Find and keep good people
When the company made the decision to
go into China, the move took foresight, but
it also met with some initial resistance.
“Early on, there was some resistance to
change, there was a fear of losing jobs if we
started a manufacturing plant outside of
Columbus, there was a fear of the risk of
going into China,” Tabor says. “We
explained why we were doing it. Nobody
stood up and said hooray. We had the non-believers, the believers and the fence-sitters. There were a lot of good reasons
not to go to China at that time. But if you
looked at China, with their 1.3 billion people and everyone who wants cars and
homes and microwaves, there was going
to be a market there someday, and that
proved true.”
Once the China expansion was successful, with no effect on jobs at the Columbus
operation, all former resistance dissipated.
“It was like smoke; it just went away.
Success relieves fear, no question about
it,” Tabor says, noting that international
affiliates contribute half of the company’s
profits now.
Beyond success, fending off employee
resistance to a change also can come
through showing the value people have by
letting them have their own slice of pie.
Allied has had an ESOP, an employee stock
ownership plan, since the successful
expansion. He recommends the move for
companies looking for commitment and
quality from its workers.
There’s a 12.5 percent contribution,
based on the employee’s pay, that’s paid by
the company.
“Being an owner certainly affects the attitude and work ethic in a positive way,”
Tabor says. “When you have a program like
this, where everyone shares in the fruits of
the corporation, how can you go wrong?
As long as you’re making the right moves
as the president, and the stock doesn’t go
down, you get 100 percent backing by the
employees.”
Tabor’s business model calls for a lot of
personal contact.
“We do a lot of traveling, visiting our manufacturing plants overseas and our customers,” he says. “We do interviews with
all our employees every six months. We
have an open-door policy, and we interview everyone twice a year from janitors to
vice presidents. We talk about their goals,
what they’ve accomplished, problems,
complaints — just having a conversation is
about 50 percent of it, so you get to know
people who are here at the company.”
That Allied continues to grow is a result
of Tabor’s resolution to keep to his leadership principles and make sure he has the
right people in the right markets. While
growth to $109 million is impressive in any
business, it’s particularly noteworthy in
Tabor’s business, where the number of
foundries has dropped from 6,500 to 2,000
since 1980. As a result, he is more interested than ever in rewarding his people for
their efforts.
“Our company has had amazing growth
in sales and profits, and we continue to
have excellent growth opportunities,” he
says. “Whoever said you win with people
was right on. The only thing I can add to
that is that people around the world want
the same thing. They want to improve their
lot in life — these are the people you want
working for you at your company anywhere in the world.”
HOW TO REACH: Allied Mineral Products Inc., (614) 876-0244
or www.alliedmin.com
