An Eye-Opening Experience

Several years ago, President Joe Plunger recognized the need to incorporate more colleagues into the business planning process and to help prepare organizational leadership successors. Those future leaders determined the business had a strategy, but it was mostly in Joe’s head, and everyone wanted to get that vision out and bring the organization up to speed. Joe had worked with Enterprise Minnesota, part of the MEP National Network™, in the past and connected with his local representative to learn about available business strategy and succession planning services.  

Working with business consultant Steve Haarstad has helped the Midwest Metal Products team clarify the company’s vision and mission. Through the project work, the MMP leadership team has put in place organizational goals and defined its values. Ultimately, it has made the employees’ lives better and easier because MMP now has a better foundation to guide their decision-making process. Understanding how a situation fits into the overall goals and strategies allows the team to make quick and solid decisions that move the company in the right direction.

In addition, the Midwest Metal Products leadership team has made improvements to how they operate, and the workers can see and feel the changes. Through quarterly strategic and annual all-staff meetings, MMP leaders talk about activities, business operations, goals, and progress. They pass down organizational knowledge and business results to help production employees understand the value they bring and how everyone contributes to creating and benefiting from a profitable business.