Growth Infrastructure

We build the systems
that make growth hold.

heartland builds growth infrastructure for PE-backed companies - the marketing, sales, technology, and operations systems that turn growth mandates into sustainable outcomes.

Let's Talk → How We Work
What We Do

Most growth problems aren't strategy problems.

They're systems problems. The tech stack that can't scale. The sales process that leaks at every stage. The post-acquisition integration stuck because no one owns the commercial transformation.

That's what we fix. Marketing, sales, technology, operations, AI - integrated and compounding. Not a strategy deck. A working system with an owner.

The vertical changes. The problems don't.

  • 01 Diagnose what's broken - usually everything touches everything
  • 02 Design the system that fixes it - process, technology, org structure, metrics
  • 03 Install it alongside your team - we work with you, not at you
  • 04 Ensure it holds - training, accountability, continuous performance
How We Work Together

Three ways in.
One standard of work.

Every engagement begins with understanding the system. The right depth becomes clear in the first conversation. We don't take every engagement - fit matters.

01 The Audit

A focused diagnostic of your growth infrastructure across marketing, sales, technology, and operations. We surface the real break points, not the symptoms. You leave with a prioritized roadmap and a clear picture of what needs to change.

Entry Point
02 Advisory

Ongoing strategic counsel for organizations with teams in place who need senior-level direction and accountability. Strategy set, assumptions challenged, performance held to standard. Month-to-month. No overhead theater.

Ongoing
03 Embedded

We operate inside your organization - owning growth strategy, systems transformation, team performance, and results. The deep work: rebuilding the commercial engine alongside your team with full accountability for outcomes.

Anchor
Thinking

Original perspective on growth infrastructure.

A bi-weekly dispatch on what it actually takes to build and operate the systems that make PE-backed companies scale. No lead magnets. No funnels. No marketing theater.

Published bi-weekly. Written by an operator, for operators. Unsubscribe any time.

Next Up in Ground Work
  1. 01 Growth infrastructure breaks before strategy does
  2. 02 The commercial engine is not the sales team
  3. 03 Post-acquisition integration starts with the revenue system
  4. 04 AI in regulated environments is an operator problem
  5. 05 The audit is the engagement
Who We Work With

We're selective.
Fit matters to us.

PE-backed companies where growth complexity requires systems-level thinking - not more tactics. Post-acquisition integration, digital transformation, multi-location scale, AI implementation where precision isn't optional.

Right fit
  • →Growth problems that recur despite tactical fixes
  • →Leaders who make decisions and hold teams accountable
  • →Organizations that value systems over heroics
  • →PE-backed companies with a real growth mandate
  • →Operators who want someone who builds, not observes
Not a fit
  • —Looking for ad management, content, or social media
  • —Hiring a consultant to validate decisions already made
  • —Seeking the cheapest option
  • —Unwilling to make hard calls on team or process
  • —Want a report, not a rebuilt system
Justin Knechtel
Justin Knechtel

The operator
behind heartland.

I'm the operator you bring in when growth infrastructure is broken and needs to be rebuilt - not a consultant hired to document it.

Twenty-five years in commercial leadership. I've taken companies from $50M to $200M+ through transformation, integration, and scale - building the marketing, sales, and technology systems that make growth hold. Salesforce ecosystems, AI-driven revenue operations, multi-channel acquisition, M&A integration, franchise system development, multi-unit operations, regulatory environments where mistakes are expensive. The work spans healthcare, professional services, consumer brands, and technology.

The vertical changes. The problems don't.

I don't advise from a distance. I build alongside your team, lead the transformation, and develop the internal capability to sustain it after I'm gone.

When I'm not working, I'm coaching hockey, fishing, or somewhere outdoors with my wife, our horses, and four kids.

LinkedIn → jk@htlnd.co

Let's talk.

No proposals. No committees. Thirty minutes to determine if there's a fit. If we're aligned, we move.

Schedule a Discovery Call →