5/12/2012 11:28:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS
Media Spotlight – Kirk Zehnder, president and CEO of Earnest Machine turned to the Cleveland chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization to connect to business owners.
“There were so many things I didn’t know and I can admit it, I was afraid to ask,” Zehnder told Fresh Water, a weekly e-zine covering northeastern Ohio. “EO members have helped me build a better business, be a better leader and expanded my awareness how much I don’t know.”
Paul Earnest Zehnder founded earnest Machine in 1948.
Earnest is a Cleveland-based master distributor of nuts and bolts. Earnest imports large diameter, high-strength, high-quality fasteners and sells through distributors throughout North America and Europe.
In the Q&A style column, Zehnder said his role has been “part renovator and part entrepreneur.”
He has always had “an entrepreneurial style to my life. The combination of being curious and questioning convention probably forced me into being my own boss. I did the t-shirt business for a while, had a brief stint in custom furniture and produced an independent film.”
“I closed my production company in 2001, got married and needed a job. I convinced my dad to hire me and in 2002 I began as the marketing guy. I thought it was going to be temporary and in less than six months I was all in and started renovating the business by taking it down to the studs. The business had so much potential and it just needed a plan. So, while the company is 64 years old, it has the energy of a start-up.
What advice would you give to someone starting a company here?
“Get connected to people who are doing the same thing and ask as many questions as you can.”
Can you share a funny or amazing entrepreneurial experience with our readers?
I heard a local CEO of a billion-dollar company talk about his experience. I was so engaged by it that I called his office and suggested that we get together to talk. Six weeks later I spent an hour with him in his office. I took a lot of notes.
What inspires you?
“People who challenge the status quo of anything.”
What companies or founders do you admire and why?
“I really admire companies like Apple, Starbucks and Zappos because they are focused on delivering an excellent customer experience and boldly do it in commoditized markets.”
What’s next for you and your company?
“My focus is on building a team of only A players that can deliver great customer experiences, while creating simple systems that increase our capacities to grow.”
Earnest Machine has branches in Georgia, Indiana and the UK and is headquartered at 1250 Linda St. #301, Rocky River, Ohio 44116. Tel: 216 362-1100 or 800 327-6378 Web: earnesmachine.com
Editor’s Note: Articles in Media Spotlight are excerpts from publications or broadcasts which show the industry what the public is reading or hearing about fasteners and fastener companies. ©2012 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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