PFFC - December 2007 - (Page 64)

EXPERIENCE SPEAKS uAre there any business books you recommend? Good to Great by Jim Collins; The Balanced Scorecard by Robert S. Kaplan and David P Norton; A Bias for . Action by Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal; and Hiring the Best by Martin Yate are some of the books that have influenced my thinking. product line, and changed leadership at the plant. Now this is one of our most productive operations. uWhat is the best advice you ever got? Sell high, buy low. Unfortunately, my stock portfolio would suggest I never paid much attention to that advice! Hire the very best people. Your success is built on that foundation. uWhat keeps you up at night with regard to your business? I’m pleased to report that generally I sleep very well! However, raw material costs and availability are an ongoing concern. uWhat do you enjoy most about your job? When we get orders for a truckload of product, we ring bells or blow whistles. It’s a great way for everyone to celebrate. uWhat is the biggest mistake you made and how did you fix it? I did not act soon enough when one of our plants began to under-perform. Eventually we re-prioritized our goals for that operation, sold off a nonstrategic uWhat advice would you give someone just starting out in this business? Find something you really like doing. You may not find this initially, but keep looking. It isn’t all about the money. Being unhappy with your job or your boss, even if you’re paid well, is not a good place to be. uDo you have a personal hero? My son Andy. He has Down syndrome, and I have been inspired by what he’s accomplished. At 37, he’s been happily married for over ten years, lives independently, has been gainfully employed since leaving high school, and has the most remarkable, positive outlook on life. uRichard C. Detienne uPresident of Great Northern Corp. Specialty Group uManagement style | Empowerment uHobbies | Volunteerism, racquetball, tennis, and golf uHow did you get into the converting business? The first 20 years of my career were with Thilmany Pulp & Paper. I was asked to run Laminations when its president was approaching retirement. It was one of those “right time, right place” career opportunities. uWhat is the key to growing a business in a bad economy? I’m not certain that “growing” a business in a bad economy is always a desirable goal. Focusing the business on your best customers and working on future opportunities may be much wiser than chasing orders to maintain year-to-year growth. uWhat is the biggest threat to the converting industry right now? Avoiding a race-to-the-bottom mentality. Just providing cheaper products is not the answer to many customers’ concerns about being competitive in a global economy. About Laminations, part of Great Northern Corp. Specialty Group u3010 E. Venture Dr., Appleton, WI 54911 uwww.laminationsonline.com uFounded 1973; 5 plants; 185 employees uSpecialty | Sustainable protective packaging solutions How do you celebrate your company’s success? Share your perspective. Write to yolanda.simonsis@penton.com. 64 | DECEMBER 2007 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.laminationsonline.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - December 2007

PFFC - December 2007 Table of Contents First Glance From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Carton & Box Reporter 2008 Calendar of Events Materials Testing Pilot/Lab/Technical Facilities What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - December 2007

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