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Hometown Pie Company Cooks With Executive Coaching
With the help of: Kansas Manufacturing Solutions
About
In October 2016, the first pies went out as wholesale pies to Pome on the Range in Williamsburg, Kansas. Pome on the Range is an orchard and winery that is a popular family attraction. From there, with her husband Chad's support, she has been able to expand and grow her pie business to include 30 flavors of pies and 10 flavors of cheesecakes distributed to over 40 retail locations in Kansas and Missouri from their operation headquarters in New Strawn, KS.
The Challenge
Hometown Pie Company is receiving recognition as a premiere made-from-scratch pie operation because Wanda Chaffain is an exceptional food manufacturer. Wanda also wants to be an exceptional leader. As the company continues to grow, Wanda needs to assume not only the role of pie manufacturer, but also the role of business leader, making appropriate business decisions to help the company as it goes through changes associated with growth. It is critical she improves her personal productivity and leadership effectiveness which will allow her to determine which direction she wants to take the business and how large she wants it to become.
We are very excited about the growth opportunity Hometown Pie Company has in its future. Kansas Manufacturing Solutions’ support with developing the skills I need to effectively grow my business and to manage that growth has been very beneficial.
MEP's Role
Wanda sought external expertise from Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, part of the MEP National Network™, for executive coaching to help Wanda work "on" the business rather than just "in" the business. Kansas Manufacturing Solutions worked closely with Wanda to customize a virtual training and coaching solution to support the goals she wanted to achieve. The ultimate objective was to improve Wanda's ability to lead effectively. Multiple one-on-one sessions were conducted on a bi-weekly basis with a combination of different leadership and management topics. Wanda is working to learn how to maximize her strengths, minimize her weaknesses, delegate, make critical decisions for the company and herself, and lead the organization toward growth and profitability.
With the awareness and knowledge Wanda gained, she can be confident in her decisions and performance as the Hometown Pie Company business leader. While she is still determining which direction she wants to take her company, she has tools and resources to manage to the objectives she wants to achieve.