Local Bakersfield central vacuum installer, Bob Norville of California Central Vacuum regularly donates his time and effort to many worthwhile causes in our community and he came to MD asking for a central vacuum unit for Cpl Evan Morgan. This young man lost both legs and part of his eyesight in Iraq and as a “thank you” for his service and sacrifice, Homes for our Troops has built him a new home to assist him in his new challenges in life.

Homes for Our Troops is a national non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2004 strongly committed to helping those who have selflessly given to our country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries since September 11, 2001. It is their duty and our honor to assist severely injured Servicemen and Servicewomen and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and to coordinate the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently.

Bob had been telling us of the great example Evan was but meeting Evan at the home last weekend energized us as we saw in him, not despair and uncertainty, but life and hope and excitement. M.D. Manufacturing, Inc. is proud to have donated a central vacuum to Corporal Evan Morgan, a hero who donated so much more for our country. Thank you all who have served in our military and the families who have supported them back home.

While the major markets of the world are experiencing tremendous turmoil; especially in the construction sector, many smaller nations are finding this as an excellent time to welcome new products and construction amenities.

Hernan Guembas, President of Aspiratek S.A.C of Miraflores, Peru recently found out how excited his new market was for central vacuums.  Hernan entered an M.D. Manufacturing Central Vacuum unit into Peru’s recent Trade Show contest for the Most Innovative Product of the Year.  “Peru’s interest in central vacuums is phenomenal,” said Hernan, “Architects, builders and homeowners all were thrilled with the concept of healthy cleaning.”

Peru’s annual EXCON 2008, the country’s largest construction trade show, is organized by CAPECO, the Peruvian Chamber for Construction in Peru and attracted more than 50,000 visitors this year.  Hernan, a newer dealer of M.D. Manufacturing products knew the product would sell itself in a market which is quickly adapting to North American appliances.

Product launches into new markets are not easy but Hernan and his staff intended to make as grand of an early impression on the Peruvian market as possible.  For his efforts, the show rewarded him with the “Best of the Show” Award, the show’s top honor!  Although the President of Peru was hoping to present the award, it was administered by Mr. Enrique Cornejo, Minister of Housing and Mr. Lelio Balarezo Young, President of the Peruvian Chamber of Construction.

Installations in the country are far different than North American construction because of the concrete block walls rather than wood or steel frame construction.  Hernan’s company, a long-time HVAC contractor, was well versed in the proper construction techniques and has easily adapted to the demands of the design.

Congratulations to Hernan Guembes and his staff at Thermotrol / Aspiratek  for introducing Central Vacuums to Peru and having the Most Innovative Construction Product of the Year in Peru in 2008!

Picture 1 (above):
Mr. Jorge Guembes. Mr. Hernan Guembes P, Mr. Hernan Guembes F. (My Father), Mr. Alfonso Guembes, Director

Picture 2 (right):
Mr. Lelio Balarezo Young (President of the Peruvian Chamber of Construction CAPECO), Mr. Enrique Cornejo, Minister of Housing, Mr. Hernán Guembes P., Mr. Jorge Guembes, on the prizing ceremony at the inauguration of EXCON 2008.

I strolled into State Vacuum in Tampa last week to check on our local dealer while I was in the region attending an ASTM meeting.  This is not a procedure I normally fine adequate time for, but wish I could do more often.  State vacuum has been in the business for over 61 years and selling MD Central Vacuums since the late 1970’s!  David Epstein took over for his father Bernie (of whom is named the Bernie Epstein VDTA Scholarship) and David has continued to build on the incredible reputation of his family.

Seeing my visit was not a formal one, David continued to conduct business and personally greeted almost every client who came through the door, Most of whom he knew by name.  He was not put off by a customer’s request for simple paper bag replacements but carefully walked her to the back of the showroom and identified the parts by memory.  I watched him strategically sell two portable vacuums in a matter of about ten minutes, quickly moving one client who’s heart was set on the “Consumer Report” best buy.

Sure enough two guys came in looking for a central vacuum and David walked them through their options.  He quickly identified that they were already internet shopping and put them in models comparable to what they were considering.  Of course, he showed them reasons for considering a higher-quality option.  As I watched the prospective client walk through objections, I noticed a few clear hot-buttons.  One was accessories and the other was a need for a shorter hose.  When David explained the Quick-Click hose which normally uses a 20 foot hose with a 10 foot extension, they instantly found a solution not offered elsewhere.

In a matter of 15 minutes I saw firsthand David’s ability to accurately decipher needs, his proper application of knowledge, and his personal attention that must be the hallmark that has made State Vacuum an institution in the city of Tampa.

So for the rest of you MD dealers, keep your eyes open, we may be stopping in on your shop as well!  It’s great to have such confidence in all our MD dealers.

Day after day your employees show up at your office or jobsites and you expect them to perform at the same level that you do as the owner or manager.  While this may seem realistic, it can actually be achieved if you give them a rewarding place of employment.  So how do you do it in your company?  I would love to hear from you!   At MD Manufacturing we have instituted a number of policies that certainly help.  First, our company purpose statement places a solid emphasis on the value of each and every employee. 

We don’t just talk it, we live it.  That’s one of the main reasons why our offices are only open four days per week.  We want to insure that our employees receive adequate time for rest, relaxation, and family activities.  They DO come back to work refreshed on Mondays eager to work.  In fact a good percentage of them are here 15 minutes early waiting outside the gate for us to unlock it.  They’ve got great attitudes and sincerely desire to make the other employees successful. But more importantly, MD goes through an extensive screening process for each and every hire.  We hire slowly and keep them long.  We call on references and make sure they have personal character; not just adequate job skills.  We analyze their fit into our corporate culture.  We have a series of individuals interview them before making a decision and we always attempt to make sure that the company will be a good match for them as well.  We even encourage our employees to pursue their dreams even if it means they will eventually be employed elsewhere.  A number of them have used their position at MD as a stepping stone for a higher level job elsewhere.  Through it al, MD has gained a loyal friend and participated in the professional success of others.  What an excellent reward!

Another key motivator is providing them with the tools to succeed in their position.  Whether it is a headset for someone in customer service or the programs for our art department, we do not want to allow a simple impediment to slow them down in their success.  But more importantly you need to empower them to make necessary decisions within their department.  Customer service should be able to authorize replacement parts right on the spot!  The production department should be able to decide alternate manufacturing techniques to improve processes.  I believe many of our dealers get extremely frustrated with their employees (and vice versa) because they define installation methods too narrowly.  If the worker fully understands his job and performs well every day, let him or her make decisions that improve their own tasks.

I can also state that we are truly blessed with a fantastic staff here at MD and they make my job as manager far easier.  Having confidence that they all are working towards a common goal allows us all to improve the environment for each other.  Sure we have occasional parties where we all race go-carts, have picnics, or barbeques, but the tangible employee satisfaction comes from knowing that you have participated in a growing organism and you contribute to its success. 

I would love to hear your perspective.  (This includes fellow employees!)

Grant Olewiler Grant@builtinvacuum.com

Numerous times I hear from our vendors that MD Mfg has absolutely fantastic staff members. I love hearing it because I believe this is what makes us so competitive as a small company. No way can we compete with the major giants who own our competition unless we always provide first-class service.

Last week I was told numerous times that our Operations Manager, Brian Graves, is doing a first class job. This vendor wanted me to be sure I knew how well this individual represented our company and how valuable his professionalism was.

Then today I received fantastic comments about our IT department. These were not flattery or disingenuinous comments but from the heart realizing that the skill sets of our staff go beyond picturing their job as a simple passing of 40 hours per week. Talking later in the day IT personnel commented: “You dream it up …. I’ll make it happen.”

No wonder I love working for this company!

The management of a company can either make or break it. Seeing MD has been around for almost 45 years, we have obviously done a few things correctly. In the early days Charlie Emdy managed the family business quite easily because it never reached beyond immediate family members. His son Wayne took over in 1971 and employed a different strategy with a very tight management style striving to squeeze every second out of every process. I learned under Wayne and loved challenging myself to beat pre-established time goals. This concept was passed on to a number of our staff members as well. Chris Mercado in our tool and die division learned under Charlie and Wayne and set the pace for the rest of our manufacturing staff.

But Wayne’s limitations could only go as far as the number of people he could directly manage. This methodology had to be passed on to the next generation and the next level of employees for MD to be able to grow. Each division had to take ownership of their own performance to make them effective as possible. This is where trust comes in. One of our main hiring characteristics we screen for is trust. If we cannot trust an employee or a manager, we cannot empower them to reach for goals that are beyond the simple.

Each and every employee must have a view of the big picture as well as their own divisional goals; from the receptionist to the CEO. Without a direction, our company would not have one tenth the success we have been able to obtain. But the underlying foundation to management will remain “trust.” Managers are trusted to provide accurate and timely information. Project teams are trusted to have researched issues fully before presenting them before our board meetings, and the IT department is trusted to implement software in the best conceivable fashion after consulting with departments involved. Sure we try to review over information before implementing anything new but we do it with a level of trust believing that the employee or team did the best they could within the bounds of the assignment. This simply challenges each employee to do a better job each and every time.

Remember when your father or mother first trusted you to walk or ride your bike to the store alone. You returned to show them that you did exactly what you said you would do and they then wanted to trust you even more? This same trust principle applies to management. Misplaced trust and trustless superiors can destroy companies as well.

For all our dealers, take this to heart. Work on integrity with your employees and take special notes on trust. Encourage, reward, and recognize it. It will revolutionize your company.

Yesterdays anniversary of 9-11 reminds us of the preciousness of life. To think of the tens of thousands of lives that were permanently effected by those few hours of terror - all of our hearts sank as we watched it unfold on live TV. So it also goes with the Katrina Hurricane victims. Hundreds of thousands of lives displaced with an unknown-as-of-yet quantity of deaths. It is hard to fathom.

If you personally have lost a loved one recently, either in the storm, 9-11, or maybe to cancer or a car wreck, you have had to come with the finality of death. You will never see that person again. I lost my beloved father-in law a few months ago and then a sister-in law a few days later. Moments like these make you truly realize the preciousness of life.

If our lives can end so abruptly, then how shall we live our lives here on earth? What are the important things of life and what is frivolous? Obviously it shatters the American mentality of accumulating wealth! I’ve never seen a herse pulling a U-haul!

Is this why our knee jerk reaction to Katrina of 9-11 is to give of whatever we can? What is it in humans that instinctively tells us to help others? This is certainly not a phenomenon that we see anywhere in the animal kingdom. There must be something inside of us telling us that we need to value other human beings.

So do you live your life as if others mattered more than yourself? Sounds like a good policy to enact in all our lives, doesn’t it!