Precast Inc. - July/August 2008 - (Page 36) NPCA photo courtesy Mayer Brothers Inc. learned what she could from her father, but wanted to find other channels for a broader viewpoint. “My father was never a ‘joiner,’” she says. “He never went to meetings and never joined any type of local associations, but he humored me and allowed me to go.” Mayer turned to NPCA for that outside experience and guidance. “I needed to learn about the industry, and it was the best business investment I ever made,” she says. “That’s how I got my precast education. It was great, because early on many people welcomed me and took me under their wings. Nancy served on the Educational Foundation and became Chair. She also served on the Septic and Grease Interceptor committees as well as the NPCA Board of Directors. “Twenty years ago, as a female precaster, I stood out. But now there are so many women in the business, I am amazed and inspired,” she says. Nearly 10 years ago, Mayer once again turned to the friends she had made through NPCA for advice on taking over the company through a buyout. “My sister and I had taken over from my father, but the time had come to part ways. I got a lot of advice from the friendships I had made through the association,” she recalls. “It wasn’t an easy thing, but the great part is that I know I can still turn to them today anytime that I need advice.” Brothers recently expanded with a new product in aerobic treatment tanks, which are funded by a series of government grants to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. “While this entire residential decline was going on, we started this new product line that helped us maintain volume,” she says. “That government money is in the bank, and they’re willing to spend that money every year. That’s just one of our products that have really helped to balance out the housing crisis.” Nancy is optimistic that with her 18 employees, her assorted products and keeping a close eye on spending, the company will be fine during an economic downturn. “We’re running very lean right now, given the economy,” she says, “but I know that we’ll be just fine. We haven’t had to cut anyone’s hours or lay anyone off. You just have to watch everything very closely and know where you’re spending your money.” Personal freedom It’s shortly after sunrise on a Thursday morning at Mayer Brothers, and a nondescript passenger van pulls into the gravel parking lot. The back door slowly slides open and out steps one of the company’s employees. He’s holding his brown-bag lunch and wearing a new pair of steel-toed boots. The van reverses back into the street and drives into the dark of dawn as the employee makes his way up to the plant. It’s a lonesome scene to most people, but to this employee, it’s one of the best things in his life right now. In fact, he’s just happy to be walking outdoors. He’s an inmate at the Jessup Pre-Release Unit, a minimum security prison in Anne Arundel County, and he’s also one of Mayer Brothers’ best employees, Nancy says. A few years back, Nancy was having a problem keeping quality hourly employees. They seemed to roll in, collect their first paycheck and never return. “We were really struggling with the quality of the workforce,” she recalls. “We weren’t willing to work with day laborers, and I wanted regular, full-time employees that I could depend on.” Typically Mayer Brothers doesn’t have much of a problem with employee dependency. The company has a core group of Optimism is key In the spring of 2008, Mayer Brothers’ steel suppliers announced an immediate 20 percent increase in prices with an additional price increase scheduled in the next month. Nancy weighed her options and decided to buy an excess amount of what the company needed. She purchased enough to keep a supply at the plant that would get them through the summer. “That depends on what we sell, but knock-on-wood, our volume today is up from last year, which is rare for precasters right now,” she says. “As small of a plant as we are, I think we have a pretty diverse product line. Some bigger plants run a narrower product line. So if that part of the economy gets hit, they suffer, because they’re not producing a diverse range of products.” Recognizing the importance of a mixed product line, Mayer 36 JULY/AUGUST 2008 | PRECAST INC.
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.