Reed Nunnally: Focused On the Numbers

Reed Nunnally spent five years building his own highly successful construction and real estate business buying, renovating and flipping properties in Louisville, Kentucky's historic Highlands area. But after a couple of years nursing a bad back, he knew he needed to switch gears.

His father, David Nunnally—interested in finding an operations manager to help run the business—jumped at the chance to get his savvy son on board at his lab, Derby Dental Laboratory, also in Louisville. While Reed had never planned to join the family business, he saw an opportunity to use his marketing degree and business experience at the 62-person operation, so he took his father up on his offer.

"Before making any changes, I spent countless hours in each department, learning every aspect of the operation and getting an understanding of the technicians' mindset," says Reed. After gaining that insight and researching new technology, Reed knew the lab could benefit from increased...