LOCATION: 1025 North Enterprise Dr., Mequon
WEB SITE: www.genmet.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1993
PRODUCT OR SERVICE OFFERED: Full service, woman-owned, custom metal fabricator-laser; shear, punch, roll, form, weld, and manage supply chains.
PROJECTED 2006 REVENUE: $12 million
LEADERSHIP TEAM: Eric Isbister, chief executive officer; Mary Isbister, president; Dave Stern, director of operations; Tom Hagen, vice president of sales.
TARGET CLIENTELE: Original equipment manufacturers, truck, cement, locomotive and construction industries, point of purchase store display, shelving, enclosures, electronic enclosures.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS: None
WHAT HAS FUELED YOUR COMPANY’S GROWTH? Employee-led continuous improvement initiatives and new high technology equipment.
DO YOU PLAN ANY CHANGES IN YOUR COMPANY IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS? General MetalWorks is undergoing radical changes, and the employees are doing them. The initiatives include: ISO certification, lean manufacturing training, value stream mapping, manufacturing critical path time evaluation and a paperless shop. General MetalWorks is investing heavily in new technology equipment and the employee training that is necessary to make it successful.
WHO ARE THE BUSINESS PEOPLE, LOCALLY OR NATIONALLY, WHOM YOU ADMIRE? AND WHAT TRAITS DO THOSE PEOPLE EXHIBIT THAT MAKE YOU ADMIRE THEM? The following business people, locally or nationally, whom I admire have made significant impressions on how I conduct myself and therefore my company. The traits those people exhibit that make me admire them are many and varied. These traits are similar to a good soup with many spices and ingredients.
• I came right out of school as a young impressionable engineer and was lucky enough to spend my formative years in the Naval Nuclear program (although I would be proud to say I was in the Navy I was a civilian). I’ve sailed on submarines with Admiral Rickover and worked 23 years under the strict principles of his Naval Nuclear Program. Admiral H.G. Rickover made an impression on me for attention to the details.
• Colin Powell made an impression on me for his power and pride, and how he sets high standards, trains, motivates and equips to succeed. “The bedrock of an organization is trust.”
• Ram Charan made an impression on me by his consistency, tenacity, practice, persistence and ability to simplify complexity. “It’s not you; build a team.” Have laser sharp priorities (not 20). Put the right people in the right jobs. Have the right metrics.
• Patrick Lencioni made an impression on me because of his stress of trust, ability to engage in conflict, his stress of commitment, accountability and attention to results.
• Larry Bossidy made an impression on me because he’ll find someone who is struggling and help him. “The essence of execution is accountability.”
• Jack Welch made an impression on me because he can build a management team that builds a lot of leaders. “If your company is doing today what they did six months ago you are in trouble.”
• Mary Isbister, president and majority owner of General MetalWorks has the
uncanny ability to take my thoughts and make them reality through the people at General MetalWorks. Mary impresses me daily with the way she conducts herself and trains our employees. One in my position, CEO, needs to be continually “thirsty” for new knowledge and to learn from those who have done well before him. That is why I always listen and read.
WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE BUSINESS CONDITIONS OF YOUR INDUSTRY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS? Confronting reality is necessary. A manufacturing company must find ways to compete on other than price. If part quantities are present and a manufacturer doesn’t have reasons for his customer to come then the manufacturing will go overseas. Employees must be an integral part of decisions and improvements or a company cannot survive in this day and age.
Congratulations from these strategic partners:
