Stewardship taken seriously
The Summit of Sustainability Awards Winner Mid-Size Business CategoryKent Elastomer Products Inc. In its 53-year history, Kent Elastomer Products Inc. has evolved from a latex tubing manufacturer into a diversified supplier of products ranging from thermoplastic elastomers to non-latex Free-Band Tourniquets. The company started lean manufacturing in 2006 with an emphasis on continuous improvement. […]
Sustainable ways of working
The Summit of Sustainability Awards Winner Large Business CategoryGOJO Industries Inc. GOJO Industries Inc. was built upon a legacy of sustainability — there had to be a better, safer and gentler way for Akron’s rubber workers during World War II to clean their hands. The harsh benzene chemical used at the time was unhealthy. The […]
Angelo Petitti grew Petitti Garden Centers by staying ahead of the trends and focusing on the customer
With no money and little experience in horticulture, Angelo Petitti founded Petitti Garden Centers in 1966 out of an oversized garage — for pretty much no other reason than he enjoyed working outdoors. It wasn’t long before Petitti’s gardening knowledge grew, and he began driving the growth of his business based on the belief that […]
Rich Wilson had to find the right mix so the culture at CertaPro Painters could go beyond a flat finish
When Rich Wilson joined CertaPro Painters in 2003, the company was taking in about $50 million a year in sales. That doesn’t seem like a bad number, but the residential painting franchise company had become stuck at that level, and there wasn’t much reason to believe it was going to change anytime soon. As he […]
Craig Vodnik faced early challenges at cleverbridge, but built a team eager to help beat the odds
How Craig Vodnik built a business for everyone, including Antarctica.
John Carroll University: How to react when you suspect an employee of fraud
No company is immune to fraud. You may have stringent internal controls, and rigorous hiring and training programs, but still employees may find ways to violate standards. “It is not enough to have a strong personal ethical code. It needs to be communicated and enforced to become corporate culture,” says Mariah Webinger, Ph.D., an assistant […]
Natasha Ashton – Helpful tips to help drive creativity and find the next big thing
Inspiration and innovation are traits that no successful business can do without. The ability to rise above the daily grind and see the big picture is the mark of a true leader. But no company can coast on the dreams of one or two individuals alone. Cultivating a corporate environment where inspiration and innovation abound […]
Why it’s important to be informed of common HR violations and their consequences
After nine successful seasons, NBC’s “The Office” called it quits earlier this year. Catch an episode in syndication, though, and the administrative missteps of Dunder Mifflin’s branch managers and the valiant efforts of the paper company’s downtrodden HR guy to counsel his misguided bosses will still leave you laughing. HR mishaps and insensitive gaffes make […]
What it takes to have maximum clarity with your communications
Communication style conflicts can have a powerful effect on the activities within a corporation. When we communicate, we are either building or breaking down relationships with individuals who are part of our working teams. In the business environment, management problems are more frequently interpersonal problems than anything else. If we can become more sensitive to […]
Building a culture of productive risk-taking
The truly wimpy have already written off this article because they are afraid of risk, so you are likely already beating them in the marketplace, or soon will be. Investment is risk, innovation is risk, creativity is risk, growth is risk. These are things that organizations and leaders say they want to include in their […]