Geauga Growth Partnership Features Local Parts Manufacturer
Truline Industries showcased its position on strong character and business-employee relationships to other local businesses last Friday.
Geauga Growth Partnership sponsored the quarterly success breakfast, which highlights the founding and philosophy of Geauga businesses.
Truline Industries President Stuart Watson spoke on-location to the roughly 80 people present, marking one of the most attended breakfasts, GGP Career Education Coordinator Georgia Klemencic said.
Truline Industries, located on Chillicothe Road in Chester Township, mainly creates four small metal parts that fit into the main fuel engine of a plane as well as other key components used in the aircraft industry.
Truline was selected after Klemencic and GGP President Tracy Jemison visited the business.
They asked Watson to “present his company and philosophy on success to Geauga County Business leaders,” Klemencic wrote in an email. “(Truline is) quite successful and really not well known in Geauga County, so here was an opportunity for the GGP to spread the word on what he does and how he does it so successfully.”
A short presentation was shown on Truline’s philosophy and strategy for a successful family of employees through five principles, emphasizing the need for businesses to serve their employees and to effectively prepare them with the tools needed to make the job worthwhile.
“Hire for character first, skills second. A person’s character trumps skill every time because you can train a skill, but you can never change a person’s character,” according to the presentation.
Watson wanted to emphasize that it will take time to implement all five principles right away, but it is a worthwhile investment and final goal for businesses.
Truline, voted a top employer in Northeast Ohio earlier this month by Northeast Ohio Media Group, is a family-owned business that runs on biblical principles and is all about putting value into the employees.
“I love to employ as many people in this family as we can. We just got to keep this business running for generations,” Watson said. “It takes a lot to get let go from Truline. We have almost zero turnover.”
Tooling University is used for the online fundamental training for the job, an hour a week for every employee.
On the job training is done in four simple steps — they watch someone work, then help, then the person doing the training helps and finally the person doing the training watches.
“This machine shop, we make these parts that go into the main engine fuel paver,” Watson said. “They are so hard to make, it is a challenge to these people every single day. We do have just an incredible group of people… as you can tell, I’m very passionate about it.”
Guest speaker Brandon Chrostowski — CEO of Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute, another example of the effective “character first” philosophy — also addressed the crowd.
Watson had eaten at his restaurant a while back, was humbled by his work and wanted people to hear his story.
After being mentored as a teen while on probation, Chrostowski wanted to provide a place where someone could change his or her life and be mentored and taught the fundamentals the right way, by providing that second chance.
Edwin’s restaurant, located on Shaker Square in Cleveland, runs a six month re-entry program for individuals returning from prison by putting them through every position in the restaurant.
Once the program is completed, they are put into apprenticeships and eventually jobs, Chrostowski said.
The program is meant for “anyone that’s been in jail or prison that’s looking to change their lives” and are passionate and committed, he said.
“We just talk to the person and find out where they’re at in their mind and in their heart, and if those two align, they’re in,” Chrostowski said.
People interested in the re-entry program had made a mistake, they paid their mistake back to society by being incarcerated and they need a second chance, Watson added.
“We’ve got their back, which means there’s no problem that we can’t solve,” Chrostowski said.
Two classes have graduated from the program with over 30 students now working in Cleveland. The next step is to provide dorm housing for the students, since the biggest problems currently are housing and heroin.
“The sky’s the limit, and we’re dreaming big and we’re fighting hard,” Chrostowski.
Both companies show how giving back and treating employees fairly so they are more than satisfied with their jobs can be effective.
“It is important to realize that Truline has little if any competition because of the five principles I have put in place,” Watson wrote in an email. “When I started this, we, indeed, shared the market with other manufactures. It is because of the five principles that have allowed us to become sole source.”
Watson agreed the success breakfast had a great turnout and helped to get the word out of his business philosophy.
“A lot of people can do what I do,” Watson said. “People think they can’t afford to do it and they just can’t afford not to do it. You can run a company this way and be profitable. We’re very profitable and so it can be done. I’m living proof.”
