New documentary highlights Broad alum’s path to business ownership

A new documentary by first-time director Justice Bomer and Sleeping Giant Capital, The Chase, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the entrepreneurial journey of Broad College of Business alumnus Justin Murray (B.A. Finance ’07, MBA ’12). The film follows Murray’s path to becoming president of SignComp in Grand Rapids, capturing both the uncertainty and opportunity that come with acquiring and leading an established business.

While the documentary brings that story to life on screen, Murray’s journey began years earlier in East Lansing.

Murray, who grew up in East Lansing, earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Eli Broad College of Business and has remained closely connected to the college, serving on multiple advisory boards. His early career in wealth management exposed him to a wide range of business owners, an experience that quietly shaped his long-term goals.

“Most of our clients ended up being business owners with really interesting backgrounds,” Murray said. “They rarely had a traditional Fortune 500 career. That always stuck with me. I was interested in what it would look like to own and operate a business.”

At the time, however, that path wasn’t clearly defined.

It wasn’t until later, after roles in large corporations and during conversations with industry peers, that Murray began to see a viable route forward. That path would ultimately lead him to entrepreneurship through acquisition.

Entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) offers an alternative to the traditional startup model. Rather than building a company from scratch, aspiring entrepreneurs identify, acquire and grow an existing business.

The model is particularly appealing to experienced professionals who want to lead a company but may not have the capital or desire to start a business from the ground up. Instead, they leverage their operational and leadership experience to scale an established organization.

For Murray, that opportunity came through Sleeping Giant Capital, a Michigan-based investment fund focused on supporting leaders and backing aspiring CEOs to acquire and grow a Michigan business. As a CEO-in-residence, his full-time role was to identify and pursue a company aligned with his experience and vision.

He found it in SignComp.

Murray credits his MBA experience at Broad with expanding his perspective beyond finance and preparing him for the complexity of running a business.

“Coming out of undergrad, my focus was on finance. I was really only seeing one path,” he said. “Through the MBA, I gained knowledge in a many different functions. In roles at Mars Inc. and Stryker Corp. I was able to apply my schooling to several cross-functional jobs.”

That cross-functional foundation proved critical once he stepped into an ownership role.

“As a business owner, you’re responsible for a lot of different things,” he said. “Now I know enough to be helpful to my team in a number of areas.”

Beyond the classroom, Murray also points to the value of Broad’s career resources and alumni network.

“I used the career services center during my MBA. The resume writing support was helpful, and it guided me toward companies that were a great fit,” he said. “The alumni network has also been huge. People are incredibly generous with their time, and now I often have others reaching out to learn more about my journey.”

Since becoming president of SignComp in 2023, Murray has focused on growth, both for the company and its people. His long-term vision includes expanding operations while creating opportunities for talent within Michigan.

“Having business owners from the state is important,” he said. “If a business is bought by an out-of-state firm, that talent often comes from outside. We want to keep growing talent here in Michigan.”

For Murray, the work is just beginning.

“Building and growing the company, taking it from where we bought it and planning to double it, that’s what excites me,” he said. “There’s a real opportunity to make an impact, not just for the business, but for the region.”

For students interested in entrepreneurship, Murray emphasizes that mindset and experience are just as critical as technical skills.

“Finance and accounting are the best foundation for anything you want to do,” he said. “No matter the function, marketing, operations, product development, you need to understand the financial impact of your work.”

But beyond the fundamentals, Murray points to the value of learning what excellence looks like before stepping into ownership.

“I would tell people to go out and work for someone else first,” he said. “You see what excellence looks like when you work for established companies that have built competencies in marketing or sales. Having that excellence modelled for you provides a clear idea of how to lead in your own business.”

Drawing from his own path, Murray said those early experiences across large organizations helped shape how he approaches leadership today, exposing him to specialized areas like product development and sales, while building a broad, working knowledge across functions.

“As a business owner, you’re responsible for all functions,” he said.  “It’s great to have a wide range of experiences to draw from as we solve problems and work to grow our business.”