Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning was started in 1945 by George T. Isaac and is now in its third generation of family ownership. The company is led by four brothers who fill different roles in the company. The current president, Ray Isaac, who had worked in the family business since he was 14 years old…

In 2008, Ken and his brother Dan Shuman entered into an agreement to buy the company from their father, Charlie. Convinced that its culture was central to its existence, Ken and Dan decided to establish culture as a deliberate company strategy, aligning everyone on the same core values. They engaged four long-term employees to validate a set of core beliefs that would be the basis of how Shuman Plastics operates.

Many acquisitions fail because of differences in culture between acquirer and acquired. This was a challenge for American Refining Group, Inc. (ARG), when it acquired the much larger Bradford Oil Refinery from Witco Corporation. Witco was diversifying out of the petroleum business and had always had a corporate-oriented top-down culture.

Frank Reabe is a folksy, affable CEO who converted a poorly run business into a thriving, successful enterprise dedicated to early education of children. He and his team accomplished this through sound fiscal management, a clearly articulated mission, action-oriented core values, and a passion for infusing fun into the everyday operations of each of their early education learning centers.

John Thies and his sister, Michelle Klann, decided to start their business, Email on Acid, after working with companies to ensure their emails looked correct in every inbox. Taking on the role of CEO and growing the company was a new experience for John. Like many startup entrepreneurs, he did every job, including hiring new employees.

Korbond was founded in Australia by Henry Korski and his wife in 1956. Their initial success was due to an innovative bonding process for clothing and shoes that Mrs. Korski, a chemist, created. Early on, the business focused on selling to the garment trade. Chinese competition in the 1970s influenced the company to pivot…

On a recent flight to Brazil, I had the good fortune to sit next to a gentleman who turned out to be the general manager of the South American division of a multinational company. Being curious, I asked him about his company, listening intently to how he described its culture.

After six years working in the insurance industry, Lew Kachulis was invited to join Gilbert’s Risk Solutions Insurance Agency, where his father was one of three owners. Lew had another job offer, but he accepted the hometown invitation on condition that he would stay only if the company was a good fit for him.

Sage Rutty is a fourth-generation family business founded in 1915 in Rochester, New York. The company initially sold bonds and for most of its existence was a full-service stock brokerage firm. The current CEO, Wayne Holly, joined the company in 1970.

After a career playing for the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants NFL football teams, Ron Johnson became an entrepreneur, buying and operating Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in New Jersey, Tennessee, and Michigan. From the start, this was intended to be a family business.

Is it possible to be a high-volume, low-cost producer and cultivate a healthy culture? Some would say no, if only because high volumes mean high efficiency and production methods that dictate and control employee behavior.

Sekisui Kydex is a major producer of colored thermoplastics for the medical and transportation industries. An example of one of its products is the fold-down tray tables on aircraft. In 1991, the company, originally named Kydex, ran into financial problems and was sold to the Japanese conglomerate Sekisui Chemical. Known for its innovative technology, Kydex had struggled selling its products.

Neenan Archistruction prides itself as an industry disruptor when it comes to developing, designing, and building physical structures. It even coined and trademarked the term “Archistruction” to characterize the completeness of its approach to managing projects from design through to construction.

Like most successful change agents, Rozanski believes that the Gintzler culture is a work in progress. His investment in executive development is paying off in improved performance and communication, stronger teamwork, low employee turnover, and higher quality. Several managers are thriving and growing by being empowered to make decisions for the betterment of the company and each other.

How does a company that sells products for cleaning up industrial messes and is led by an accountant who is data oriented create a successful business with an engaging, fun culture? While success may seem unlikely, it is the story of how a small Pennsylvania company used data-based marketing to grow its business of helping its customers clean up oil leaks and other fluid spills in industrial plants.

In our last blog post, we suggested ways for a company to predict, manage, and prepare for business downturns without necessarily resorting to layoffs as a primary response. What we are witnessing with the COVID-19 pandemic is unavoidable layoffs--companies that are compelled to lay off workers in order to survive. In this post, we would like to focus on how a healthy company culture…

Our nation is experiencing two crises. The first is the coronavirus itself and its threat to public health. The second is the economic devastation created by the shutting down of major sectors of our economy. Much of the attention by federal, state, and local governments has been focused on protecting workers and the public from the disease and on ensuring that people who have lost their jobs…

One of the new realities for companies coping with social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic is managing employees who are asked to work from home. Here are a few challenges that working at home creates:
Communicating with dozens of remote workers· Holding workers accountable for results· Coordinating virtual teams· Maintaining strong customer support· Creating and maintaining a healthy culture

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted our lives while driving our economy into a tailspin. Many businesses have seen their revenues shrink, straining their ability to continue operations. Some businesses have closed their doors--with uncertainty that they will ever open again.

In 2001, Dan Moceri, Greg Lenihan, and eight senior executives left their secure jobs at Siemens to start their own business, which they named Convergint Technologies. Why did they take on this risk? Their response was frustration with the culture of a large corporate bureaucracy. They wanted to work in a business that had an entrepreneurial spirit, offered great customer service, and empowered its leaders.