Employer of choissand not by accident

By Carla Waldemar

A T POULIN Lumber, they reward mistakes. How dumb ll.can you get. you're guffawing? Uh-uh. Make that, how smart?

It's a thread in the skein of innovative staff-enhancement practices instituted by founh-generation president and c.e.o. Cory Poulin, who oversees three operations serving the small towns of Vermont. Maybe they don't call it "H.R." up there, or even "Employee Retention." Maybe they're just viewed as guideposts along the trail to Cory's stated goal: "To be the employer of choice."

And when you nail that mission, you'd better believe you've also cornered another vital one: supplier of choice for the area's pros and townies. And it's thanks, at least in small part, to rewarding mistakes.

"We have a periodic contest," explains Cory, "and award $20 for the biggest one. The idea is not to be ashamed of having made an error-such as dumping a load of block in a rush, which broke them.You save others from committing the same error." Just as important, "people need to be open and understand that mistakes do happen; otherwise, they'd tend to hide them."

Okay, it provides a good laugh, too, and that's a good thing. Even better, "it furthers better work relationships and low turnover," says Cory of his 75-strong labor force. On the more serious side, employees also receive an incentive bonus figured on the company's annual performance, based on net profits which, says Cory, "allows everybody to make a difference. They've got a stake in the outcome.

"We praise publicly and reward them for feedback and ideas-such as a truck driver's suggestion to add power mirrors that don't fog up to increase safety; a different fork- lift configuration to ease unloading, or ways to conserve energy.

"All employees come equipped with a brain at no extra charge," Cory loves to quote, "so we solicit their ideas rather than just impose ours. There's an open flow of communication. We work to educate the entire staff on every angle of the business, so the execs and the truck drivers understand each other-same with yard guys and the administrative people, retail sales and janitor."

Poulin Lumber holds periodic company-wide meetings. monthly store-wide meetings, and weekly department meetings, all open-door and open-book.

It harks back to hiring. "We know that quality service depends on quality people," Cory begins, "so we put a big effort into constantly building a better team. We're very selective about whom we hire-not a mediocre person just to fill a slot-and we'll hire a good person even if there's no position open."

Training is a top priority, too: product knowledge, sure, but also safety, OSHA regs, and more, often through the Vermont Retail Lumber Association's courses. "It allows employees to further their knowledge and self respect," Cory knows. Poulin's management team benefits from the full picture, from courses in human resources, marketing and branding to conflict management, communication skills, and reading the balance sheet-knowledge which, as planned, trickles down to those they supervise.

In an economic climate where some owners are losing sleep over meeting payroll, or-horrors-finding it neces- sary to furlough people, Poulin is hiring. In opening its third outlet-a sales office with a small showroom in Enosburg to reach an underserved region of Vermont (in addition to its Derby and Hardwick locations), the company hired two more outside salespeople, bringing the total to 13 on the road ("significantly more than is typical," Cory notes), plus a K&B designer, pegged to help builders with their projects, "to walk them through the options. They may be missing some fine points, some sales options," Cory explains the mutual win those extra items represent. To maintain loyalty and provide top-notch service, Poulin offers free estimates and free delivery.

The company also hosts occasional events to educate its contractors on everything from bank financing to new products. And it brings key custumers to the annual NRLA Expo in Boston, not only to boost product knowledge but pump up self-esteem. "It opens their eyes to [the scope ofl the actual industry," Cory finds.

Poulin's business is l0%o pro,3OVo retail, which Cory considers "a very good mix." And a conscious one. "We were all pro until five. six years ago. when we decided to redo the stores, with the help of Ace Hardware, to take advantage of homeowner traffic, too."

The new mix invigorated the retail sector, all right, but, surprise, "it helped our contractor business as well. They started coming in for little, dayto-day things like Christmas lights or a hose. And their wives would stop in for laundry detergent. It's now onestop shopping without being a superstore," Cory says.

Serving retail clients, he agrees, is

"another whole ball of wax. Sales are smaller, but they complement each other; there's maybe not much money in a paintbrush, but they see what's out there, and they'll come back for their deck."

Word of mouth draws people in, to be sure, but Poulin doesn't sit around and wait for jaws to wag. Proactively, he says, "we review every permit. And our trucks are always on the road. Thanks to good communications within the organization. if a janitor sees a foundation going in, he lets us know. fThis comes about because] everybody feels good about us as an organization."

It helps that Poulin treats its people as valuable performers and hands the grunt work off to a computer. Technology to the rescue! "Whatever doesn't make us money, get a machine to do it" is Cory's view. "We've converted our internal processes so they're electronic: ordering, projection of coming business, everything we do as a corporation, from windows to trusses. We now do digital take-offs, which are a whole lot quicker: 24 to 36 hours, no time delay. In the coming months, the whole retail store will be on automatic order."

Shuck the same old, same old is the message. Every item on the expense side of the ledger is carefully eyeballed, too. "We're working hard to reduce internal expenses, starting with focusing on fuel economy," Cory indi- cates. "We're categorizing and stacking deliveries and tracking mileage. For better fuel efficiency, we're using smaller vehicles oftener instead of big trucks. We're making decisions, like Chevy vs. Ford, based on mileage and maintenance, and large vs. smaller motors to pull uphill. Also, we shut down our work stations every night. Every little bit helps," he knows. "Our goal is an alternative energy source. Maybe solar...."

That's one of Poulin's long-term objectives. Adding another location also is a possibility Cory mentions. But first things first, he insists: "We'll pursue the same ongoing goals: better terms and employee environment, better benefits." In other words, maintain that enviable position as "the employer of choice." Then the rest will follow.

And

Cory's not going anywhere.

On the job here since 1996, he's the fourth generation to run the family business, a rare species to encounter in this time of family fall-out. "I love the business; it's more of a 'real' industry, no bankers' formal wear, not fluff and mirrors. Great people. It feels good."

And-I wasn't going to tell you this earlier so you wouldn't eat your heart out-he's only 29 and already well ahead of the curve.