The Company:

With a history that dates back fifty years, the Par-Kan Company continues to fulfill its original mission: "To provide our customers with quality product, when they need them and at a fair price." The company was sold several times while it expanded its product offerings. In the '90s, management envisioned expanding the company into new markets. Soon the original agricultural support business was serving the rapidly growing restaurant and aircraft industries.

The Challenge:

In early 2001, the Par-Kan executive team participated in the LMI Effective Management Development program. The team was only months into applying the techniques acquired from the EMD process, when Par-Kan immediately experienced a setback in business caused by the events of September 11, 2001. Par-Kan transitioned into "secure mode" to protect itself against the unpredictable economy. The short-term plan was to be conservative and reduce expenses in training and development. Over the next two years, the attitude at Par-Kan became unproductive, distrustful, and unstable.

The LMI Process™:

When Par-Kan's executive team went through EMD, the participants learned that in order to effectively manage employees, you must first become an effective manager. Under President David Caldwell's leadership, all levels of the organization would take part in the LMI Process. In 2004, 13 supervisors were enrolled in the LMI Effective Supervisory Management process. The group went through the process again with four new supervisors. The result the second time around was that each of the original participants had learned something new. In 2006, Par-Kan invested in the support staff with Effective Staff Development. That same year the executive team began the company's strategic and operational planning using Organizational Strategic Analysis and the EMD Plan of Action. They identified the company's vision and purpose by defining goals that each level of the organization understood and respected, creating an unprecedented teamwork attitude. David was immediately noticing significant changes in attitudes, values, productivity levels, communication skills, and morale.

The Difference:

The attitude at Par-Kan has changed 180º to an environment that David describes as "infected with pride." This has translated into a growing list of measurable results. In a two-year period, gross sales increased 40% and profits climbed from 1.9% to 9.3% before tax. Overall productivity increased a total of 20% and turnover is now considered minimal. The increases in profits have resulted in higher profit sharing and year-end bonuses. Warranty issues are practically a thing of the past. Innovative ideas are becoming realities everyday, as a result of buy-in from the entire team. David says, "We have grown as a company, but we have a long way to go. Our continued use of LMI programs will help us achieve the ambitious goals we set for ourselves."