Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/76892
ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE are Paul, 33, who is the senior business development associate; followed by Jim, 32, director of operations; Tom, 28, who is the chief operating officer of the Joseph A. Interiors segment, and John, 24, who is the company's business development associate. They grew up side-by-side in the family business, and off hours hang out together at the DeLeers family cottage near Eagle River. How does this dynamic work? "Surprisingly it works very well, probably because we each have our own niches within the company, laughs John DeLeers. John says he and his older brothers " share an ownership vision and a willingness to take risks for innovation, feeding off each other's ideas when looking to the future and talking about prospects for growth. "We've made great strides in education, training and company- wide initiatives to make DeLeers sustainable, along with Tom and John, will have grown their De Pere business to more than 75 full-time employees plus contractors by year's end. To keep the family together during the recent economic challenges, the brothers decided to do a company-wide Kaizen event, in which they brought employees together to explore ways to eliminate extra costs and unnecessary steps rather than cut positions. "I believe our grandfather would have been especially proud to see that we boys carried on his legacy of a strong work ethic and character, says Jim DeLeers, who points to their servant leadership principles as " also invited our employees to help us walk the talk, and call us out when we don't. Thankfully they feel comfortable and safe to do that with us." Paul and Jim (the primary owners), " John DeLeers says. "We've the key to success. "Our corporate culture still has a unique family feel, and we believe strongly in continuous improvement, personal development and lean practices." Above and beyond The building process by nature involves coordinating extremely detailed tasks with multiple project management schedules. Last fall the brothers discovered they needed to put into practice what they preached to expedite their own building project for their new corporate office in De Pere. They didn't anticipate having to move so quickly. In three months, the team found a facility, put together a plan to remain operational during the construction and challenged their employees to rise to the task. "They really came through, and their dedication shined even while working nights and weekends to get UW-Platteville Fox Valley Engineering Program Earn a B.S. in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering! Evening classes on the Fox Valley campus! New state of the art facility! www.uwfox.uwc.edu/uwplatteville 30 | INSIGHT • Augus t 2012 www.insightonbusiness .com