beyond the finance “lane”
• [23:03] Three critical skills every top finance team needs now
• [25:37] Why owning the business narrative is the CFO’s next big job
• [30:22] The one capability future CFOs must develop for 2030
• [33:25] How cleaning your data unlocks next-level business insights
In this episode…
Change is accelerating rapidly, but most finance teams were designed for a slower, more predictable world. When volatility is the norm and expectations keep rising, what actually allows a finance organization to stay agile without breaking under pressure?
For Justin Norton, the key lies in finance stepping out of its silo and into the real work of the business. Drawing from his experience as a hands-on finance operator, he explains that resilience comes from clean data, strong judgment, and deep trust with operations, not from building more reports. When finance becomes the connective tissue across teams, it stops reacting to change and starts shaping smarter decisions before problems escalate.
In this episode of the Level Up, Nick Araco is joined by Justin Norton, Chief Financial Officer at Brekhus Tile & Stone, to discuss building agile and resilient finance teams in a rapidly changing world. They explore why finance must act as the tip of the spear across the organization, how judgment and prioritization matter more than dashboards, and what it takes to turn messy data into actionable insight.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
• Nick Araco on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-araco-jr-37b834
• CFO Alliance - https://www.thecfoalliance.com
• Justin Norton, CPA, MAcc on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-n-60798310a/
• Brekhus Tile & Stone - https://www.brekhustile.com/
• “Mastering Leadership in Finance Amidst Disruption With Andrew D. Platt” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/3CvQb
• “The Transformative Power of Authentic Leadership in Finance and Operations With Rho Lind” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/s2v0
• “Building Clarity and Strategic Value in the Finance Function With Daniel Nelson” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/VfQ9
• “Why Modern CFOs Must Master Relationships, Storytelling, and AI With Sumeet Agrawal” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/P26nh
• “How People-First Leadership Defines Modern CFO Success With Ilana Esterrich” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/ofd4
• “Scaling Mission-Driven Work Through Financial Discipline and Innovation With Aaron Wilkins” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/XXHd8
• “Staying Grounded and Authentic While Scaling Through Uncertainty With Tracie Williams” on the Level Up - https://bitly.cx/Q93h
• Ranga Bodla on LinkedIn - https://bitly.cx/hsWw3
• The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by Rich Diviney - https://a.co/d/0imvgiHM
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