Scott Barbour: Inside ADS's Growth Blueprint

In this episode of the Titanium Economy podcast, Scott Barbour, CEO of Advanced Drainage Systems, talks to Akshay Sethi, President & Head of Commercial Excellence at Ayna, discusses how the company grew from a $2 billion market cap to $12 billion through strong operations, acquisitions, and capital allocation. He explains how ADS manages stormwater and septic systems while recycling around 500 million pounds of plastic each year as part of its sustainability strategy. Scott also shares how acquisitions like Infiltrator and NDS helped expand ADS’s water management capabilities and improve profitability. The conversation highlights the importance of focus, operational discipline, engineering innovation, and attracting talent to industrial businesses. Scott on LinkedIn:   / d-scott-barbour-072408142   Hosted by Akshay Sethi:   / akshay-sethi-527a1a20   Powered by Ayna | Titanium Economy Podcast Learn More: https://www.ayna.ai/resources/ayna-hub (00:00) — Introduction & The ADS Industrial Story (06:25) — The Three Value Creation Levers (11:04) — Material Conversion Strategy & the Infiltrator/NDS Acquisitions T (20:27) — Sustainability, Recycling, and the $65M Engineering & Technology Center (34:44) — Leadership Lessons, Industrial Focus, and the Talent