12/01/2023
How a family-owned and operated LBM dealer hired a General Manager to turn around a truss manufacturing plant after the leader passed away.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
A family-owned and operated lumber and building materials dealer built a truss manufacturing facility under the direction of one of the owners who operated the plant and led a 30-person team. When the owner passed away unexpectedly, the plant was left without a leader for 3 years, and the remaining ownership team did not understand truss operations, manufacturing, design, or sales to develop a profile for the replacement.
Misura Group visited the truss plant to gain a deep understanding of the turnaround need and unique situation of the business. After identifying the business’s strengths and areas for growth, helped develop the scope and requirements of the role to ensure the truss plant would contribute strategically to the broader business model.
The result:
The Truss General Manager grew the business from $1.2m to $7m in sales with 13% EBITDA. They now have the operational capacity to handle $15m in sales and are growing 20% YOY.
THE CHALLENGE:
GAP IN THE BUSINESS
A family-owned and operated lumber and building materials dealer built a truss manufacturing facility under the direction of one of the owners who operated the plant and led a 30-person team. The owner passed away suddenly, leaving the family with the plant knowing nothing about trusses. For 3 years, the plant operated without a leader and dwindled to $1.2m in sales and losing money. Turnover increased and the sales team had no confidence in the quality or timeliness of production. The family needed to hire a truss operations expert to turn the plant around and gain the confidence of the design and production team, sales team, and customers.
LACK OF TRUSS EXPERTISE
The family board did not understand truss operations, manufacturing, design, or sales and had trouble knowing where to focus the attention and develop a profile for the right leader.
OUR SOLUTION:
DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF UNIQUE BUSINESS SITUATION
Misura Group was introduced to the client at an executive dinner during the annual ProSales conference, and received a referral from a board member of the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA). A visit to the client’s truss plant allowed Misura Group to gain a deep understanding of the turnaround need and unique situation of the business. After identifying the business’s strengths and areas for growth, Misura Group helped develop the scope and requirements of the role to ensure the truss plant would contribute strategically to the broader business model.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The right leader would be a truss operations expert with extensive experience implementing continuous improvement processes and building strong production teams. The leader would need to gain the trust and confidence of the truss plant team and the family ownership. Misura Group developed a talent pool of 4 qualified truss plant general managers for the client to make an informed decision.
THE RESULTS:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Truss General Manager grew the sales from $1.2m to $7m with 13% EBITDA. They now have the operational capacity to handle $15m in sales and are growing 20% YOY.
CULTURAL IMPACT:
The production team is proud of their quality, earning a good reputation with home builders in the market. The GM was able to raise the truss prices, while the sales team leveraged their strong reputation for high quality product and efficient timelines.
WHAT THE CLIENT HAD TO SAY:
“Misura Group got the job done – they did what they said they would do. We were surprised at how quickly they were able to assess our unique business needs and develop a profile for a leader that would not only turn the truss plant around but also fit strategically into the broader business model.”
WHAT THE CANDIDATE HAD TO SAY:
“Misura Group placed me with a group of honest, straight-forward, and hard-working owners. They support my business plan and have respect for the people putting their sweat into the business. I am happy to have trusted Misura Group with my career path.”
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