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26 | I NSIGH T • M a y 2 0 1 6 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m are joined, as well as best practices to avoid the problem and restore the integrity of the joint if it is found. "We are going to put it in the new building once we move in," Ignacio says. In 1981, the company entered a new segment with the construction of aluminum cabs for the defense industry, including the cabs for vehicles built by Oshkosh Defense. e company added commercial truck bodies soon aer and continues to build products for all three segments today, plus has expanded its offerings with custom-engineered cabs. With several production lines in continuous motion, it's not unusual to see aluminum cabs being prepared for delivery to a major fire truck manufacturer, or a crew working on a custom truck body for a commercial vehicle. Or, perhaps another line is working on a unique looking truck body or cab created and fabricated for the company's growing line of custom engineered vehicles — an option very popular with utility companies — all taking place within a few steps of one another. e counter-cyclical nature of the various segments has generally kept the production lines moving and meant fewer lean business cycles. As Ignacio explains, it can oen take 18 to 24 months for a fire truck to be ordered and all the work completed, which tends to make those orders less subject to the ebb-and-flow of the commercial business cycle. "We could be doing better," Ignacio says of the company's performance. "We can always do better." The invisible touch G rowth has been a constant driver at Marion Body Works, though you can't always see the changes that result. In fact, you can almost miss the company entirely if you are not paying attention. While the production facilities cover more than 60 acres of land in the city of Marion, most of the buildings are hidden from street view by a thick screen of trees along the adjacent roads. Until the construction of the new headquarters, the main point of entry was a small, used temporary classroom building that served as the company's headquarters. It belies the size and scope of the operation hidden behind it, which has been expanded several times as new product lines have been added and the company has grown from $6 million when the Simpson family acquired it to the $50 million mark in 2015. Plan for growth I t was the tremendous growth that brought Ignacio to Marion Body Works, again, all part of a larger plan to ensure the company always had a dynamic leadership team in place. In 1988, with the pace of company growth accelerating, "Bud" Simpson began to execute the succession plan for his eventual retirement. at meant recruiting his son Jim, and his son-in-law Curt, to senior positions with the company. Both were building successful careers elsewhere, Jim in Chicago and Ignacio in San Jose, Calif. Ignacio's first interview was in February, 1988. He decided to come anyway. In part, it was his brother-in-law Jim who helped seal the deal. "It would have been hard to follow his father had he not been here with me," Ignacio says. While the senior Simpson would not retire until 2003, he had already set the succession for the next generation. Ignacio would work a variety of assignments with the company and was named a vice president. In 1993, the board elected Jim co-president and chief executive officer and Curt co-president and chief operating officer. It wasn't just family succession the company planned for. As a founding member of the Wisconsin Family Business Forum, Marion Body Works was an active participant not only in attendance, but in practicing the advice provided. "We have succession plans for every member of the leadership team and how we would handle things if one — or more than one — would leave," Ignacio says. A case study by Wipfli noted how that preparedness paid off when a sales manager suddenly departed the company (which resulted in a Wipfli associate stepping in to bridge the gap until a suitable replacement could be found) just as the plan described. Marion Body Works is an ardent supporter and true believer in the work of the Wisconsin Family Business Another key market segment for Marion Body Works is constructing commercial truck bodies. They have delivered bodies for Two Men and a Truck franchises across the country. C O U R T E S Y M A R I O N B O D Y W O R K S B o d y B u i l d e r s c o n t i n u e d