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Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

Tactical Gear Junkie: Executive Coaching & Leadership Development

With the help of: Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KY-MEP)

About

Willow Hill Supply, LLC, DBA Tactical Gear Junkie, is in its 10th year of business in Winchester, Kentucky. The company has a 14,500 sq. ft. facility near Interstate 64, where they use state-of-the-art embroidery and print equipment to produce thousands of orders a week. Their design and production talents, along with world-class quality products, has lead to increased demand in embroidered patches and printed goods for the military, police and the general public.

The Challenge

Rapid growth over two years was stressing their ability to manage operations. The president and co-president even joined the staff on the production floor, working long hours to complete orders. Employee turnover was high, work quality was inconsistent and production bottlenecks resulted in delays and frustration.
AKA has been an immense help to the growth and success of our business. Since contacting them late last year, we have been able to implement new techniques, strategies and policies to make life as an owner and a team member less stressful and more fulfilling. They have a full spectrum of trusted experts that we can always lean on for advice.
— Lillian Gorman, Owner

MEP's Role

Tactical Gear Junkie initially contracted with Advantage Kentucky Alliance, part of the MEP National Network™, to provide executive and business coaching. As the coaching process unfolded, additional expertise was brought in to support human resources, leadership and manufacturing optimization. The AKA team, working in tandem with Tactical Gear employees, identified and addressed multiple “growing pains”.

The results have been dramatic. Labor turnover has been significantly reduced and employee satisfaction and engagement has improved as the workforce has taken ownership of their team roles. Production delays have been significantly reduced and most importantly, the owner (president) and co-president are now focusing the majority of their time on running the business rather than working in the business.

Created August 4, 2022