Sunday, May 23, 1999
Chamber lauds ingenuity, service
CIMx, Gold Star among honorees
BY JOHN ECKBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CIMx, a Clermont County company that develops manufacturing software for companies in the aircraft industry, is understandably proud of its 1999 Emerging Entrepreneur award.
And the firm has wasted no time pointing out it was a winner.
A notice of the designation from the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce immediately follows the greeting on the company's telephone answering system. Company leaders see the honor as a sign of good things still to come, said CIMx President Tony Cuilwik.
“Less than five years out, we are looking for an initial public offering,” Mr. Cuilwik said. “The company will probably be five, maybe 10 times larger, and we'll penetrate most of the Fortune 20 discreet manufacturers.”
Those are companies that manufacture products per order rather than on a streaming assembly line.
The chamber plans to honor CIMx and three other companies for innovation, customer service and general excellence at the small business awards luncheon on noon Wednesday at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center.
Gold Star, the largest chili chain in the country, received the top honor: 1999 Small Business of the Year for its commitment to strategic planning, leadership, human resource development and customer focus and satisfaction.
The chain of 110 restaurants was honored as much for what happens behind the chili counter as for what happens on the dining side of the counter.
Last year the company developed its first mission statement, convened focus groups for feedback and directed suppliers, franchisees and corporate associates to participate in quality improvement teams.
“I think some of the market research we've completed has really been invaluable,” said John F. Sullivan, chief executive officer and president of Gold Star Inc.
“We wanted to get our franchise community on board in trying to do the best job taking care of the customer, running good quality service. During our focus group studies we asked the franchisees to sit behind a mirror and listen to customers,” he said.
“It was extremely impactful. You can sit and try to tell operators and managers about the areas we need to improve. But when you sit there through three sessions, it really drives it home.”
The company employs 100 and about 3,000 more work at Gold Star restaurants.
CIMx was founded in January 1996 with five employees. Today the company near Milford employs 22 people and posted revenues in 1998 of $2.5 million with projections of $3.5 million to follow in 1999.
“We are making a real difference in U.S. manufacturing,” Mr. Cuilwik said. “We put our software into the Boeing Rocketdyne Division in Los Angeles, a company that makes the space shuttle engine, at the beginning of 1998.
“They are now paperless on the shop floor and have reduced the time it takes to start the process of finishing a space shuttle engine to shipping it to NASA by 30 percent. That's big dollars.”
Ford Motor Co. purchased CIMx software this year for transmission and engine manufacturing. “The return on investment is measured in months, not years,” he said. “We're pretty happy we're making that kind of a difference.”
The chamber gave its 1999 Customer Focus Award to SS&G Financial Services, where employees are regularly recognized for commitment to outstanding customer service. The company has a policy of returning all calls within 24 hours and sending reminder postcards prior to appointments.
SS&G, for the first time, also conducted an annual client survey on the Internet in 1998. Turning to the Web doubled the firm's usual response rate.
PC On Call LLC received an Innovation in Business Award because it developed the unique concept of bringing a computer workshop to the household — rather than the other way around.
Paul Cashen, chief executive officer of the Sharonville-based firm that employs 35, said a flexible compensation package for its X-generation work force has lowered turnover and may reflect a trend for other companies.
“We've given them a stake through an equity plan that sets aside a portion of the business for options,” Mr. Cashen said. “We also have PC on Call technical dollars that allows technicians to buy equipment at cost from us.”
He said creating an appealing compensation package for employees has helped drive the growth of the firm. The company projects that by next year it will employ 277.
ENTERPRISE INSIGHT
From John F. Sullivan, CEO and president, Gold Star Chili Inc.:
“If I was to give a smaller company advice, it would be to really place emphasis on the consumer. You should do everything you can to find out what customers think about you after they do business with you. It's really simple. You just need to really communicate with the customer and find out if your company is meeting their expectation level and be willing to make changes if not. If you don't (ask), they'll probably do business someplace else.”
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