1. June 6, 2016
To whom it may concern:
I had an opportunity to work with Jason Cole over a crucial period in Laco Woodworking's
history, when I served as Interim COO in 2013 into 2014.
In my time working with Jason we were able to successfully turned the company from a $5
million dollar a year Company that was shrinking in sales and losing money, to over $8
million in sales in making a profit. He also helped implement clearly defined expectations for
the team, realigned responsibilities, streamlined operations and implemented performance
measurement dashboards and accountability that created consistent results month after
month.
Looking back over that period of time, it is absolutely without question Jason was the key to
turning around the company.
Jason is an outstanding big picture thinker, but he can also be counted on to develop
practical solutions to solve problems and bring people together toward the accomplishment
of a common goal.
I saw him do this over and over again as he grew from an operations role to mostly running
the company day in and day out.
When I completed my work at Laco in 2013, we were all in agreement that it was time for
Jason to run the company without the assistance of the former leadership team.
Jason clearly had the confidence of the team, clear processes in place and a lot of
momentum. But there were still changes to be made.
Unfortunately, in the months that followed, the old leadership team decided to return to the
business practices that almost put them out of business - running the business by the seat
of their pants, with subjective decision-making instead of relying on the business practices
we put in place in 2013.
Is unfortunate that Jason was not given that opportunity to run the company and complete
the transformation- as I am confident the company would be thriving today, if he had been
able to continue on the path he created.
If you were looking for a hard-working, innovative problem solver, who has outstanding
leadership skills, and a thirst for learning that I have not seen many people match, Jason
would be a great addition to your team. He is a tireless worker and a tireless student of
leadership, and has read many of the best business books on the market.
But one of the things that makes Jason different is that he doesn't just read books, he

2. understands their main points and is able to implement principles that work for him and his
team.
Jason is destined to be successful. His passion and commitment will not allow any other
outcome.
Please do not hesitate to call me at 803–579–4730 to discuss his attributes and
accomplishment.
Sincerely,
Mike Cooper
Vice President Interstate Solutions