Page 18 - CMA PROfiles Fall 2017

A FAMILY SUCCESS STORY

“We challenged ourselves to track how become interested in joining the company
far one cabinet would travel through the and learning the business, too,” Joey adds.
shop,” Paul says. “We cut the distance Because many employees are involved in
through the shop from one mile to a half earlier steps of the process, they often
mile.” That one-mile journey used to take miss the payoff of seeing their work in
a week and a half; now they have it down its finished form at the job site. Wilco
to two days. realized that this was an experience that
was especially meaningful to the younger
WRITING THE generation, Joey says.
NEXT CHAPTER “Now we arrange outings for employees
and their spouses, taking them into a
Wilco’s work crew is mature, and the home or business so they can see their
company now sees “a guy or two retiring handiwork in the finished stage,” she
every year,” the Wilinskis say. Many says. “It is interesting to stand back
of those retiring have worked for the and watch the employees opening and
company for as long as 40 years. closing every door and drawer installed
So who will help the Wilinskis carry Wilco on the project, critiquing their own work,
into the future? and explaining to their spouse what the
“A lot of the younger workforce isn’t process is for the parts they created.
going to work for you for 40 years,” says We then go out for pizza and enjoy the
Paul. “When we bring young people on camaraderie of the group; the pride of
board, we take that into account and set having contributed to the project is very
up a game plan that fits them. Years ago, evident. I believe opportunities like this
you could put someone into one role — will help keep the interest of the younger
as a sander, for instance —and they might workforce coming in.”
stay in that niche for five years. That was CMA BENEFITS
standard practice. Now we try to keep Taking employees on CMA tours of other
them interested via cross-training.” shops and hosting CMA members at
“We’ve learned that if we find one good Wilco is another way to both keep the
young person, sometimes their friends younger generation engaged and bring

16 PROFILES FALL 2017