(Photo above: 2015 annual HiDEC conference meeting coordinators (L-R) Andy Cali, James Warburton, Mark Coppin, Janet Prater and keynote speaker Jake Nichol, Former CEO Leatherman Tool Company | by Krystal Marie Collins)
This year’s High Desert Enterprise Consortium featured Jake Nichol, former CEO of Leatherman Tool Company, a Portland based corporation. Having 40 years in the tool industry, both international and in the U.S., Nichol shared his knowledge with HiDEC members through a presentation on The Nine Tenants of Business.
One highlight of Nichol’s presentation was during discussion of branding, under the first tenant, integrity in everything we do. Nichol’s made the point that a company needs to “build what they say they are going to build, make and keep commitments, build trust everyday in relationships and have industry leadership in your product.”
To demonstrate Leatherman’s execution of the this tenant, a clip from the Simpsons, a show created by the Oregonian Matt Groening, was shown. The clip emphasized the unquestionable common knowledge that a Leatherman is the ultimate Father’s Day present when Homer praised Bart for this, his Father’s Day gift.
Among the member companies present at the conference was DENT Instruments. Janet Prater, with the DENT shipping department, most appreciated the eighth tenant, managing activities not results. She said in her department the rigors would be overwhelming if she didn’t work to keep her focus on the day to day tasks. Nichol encouraged the audience that “long-term success requires short-term focus.” Referencing a favorite coach he also remarked “glance up at the score board at the end of the game to see how much you have won by…”
James Warburton, volunteer chair, was extremely pleased with the attendance, 67 individuals and 27 companies, and full of gratitude for the presenter. He explained, “HiDEC is striving to move beyond a manufacturing and shop-floor LEAN focus to help any organization and all areas/levels therein apply improvement concepts. We’ve made solid progress this year. The annual conference with Jake Nichol was a natural capstone. He has “earned his stripes” over the last 30 years. We are fortunate he has shared his lessons-learned and wisdom with us.”
HiDEC currently boasts a roster of 15 companies and is run by volunteers. Their goal is to connect those who are passionate about economic development and continuous improvement in Central Oregon. Interested parties can visit http://www.hidec.org/ to learn how to get involved.
