Real Cedar from SELIflRK

HENRY P00R considers its people to be its most valuable assets, including (eft to right) former construction framer Suan Schultz, who now manages the warehouse and logistics operations; purchasing agents Susan Kirts and Lacey Allen, who have advanced from clerks to building product specialists, and newly hired general mgr. Jeff Renie.

bars. kitchen. baths-with custom choices that make the homeowner go, 'Wowl' and start the dialogue of possibilities. The interiors side of our business is extremely custom-oriented." And you know what that means when talk turns to margins.

Henry Poor also has initiated a rewards program for its builders, against Tim's better judgment. Well, he was wrong. "I was skeptical at first, but it's helping. If they use Home Works, we can introduce them to the lumber side, and vice versa, and it pays off for them." Chalk up another win/win deal.

"We spend a lot of money entertaining the customers we're looking for-and on their education, such as plant tours. We educate them to build rapport," Tim explains.

Eggs in how many baskets, then? Wait, here's another one, and it's a honey. "We're moving more into the commercial side," he reveals. "Purdue University is located here, and we're getting tons of work from them-an extremely large success. At first we'd thought we'd have to hire different salespeople, but we found that our present workforce could handle it, with a little education to get more comfortable. There's no need to over-think it. We're making big inroads in multifamily and commercial, areas of significant growth for us. We're making those inroads by doing framing and installing siding and paneling for them."

Clearly, Henry Poor's employees do not sleepwalk through their jobs-and that's no accident. Employee education is a big deal here, "especially in down times." It's all about information sharing, and that's a new thing. "It's been interesting for me to see," Tim relates. "I came in as an accountant, so at first they thought of me just as a bean counter; they couldn't see any added value. But as the lumber market has fluctuated, they've come to understand that they really benefit from my ability to share that information. Now, we feed off each other. Before, it was, 'Life is good, why change? Why share information?' It's opened up communications and training. And it's working."

Another success innovation is the new outlook regarding employees. "I recognized, when I came in, that we're a small company, under 60 people," Tim says. "But you need to make a career path for them, and that wasn't understood. I want every person here to feel that they can get a career, and that translates to being paid reasonably and being given the opportunity to learn and grow. Man-

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