October 3, 2024 • 9 mins
Johnny puts his employees and their families first saying, "Everybody runs their business the way they think is right. I just happen to think this is the way I want to run mine."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
This is
Lookout Rhode Island Johnny's Back.
I'm Matt Boline.
Manufacturinghas been at the heart of America's growth
since the nation's founding.
From its birth at Rhode Island'sold Slater Mill along the Blackstone
River, the American Industrial Revolutionsparked innovation and entrepreneurship.
It supported cities and built communities.
(00:28):
Though we've turned our focus towardbig tech and artificial intelligence.
Those ideas and the hard workof making something continue today.
This is where Johnny has spent his life.
It has shaped and rewarded him.
But it's who he credits most that he wantseveryone to take home to never forget.
I have never looked at this company
(00:48):
scientifically as most CEOs do.
You know,what are the numbers? Let's look at that.
There's people that can do that.
And I got to know they're solidand I got to know things are safe.
But my whole view of running the thingover the years has been for the people.
It's been for the fun,you know, the prosperity
of all of these people and their familiesand allowing them to grow.
And you can't really do thatif you focus completely on the numbers.
(01:11):
The learning center
that we've had all these years, we'rebeginning to put it back together now.
That learning center, I'll tell you,every company I know has one.
And the first thing they'll tell youis, “Here's our facility”.
They'll show you, they'll take you on atour and here's the facility.
And look at the training toolswe have for our products.
You know, you got displays,we got working models we got.
And so we bring all our customersin. We what? We do all that.
(01:33):
But our learning center program was reallycreated and driven for our employees,
for our employeesand their families. Started off
with a blueprint reading gauge,reading English as a second language.
Pretty soon people started to askfor more and more and more.
We got up to 127 courses in our catalog.
Believe it or not,5 or 6 levels of English.
Then we got into marketing
for the non-marketing typesaccounting for non-accountants.
(01:56):
We got all the way upto English literature.
We got to painting, watercolors,gardening, cooking.
We had a GED program for peopleto get their high school equivalencies.
We had a citizenship program,an associate's degree of bachelor degree.
Right up to our own in-house MBA program.
And that was for our employeesand their families.
So we had summer camps.
We had four summer camps for our employeeskids.
(02:16):
There was a line around the blocksigning up for these things.
We had art and music campfor for 6 to 11 year olds,
and then 11 to 17had oceanography down at URI.
So those are things, you know, look at,look at that and tell me
that's a that's normalfor a manufacturing company, right.
We know.
But but it really achievedwonderful things
because people's lives were they were ableto improve them on their own.
(02:40):
You know,it wasn't just about raising their pay, it
was about giving them something,an opportunity.
You know, so so I think those are
some of the things that the differentiatethe leadership styles.
Now I one time went to give a talk at, at
and I think it wasan Inc magazine conference
(03:00):
and I was down in Nashville sort of towardthe latter half of this thing.
I said, “Are there any questions,you know, about this thing at this point?”
So some guy stood up in the backand he was telling me that there's no way
that any company could possibly justifydoing what I'm doing.
He said, “You're crazy.”The guy was not nice.
He was just not nice.
He was very condescending to me.
(03:22):
I called the guyright up in front of the room.
So I started throwing numbers at this guy,and I went through the average turnover
in American industry.That would be everything.
And here'sthe cost of replacing an individual, okay?
Every time somebody gets hiredin manufacturing, here's the cost.
And the all those average numbersare based on new wage,
scrap rates to learn, production speed.
(03:44):
Somebody comes in,they can't do things quickly yet
because they don't really understandit takes them.
So here's the curve.We know all those numbers.
And in the end of the day,we did the math on what my company
incurred in new employee replacement
costs versus the averageAmerican manufacturing company.
They came out with a staggering, “Jesus.
I'm better off investing my 300or $400,000 a year in my education
(04:06):
program than not, because I'm saving $4million a year in replacement costs.”
It was very factual,but I remember this guy's jaw dropping
and the guy put the pen down,the marker down in front of 300 people.
This was in front of 300people in an auditorium.
The guy said theguy put the pen down, said,
(04:27):
“I apologize.” He said, “I'm going hometo talk to somebody about this.
This is actually really pretty good.”I'll never forget that.
One of those things, was itwe didn't want to know
the cost benefitto the company of what we were doing.
No, because that'snot what I ever intended.
I can remember one timeat a chamber of commerce event,
somebody stood up and startedtalking about the Taco Learning Program,
(04:50):
and my father was there, and he stood upand he said, it's
the best thing we've ever done.
And, he said, what I'll offeris the facilities and the teachers.
I'll fund the teachers to educate youryour people.
Got no response.
So the next one,
he said, “I'll hold thoseto those two offers and I'll up and again,
(05:11):
I'll offer to transport your people here.”
Never got a single single response.
Not one.
So I can't answer the question.
And I don't care,
because if peoplewant to run their businesses that way,
everybody is to run their businessthe way they think is right.
I just happen to think this is the wayI want to run my.
Through his actions, Johnny has earnedthe respect of his employees,
(05:33):
clients, vendors,and even his competitors.
Most importantly, he's forged a simpleand somehow rarely embraced winning
business strategy rooted in respect,relationships, honesty, and hard work.
We're giving a talkat some some big event
where there's probably 3 or 400 teachers.
(05:54):
We're talking about a businessand business turnaround.
And finally, this person
in the back of the room stood up and said,what is your business philosophy?
And I said, “Iactually don't have one of those,
but if I did,it would be something like this.
” And I went through a thingI ended up with like four points.
My number one priority is my employees.
(06:17):
Number two would be our suppliers.
You see,because our success protects them.
The third in line is our customersbecause they've come to depend on us
for the highest quality products they canbuy in the world at a reasonable price.
And I said fourth is the community.
We are obligated to support the community.
(06:37):
So afterwards, I ran over to Clara and Isaid, “Clara, we got to go sit in the car
and write that down because it wasthat's exactly what what's in top of mind.
And it's right.”It wasn't perfect grammar.
It wasn't perfect English.
But we printed it in a brochure exactlyword for word as she wrote it down.
The fact is that that stuck with meto this very day.
(06:58):
I've added a few, but, you know,the most interesting part about that
is whenever we have a roomful of people,
they'll ask me,why are and customers number one?
I enjoy that because I gives me the chanceto look at them and say,
because if my employees are safe and happy
and gainfully employed, and their familiesare safe and growing and prospering,
(07:19):
and therefore my suppliers are doingwell as a result of that,
then you as a customerare going to get exactly what you need.
If I put you first, I'mputting everybody else second,
and that's not the right order.
Johnny has surrounded himself
with leaders, ones that strengthenthe areas outside his expertise.
(07:43):
With self-awarenesshe applies techniques that work
for him, but more importantly,work for those around him.
The result is teams at Tacothat are prepared to chart the future
of manufacturing and,even more importantly, strengthen
a business that will continue to providefor its employees.
Now, join us as we meet those innovators,thought leaders and employees
(08:06):
to hear their stories of inspiration,determination and transform.
Thank you for subscribing to the podcast
and sharing your feedback on social,and LookoutRI.com.
We hope some of the lessons
Johnny shared have helped youon your own leadership path.
LookoutRhode Island is produced by Beauline
Media and was recorded in Cranston,Rhode Island.
(08:27):
It was written by Dylan Gerber, MelissaCarton, Bradley Glenn, and Matt Boline.
Original music and recordingsby Ray Memery.
Editing by Billy Florio.
Technical guidance by Matt Ohnemus.
Johnny would like to thank his sons
Johnny, who gave him the couragewhen he was alive to do what he's done.
And Ben, who upholds the pledge.
(08:49):
To his wifeLiz, daughters-in-law Kirsten and Kate.
To his granddaughters, Madison Marie White
and Winona Rose White,who keep the future bright.
To his best friendswhose caring and kindness uplift him.
And to all the employees of TacoComfort Solutions,
who simply gave him a chanceto be himself.
(09:10):
Thank you all for listening.
This is
Lookout Rhode Island Johnny's Back.
I'm Matt Boline.
Manufacturinghas been at the heart of America's growth
since the nation's founding.
From its birth at Rhode Island'sold Slater Mill along the Blackstone
River, the American Industrial Revolutionsparked innovation and entrepreneurship.
It supported cities and built communities.
(00:28):
Though we've turned our focus towardbig tech and artificial intelligence.
Those ideas and the hard workof making something continue today.
This is where Johnny has spent his life.
It has shaped and rewarded him.
But it's who he credits most that he wantseveryone to take home to never forget.
I have never looked at this company
(00:48):
scientifically as most CEOs do.
You know,what are the numbers? Let's look at that.
There's people that can do that.
And I got to know they're solidand I got to know things are safe.
But my whole view of running the thingover the years has been for the people.
It's been for the fun,you know, the prosperity
of all of these people and their familiesand allowing them to grow.
And you can't really do thatif you focus completely on the numbers.
(01:11):
The learning center
that we've had all these years, we'rebeginning to put it back together now.
That learning center, I'll tell you,every company I know has one.
And the first thing they'll tell youis, “Here's our facility”.
They'll show you, they'll take you on atour and here's the facility.
And look at the training toolswe have for our products.
You know, you got displays,we got working models we got.
And so we bring all our customersin. We what? We do all that.
(01:33):
But our learning center program was reallycreated and driven for our employees,
for our employeesand their families. Started off
with a blueprint reading gauge,reading English as a second language.
Pretty soon people started to askfor more and more and more.
We got up to 127 courses in our catalog.
Believe it or not,5 or 6 levels of English.
Then we got into marketing
for the non-marketing typesaccounting for non-accountants.
(01:56):
We got all the way upto English literature.
We got to painting, watercolors,gardening, cooking.
We had a GED program for peopleto get their high school equivalencies.
We had a citizenship program,an associate's degree of bachelor degree.
Right up to our own in-house MBA program.
And that was for our employeesand their families.
So we had summer camps.
We had four summer camps for our employeeskids.
(02:16):
There was a line around the blocksigning up for these things.
We had art and music campfor for 6 to 11 year olds,
and then 11 to 17had oceanography down at URI.
So those are things, you know, look at,look at that and tell me
that's a that's normalfor a manufacturing company, right.
We know.
But but it really achievedwonderful things
because people's lives were they were ableto improve them on their own.
(02:40):
You know,it wasn't just about raising their pay, it
was about giving them something,an opportunity.
You know, so so I think those are
some of the things that the differentiatethe leadership styles.
Now I one time went to give a talk at, at
and I think it wasan Inc magazine conference
(03:00):
and I was down in Nashville sort of towardthe latter half of this thing.
I said, “Are there any questions,you know, about this thing at this point?”
So some guy stood up in the backand he was telling me that there's no way
that any company could possibly justifydoing what I'm doing.
He said, “You're crazy.”The guy was not nice.
He was just not nice.
He was very condescending to me.
(03:22):
I called the guyright up in front of the room.
So I started throwing numbers at this guy,and I went through the average turnover
in American industry.That would be everything.
And here'sthe cost of replacing an individual, okay?
Every time somebody gets hiredin manufacturing, here's the cost.
And the all those average numbersare based on new wage,
scrap rates to learn, production speed.
(03:44):
Somebody comes in,they can't do things quickly yet
because they don't really understandit takes them.
So here's the curve.We know all those numbers.
And in the end of the day,we did the math on what my company
incurred in new employee replacement
costs versus the averageAmerican manufacturing company.
They came out with a staggering, “Jesus.
I'm better off investing my 300or $400,000 a year in my education
(04:06):
program than not, because I'm saving $4million a year in replacement costs.”
It was very factual,but I remember this guy's jaw dropping
and the guy put the pen down,the marker down in front of 300 people.
This was in front of 300people in an auditorium.
The guy said theguy put the pen down, said,
(04:27):
“I apologize.” He said, “I'm going hometo talk to somebody about this.
This is actually really pretty good.”I'll never forget that.
One of those things, was itwe didn't want to know
the cost benefitto the company of what we were doing.
No, because that'snot what I ever intended.
I can remember one timeat a chamber of commerce event,
somebody stood up and startedtalking about the Taco Learning Program,
(04:50):
and my father was there, and he stood upand he said, it's
the best thing we've ever done.
And, he said, what I'll offeris the facilities and the teachers.
I'll fund the teachers to educate youryour people.
Got no response.
So the next one,
he said, “I'll hold thoseto those two offers and I'll up and again,
(05:11):
I'll offer to transport your people here.”
Never got a single single response.
Not one.
So I can't answer the question.
And I don't care,
because if peoplewant to run their businesses that way,
everybody is to run their businessthe way they think is right.
I just happen to think this is the wayI want to run my.
Through his actions, Johnny has earnedthe respect of his employees,
(05:33):
clients, vendors,and even his competitors.
Most importantly, he's forged a simpleand somehow rarely embraced winning
business strategy rooted in respect,relationships, honesty, and hard work.
We're giving a talkat some some big event
where there's probably 3 or 400 teachers.
(05:54):
We're talking about a businessand business turnaround.
And finally, this person
in the back of the room stood up and said,what is your business philosophy?
And I said, “Iactually don't have one of those,
but if I did,it would be something like this.
” And I went through a thingI ended up with like four points.
My number one priority is my employees.
(06:17):
Number two would be our suppliers.
You see,because our success protects them.
The third in line is our customersbecause they've come to depend on us
for the highest quality products they canbuy in the world at a reasonable price.
And I said fourth is the community.
We are obligated to support the community.
(06:37):
So afterwards, I ran over to Clara and Isaid, “Clara, we got to go sit in the car
and write that down because it wasthat's exactly what what's in top of mind.
And it's right.”It wasn't perfect grammar.
It wasn't perfect English.
But we printed it in a brochure exactlyword for word as she wrote it down.
The fact is that that stuck with meto this very day.
(06:58):
I've added a few, but, you know,the most interesting part about that
is whenever we have a roomful of people,
they'll ask me,why are and customers number one?
I enjoy that because I gives me the chanceto look at them and say,
because if my employees are safe and happy
and gainfully employed, and their familiesare safe and growing and prospering,
(07:19):
and therefore my suppliers are doingwell as a result of that,
then you as a customerare going to get exactly what you need.
If I put you first, I'mputting everybody else second,
and that's not the right order.
Johnny has surrounded himself
with leaders, ones that strengthenthe areas outside his expertise.
(07:43):
With self-awarenesshe applies techniques that work
for him, but more importantly,work for those around him.
The result is teams at Tacothat are prepared to chart the future
of manufacturing and,even more importantly, strengthen
a business that will continue to providefor its employees.
Now, join us as we meet those innovators,thought leaders and employees
(08:06):
to hear their stories of inspiration,determination and transform.
Thank you for subscribing to the podcast
and sharing your feedback on social,and LookoutRI.com.
We hope some of the lessons
Johnny shared have helped youon your own leadership path.
LookoutRhode Island is produced by Beauline
Media and was recorded in Cranston,Rhode Island.
(08:27):
It was written by Dylan Gerber, MelissaCarton, Bradley Glenn, and Matt Boline.
Original music and recordingsby Ray Memery.
Editing by Billy Florio.
Technical guidance by Matt Ohnemus.
Johnny would like to thank his sons
Johnny, who gave him the couragewhen he was alive to do what he's done.
And Ben, who upholds the pledge.
(08:49):
To his wifeLiz, daughters-in-law Kirsten and Kate.
To his granddaughters, Madison Marie White
and Winona Rose White,who keep the future bright.
To his best friendswhose caring and kindness uplift him.
And to all the employees of TacoComfort Solutions,
who simply gave him a chanceto be himself.
(09:10):
Thank you all for listening.
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