Walking through the glass doors at Thomson-Shore isn't like stepping into your typical business - especially lately. You hear words and phrases and see things not exactly dominating the landscape these days.
The first thing you notice is the new carpet.
"Pardon the mess," says Terri Barlow, vice president of sales and marketing. "We are installing new carpet this week."
New carpet? In today's economy?
The receptionist greets you with a pleasant, "good afternoon." Employees walk around with smiles - not pink slips or fears of losing their jobs. The smell in the air is of growth, prosperity and new carpet, not layoffs, cutbacks and do more with less.
In an almost hushed tone of voice, Barlow starts talking a foreign language in today's business climate. "We are doing well," she says, with a slight touch of embarrassment and a ton of pride. "I know some businesses aren't doing well, but we are quite pleased with how things are going. We have three shifts printing books and have 260 full-time employees working for us.
"We have grown 22 percent since 2006."
Grown? Three shifts? Twenty-two percent?
But anyone who knows Thomson-Shore and the people who work there are not surprised by their success. They use an old-fashion formula with equal parts quality, hard work and efficiency that all adds up to customer value and satisfaction.
From family scrapbook projects to the university press market to Random House, Thomson-Shore has you covered - from cover to cover. The cost depends on many variables, including number of pages and materials. But whatever the size of the product, the quality will remain the same.
To manufacture a book, Thomson-Shore follows a careful and unique model to help ensure customer satisfaction.
The customer provides the final answers, but the questions Thomson-Shore asks is what sets them apart. For example, the first question is do you want the best? Other questions include do you want your project on time, on budget and of the highest quality. And while the answers to these questions are rather easy, Thomson-Shore has the experience, expertise and determination to deliver on them.
"Everything we do is about the customer," Barlow says. "We offer extreme customer service. We have a catchphrase here, 'How do you never disappoint a customer.' Every employee has something to do with us satisfying the customer and every employee who touches the product must make sure it's of the highest quality."
Taking ownership
Thomson-Shore doesn't just manufacture books, they manufacture the ideal working environment where employees take great pride in what they do, how they do it and how it's received.
While employees take home different paychecks, have varying responsibilities and wear different titles, they all have one important thing in common. They are all owners.
Employees aren't looking over their shoulder or looking out for No. 1 or showing off for the boss - because in a way, everyone at Thomson Shore is the boss. Everyone - from the receptionist to the press operator to the computer tech to the bindery assistant - has a stake in the company. So when the client says "great job," he's patting all 250 employees on the back.
Thomson-Shore is nearly 100 percent employee owned. Employees realize how their job affects the company's bottom line - and it's not to appease some conglomerate corporation, or outside investors or to help make a single owner wealthy. They work with great pride because they know if the company grows and prospers, their own personal share value grows and prospers.
"You still run it like a business and each employee has their own tasks and duties," Barlow says. "And we don't ask every employee to weigh in on every business decision. But it's important for employees to participate and take pride in what they do because we're all in this together, and that's a great motivator."
All employees attend quarterly meetings where the full financials of the company are disclosed and discussed.
"You can't make business decisions without knowing the entire business," Barlow says. "Other goals, successes and failures are communicated daily as we continue our quest and primary goal of any good 'owner,' to make the customers happy and make our business a success."Thomson-Shore started an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 1984. By 1998, the ESOP purchased nearly all of Thomson-Shore's stock.
Jobs at Thomson-Shore include sales, customer service, computer work, press operators, folder operators, binder operators, press techs, administration and accounting. And remember, if you get the job, you automatically become an owner.
Company of the Year
Earlier this year Thomson-Shore was named the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Association Michigan Chapter Company of the Year. The criteria is based on a company's commitment to employee ownership through involvement, communication and education.
Thomson-Shore became an ESOP member 24 years ago and it has only been in the last six years that an employee-based committee was formed to facilitate education programs and company events. This volunteer committee administers their orientation programs for new employees. They also host the popular "Lunch-n-Learn" with topics including Diversification and Repurchase Obligation.
Thomson-Shore has always been involved with various community projects and fundraisers. Thomson-Shore will participate in the Relay for Life through the American Cancer Society and for the Food Gatherers of Washtenaw County."I'm most proud of the recognition this award brings to our company," said Connie Adams, a Thomson-Shore employee-owner for 23 years and one of the original members of the ESOP committee. "Our founders strongly believed in employee ownership when they started our ESOP and our current ESOP Administrative Committee has always guided and supported our efforts to maintain our ownership culture."
Al Phillips, a Thomson-Shore employee-owner for 17 years, was also an original member to the committee.
"I'm proud of the award because of where we started," Phillips said. "It was all new to us and in six years we are now at the top."
The Thomson-Shore ESOP Communications Committee includes Adams, Phillips, Erin Walker, Tammy Pepper, Carl Trisdale, Fred Bobo, Amanda Marriott and Jeff Wilson.
Testimonials
"We have printed our books for almost 20 years with Thomson-Shore. For a small press, Thomson-Shore provides the best service and quality for the most reasonable prices in America."M. BatmanglijPublisher and EditorMage Publishers"I often breathe a sigh of relief when I know that one of our books will be printed by Thomson-Shore. There are many things that make them one of my favorite book printers - excellent customer communication, consistently high printing standards, and good prices and schedules. Perhaps what I most appreciate about Thomson-Shore is the competent attention of their customer service representatives to my job."
Karen CoppDesign and Production ManagerUniversity of Iowa Press
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