Justin Golden - Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gould | Real Leadership

What does it take to become the third generation to lead an 87-year-old family business…and still make it your own?

Justin Golden is CEO of Stephen Gould, one of the largest independent supply chain solutions providers in the country. Founded in 1939 as a small packaging storefront on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Stephen Gould has grown under three generations of the Golden family into a global partner for some of the biggest names in consumer products, tech, aerospace and retail, spanning more than 40 locations across six countries. Justin spent nearly two decades earning his seat, starting as a sales manager in 2007 before becoming VP, then president, then CEO this past January.

What makes this conversation compelling isn't just the family business success story — it's Justin's honesty about what generational leadership actually requires.

In this episode, we cover:

How Stephen Gould's founders built a profit-sharing platform for independent sales agents that still drives the business today

The story behind Stephen Gould's shift from a roughly $2 million mom-and-pop operation to a $1 billion national and global supply chain partner

How Justin's early years — from filing invoices in 7th grade to getting kicked out of a Manhattan office building by security — shaped his leadership instincts

What it took to break down decades of decentralized silos and connect intelligence across 200+ independent agents

The real tension Justin and his father worked through once they were both in senior leadership roles together

Why Stephen Gould brought in its first fully independent board members in 2022 — and what ‘family owned, professionally run’ means in practice

How Stephen Gould has evolved from a packaging supplier into a full-spectrum supply chain partner across aerospace, cosmetics and beyond

How Justin is already thinking about setting up a fourth generation for success