CONTENTS Chapter 3: Room to Grow: The Young Company Takes Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 A Family Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Positioning the Showplace Brand and Reaching Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 A Surprise Expansion: 30 Miles South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 More Business Means More Expansions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Accolades and Giving Back to the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Suppliers Along for the Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Showplace Expands to Meet Market Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Chapter 4: Showplace Transitions to Employee Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESOP: Employee Stock Ownership Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESOP a Win-Win for the Company and Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony Tells the Showplace Staff the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Original Investors Rewarded for Risk, Company Transitions Seamlessly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notifying the Industry and Setting up the Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An ESOP as Employee Motivator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Showplace a Textbook Example of a Successful ESOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Industry Interest Piqued . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 5: Showplace Thrives in Recession, Becomes More Efficient and Plans for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Showplace’s Finest Moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Showplace Becomes “Leaner” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Lean Looks Like in Showplace’s Finish Department . . . . . . . . . . . . New Products Help Cushion the Fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serving the Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Training and Promotional Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Showplace Customers Speak Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workplace Environment Rewards Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leaving a Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
100 101 103 105 109 116 117 118 119
121 123 125 127 130 132 134 138 141 143
