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journey, we concentrated on the office processes to communicate to the entire organization that every area can improve ��� that the opportunities didn���t only reside within the shop and field.��� Kim Bassett-Heitzmann (second from left) accepts a New North workplace excellence award along with members of the Bassett Mechanical team. us do that,��� McIntosh says. Bassett Mechanical Bassett Mechanical has not only been through a leadership change in recent years ��� Kim Bassett-Heitzmann took over as CEO from her father, Bill ��� it also started implementing a lean manufacturing culture, Hartman says. Custom manufacturing makes lean implementation a bit more challenging than producing the same product day in and day out, but employees have worked hard to make it work, BassettHeitzmann says. ���At the outset, we made it very clear that lean was not just a flavorof-the-day approach to improving processes,��� she says. ���We have made a conscious effort to focus on improving the processes through the people that can have the biggest impact. Standard work is created through cross-functional teams that either work directly in the area or are up/down stream of a particular process. When we started on the Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction Inc. In the past five years, Hoffman went from being partly owned by a company from outside of Wisconsin to being fully family-owned and then to being owned by a group of employees. Communication is valued at the company, which features an inclusive, interactive environment, Hartman says. Miles Girouard, who became Hoffman���s president last fall when he became part of the new ownership team, says employees Miles Girouard are at the heart of the company���s success. ���Our employees feel very valued and seeing us ��� who are also employees ��� as the new owners provides comfort��� in a time of change, says Girouard, who was Hoffman���s director of architectural services for six years before becoming part of the new ownership team. ���The ownership transition has been seamless and employees know we value them and their ambitions. We are a great place to work and that shows in our low turnover rate.��� J.J. Keller While J.J. Keller has a long history Workplaces of the Year Honorees H ere���s a look at the past winners of the New North Workplace Excellence Award, sponsored by Right Management: �� 2009: Miles Kimball Co., McCain Foods USA, Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin �� 2010: Holy Family Memorial, Schneider National Inc. �� 2011: Mid-States Aluminum, Skyline Technologies, Tank Technology of being a good place to work with good wages and benefits, company leaders did identify an area that needed more attention ��� a high turnover rate in its sales associate positions. Hartman says a team of employees came together to take a closer look at Keller���s on-boarding program and its performance management system. The result: That turnover was cut in half and the time spent on the performance review process was reduced by 25 percent. ���The three Cs to get an A at J.J. Keller are communication, cooperation and collaboration,��� says CEO James Keller, adding that there are several practices in place to encourage collaboration, such as business planning teams, total quality management taskforces and lean project teams. All of the teams have clear objectives and outcomes and use resources from throughout the company. Everything you need when you need it most. Urgent care hours: New Urgent Care Service 7 a.m. ��� 7 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. ��� 4 p.m. weekends and summer holidays. For more information URGENT CARE NOW OPEN w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m call 920.746.3800. STURGEON BAY | 323 South 18th Ave doorcountyurgentcare.org J a n u a r y 2 013 ��� Insight | 11