Strategy Partners International

ENGINEERING/CONSTRUCTION

The Client

The largest HVAC contractor in the US

The Challenge

Develop a business strategy for this company facing significant growth limitation or even extinction after 60 years of growth and leadership.

The Rationale and Solution

Utilized our unique “strategic thinking” process to engage the CEO and all key executives and managers. They needed to debate and agree on the real “roots” of the business and the opportunities and threats facing them from the changing environment. While they were a key company in their field in the West, they needed to figure out how to manage competition which was increasingly including some of their customer – delivery channel base. They needed a process to help them focus and better utilize their human resource and capital. Then, they needed to “change the rules” against their key competitors. The strategic thinking process would help them do this.

The Result

Not only escaped extinction but tripled revenues over the following 4 years to become the largest HVAC engineering/ contractor in the US with a focused, clear, well-articulated business strategy that had 100% consensus of all executives. At the latest annual meeting of the shareholders, the Corporation’s banker, Wells Fargo, asked the President: “ to what do you ascribe this consistent and marvelous operating performance over the past 6+ years?”… to which he replied ”… it is the result of (Rudy’s) process and institutionalizing that process as a kind of corporate ‘language’… certainly not the only thing we did but the most significant underpinning. What strategic thinking really did for us at the operational level was make sure everyone was pulling together the same way, because everyone was on board… everyone understood what needed to be done and why… so there was no zigging and zagging amongst the functional managers when it came to day-to-day implementation.” More importantly, they were able to use strategic thinking techniques to “reset the rules of play” in their business arena – by shifting the strategic focus underpinning their business heartbeat – this not only resulted in significant increase at the top line BUT they maintained their high margins relative to their key competitors! Their revenue has grown almost 4-fold from the $100 Million before engaging SPI and the Strategic Thinking process.

Contact: John Aversano, President and Chief Executive, ACCO-Engineered Systems Inc., 818-244-6571