GRONLUND'S COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AND SERVICE- SUCCESS IN ACTION

摘要

Owners of multi-million-dollar companies typically do not make drastic changes to their product lines or manufacturing methods. After all, if it ain't broke, why fix it? Why indeed. Just ask Robert Gronlund, chairman and CEO of Kreamer, PA-based Wood-Mode Inc. Gronlund took a successful company and made it even better, increasing sales almost 30-fold during his 31-year tenure as CEO to more than $225 million, while at the same time adding new products, streamlining production and improving quality management. Under Gronlund's 31 years of leadership, the vertically integrated cabinet company: 1. became one of the first large U.S. manufacturers to commit to frameless style cabinetry; 2. implemented a policy to remain loyal to its network of independent dealers and not sell its cabinetry through big box retailers; 3. invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on upgrades throughout the plant, most recently in the lumber processing and rough mill areas; 4. initiated a TQM (total quality management) program to improve, among other items, customer service and supplier relationships; 5. began a decades-long commitment to the community through scholarships, charitable contributions and other volunteer services.