Spring 2015 Solutions Milestone Two decades. One fifth of a century. 7,300 days. This year marks the 20th anniversary of MPS Group’s founding. When we were just getting established in 1995, Toy Story was in theaters, Ebay went live and Operation Desert Storm ended. While some things remain the same – like General Motors being our first customer then and continuing to be our largest customer now – the world and MPS Group have evolved tremendously. My personal history with MPS Group extends back to 2010. Shortly after I came onboard, the leadership team completed a detailed review of our strategic plan. We examined where the company was generating profits, narrowed our focus and grew those specific areas. Since then, we’ve executed this updated plan – with impressive results. In five years, MPS Group has nearly tripled annual sales and our team has expanded to more than 300 employees. The acquisitions of NWC Global, AU, Motor City Plant Services and Superior Patriot have reinforced our technical capabilities, employee talent and geographic reach along the way. While this anniversary milestone provides a good chance to review where we’ve been, it’s also an excellent vantage point from which to look forward. At our present pace of growth, MPS Group expects to achieve $100M in annual revenue within the next two to three years. We will continue to pursue additional customers in new industries and cast an eye to continuing geographic expansion. The ultimate key to our success, however, is the hard work of our people. The entire MPS Group team deserves to take a step back and admire how far they have come in the past 20 years. Thank you for being a vital part of our accomplishments. Ed Schwartz – President and CEO Paint Shop Professionals MPS Group’s professional reach continues to spread. The company was recently awarded a multi-year contract at General Motor’s Bowling Green facility for paint shop cleaning and spray booth environment management. Work at the “Home of the Corvette” is slated to begin July 1, 2015. With the recently awarded contract, MPS Group now provides such services covering a full array of vehicle types, including trucks, sedans, SUVs and now sports cars in Bowling Green, Kentucky. “Our expanding capabilities in paint shop management comprise a significant portion of MPS Group’s overall revenue growth,” explains Business Development Manager Rob Haggerson. “The new contract at Bowling Green encompasses a broad scope of services, including paint shop cleanliness, humidification, booth water, booth balance, filtration, and ‘dirt in paint analysis.’” MPS Group’s initial experience with paint shop management kicked off approximately six years ago at Navistar truck manufacturing facilities. Then in 2011, to increase the scope of potential activities, an MPS team approached GM to become an approved supplier. “Our first award was in 2012 at their high-volume truck plant in Indiana,” noted Haggerson. “At that time, we set in motion an ongoing strategic partnership with the customer, the UAW, and Abendego Environmental.” MPS Group anticipates significant growth in this business line at additional General Motors facilities and further afoot. “We are currently pursuing several other automotive OEMs and their suppliers,” shares Haggerson. “We excel at each part of the process: from capturing the contract with an informed sales force to creating a robust transition process and finally to 100% implementation. Our team consistently and comprehensively brings best in class service delivery.” Solutions Industrial Services Team Conquers Holiday Shutdown Each year when most of the Midwest’s manufacturing employees are settling in for a well-deserved holiday break, MPS Group is gearing up for aroundthe-clock work. “With automobile production running almost continuously throughout the year, the automakers must conduct upgrades, retooling and change-over operations during the holiday seasons,” explains Operations Director Bobby Greenwood. Corporate Health and Safety Director Matt Rasak elaborates, “For MPS that means a small window to clean and prepare automotive processes for the installation of new robots, the renovation of paint booths, or the general maintenance of conveyor systems, to put booths and processes back into optimum condition. Our busiest times of the year span Christmas and New Years’, plus Fourth of July week during the summer months.” However, the payoff is significant. In a 14 day span, MPS Group was able to generate nearly $4 million in revenue with more than 700 employees and subcontractors working across the country at eight different sites. In total, the company deployed 16 vacuum trucks, 32 high pressure hydroblast pumps and over 50 support vehicles. Just as impressively, all of this work occurred with no recordable injuries and no vehicle incidents or inspection violations despite traveling in excess of 10,000 miles. Project Manager Daniel Loos estimates that planning for the shutdown’s cleaning efforts begins six months ahead of time. The client and MPS Group representatives determine what has to be accomplished then company resources are allocated appropriately. “It’s a collaborative process with the final two weeks preceding the actual shutdown encompassing a whirlwind of last minute details,” he notes. MPS Group provides only one portion of the overall work done during the shutdown, which creates a tightly woven and interdependent timeline. As Rasak explains it, “If we fall behind, then all the work after us falls behind.” Success can be measured by the large number of returning customers. MPS Group has been working with Chrysler’s JNAP (Jefferson North Assembly Plant ) for more than 15 years during its shutdown periods. Special guests made their way to the plant to encourage MPS’s onsite team during their marathon work session. “It was a privilege and honor to have Tony Soave and Ed Schwartz visit our site on Christmas Eve day. It was a huge morale boost for our employees,” noted Greenwood. Greenwood commented, “We couldn’t pull this off without the best employees in the business. I appreciate the dedication of all our employees who, in many cases, made significant personal sacrifices to work out-of-town on Christmas and New Year’s Day to ensure success.” He continued, “This project was a complete team effort from executive management to the field technicians that made it happen. The support that Darrin Stafford gave to the IFS team was greatly appreciated. His commitment to providing manpower and equipment helped to make this shutdown a success. Special thanks to all employees who made this a successful outage: John Allen, Charles Bankston, Andy Bowden, Marc Bowden, Darrin Campis, Daniel Fisher, Michael Hoye, Larry Johnson, Jeff Loos, Ed Maki, Scott Maki, Miguel Oquendo, Jim Robinson, Phil Rodgers, Terry Stenger, Vince Varela, Dave Venesiale and Yolanda Walton.” Spreading our Green “Know-How” What do more than 400 used aerosol cans, 275 pounds of used oil and 215 tires have in common? They avoided a future as landfill fodder because of Keith Koskela, MPS Group’s Total Waste Manager at the Ford Motor Company’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant (FRAP). On Earth Day 2015, Koskela, along with two technicians and a vendor, held a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day at the manufacturing facility. Ford employees, onsite vendors and contractors were invited to bring their “difficult to get rid of” items, including old appliances, paint and pesticides, to the designated area of the plant parking lot during day and afternoon shifts. All collected items at this first time event were taken to approved disposal facilities instead of contributing to landfills. Terry Filipiak, Ford Environmental Manager, observed, “MPS Group and Ferrous Processing are key partners in managing our waste here at Ford Flat Rock Assembly. So when we mentioned we were interested in holding a household hazardous waste disposal event for our employees, they were willing participants. Mr. Koskela’s knowledge of past events helped in planning and carrying out an event that was well organized. Thank you to Soave Enterprises for their assistance in the success of this event.” Introducing Beth Kobeck Beth Kobeck's arrival at MPS Group as Corporate Controller reflects her comfort with taking on new challenges, new roles and new industries. For the previous 11 years, Kobeck served as Vice President of Finance and Administration at pulse220, an event planning and marketing firm based in Ferndale, Michigan. Though the two positions are in vastly different sectors, Kobeck was glad to "jump into a new arena." “I decided to meet with the company’s leadership and see what they’re about. What I found was an excited and engaged team,” she said. “Postcollege days in public accounting brought a daily array of different clients and switching industries to MPS Group reminds me of that experience.” In what she describes as a bigger playground than her prior employer, working at MPS Group provides Kobeck, a strong believer in teamwork, expanded opportunities to implement best-in-class practices and to learn from a talented group of individuals. “My goal is to strengthen our team through mentoring, daily support and empowering growth,” she noted. Facing the twin challenges of increasing volumes and the rollout of a new ERP system, Kobeck believes the best way to understand a process is to live it and measure its strengths and weaknesses. “Walking side-by-side with my team, I can more fully understand our strengths and opportunities, then translate that into definitive actions.” Kobeck received her Bachelor of Arts from Hillsdale College. Solutions Employee Recognition The View from 20 Years • As we celebrate MPS Group’s 20th anniversary, we asked the company’s longest term employees for insight into their years with the company. MPS Group’s Farmington Hills office turned a vibrant shade of scarlet on the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day. Purchasing Administrator Ceretta Westbrook heeded her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority’s call to action to get women involved in the nationwide event. Westbrook encouraged her coworkers to sport red on February 6, 2015 to help raise awareness of heart disease and stroke among women. Westbrook personally resolved to increase her exercise regimen after her involvement in the campaign. What movie or book title best summarizes your experience at MPS Group? • “As Good As It Gets” – Weems • “Who Moved My Cheese” – Stafford What innovation over the past 20 years has made your job more efficient? • Great Plains software – Westbrook • E-Mail – Stafford • New technology – Weems • New business systems allowing us to adapt to change - Burrell In three words or less, please describe your career at MPS Group. • Fast and Furious – Weems • Separate, Steady, Special – Westbrook • Fun, Challenging, Rewarding – Stafford • Outgoing and Communication - Burrell • Wedding bells were ringing for Jim Burkett, MPS Group’s 1st Shift Supervisor at the Spring Hill GM Assembly Plant. Jim married his long-time girlfriend Karen Foster on Saturday, April 18th, 2015. Congratulations on your big day! • Earth Day organizers come in all shapes and sizes – even pint size. Eight-year-old Lauren Robinson, daughter of Contract Manager Jim Robinson, organized classmates, church friends, soccer buddies and other Brownies for the third year in a row to clean up a local park. This year she turned her attention to LaSalle, Canada’s Gil Maure Park. “I think it’s important because our Earth has a lot of pollution in it,” Lauren commented. “You see a lot of garbage when you’re walking in the parks so we’re here to clean it up.” What was or is your favorite community activity with your fellow MPS employees? • Annual Employee Training Event – Weems • Bring a Child to Work Day – Westbrook • Potluck lunches with employees - Burrell • JDF Walk – Stafford • Making his Valentine’s Day more than just a day filled with hearts and chocolates, MPS Group Site Manager Gerald Greer traveled with his coworkers from General Motor’s Spring Hill facility to Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Pantry. The Global Supply Chain (GSC) team participated in their fifth annual volunteer event. The team along with other volunteers sorted 12,879 pounds of food which will provide 9,900 meals to Middle Tennessee families. Shown Left to Right: Don Weems –15 Years, Regional Manager: Angie Sherrill – 16 Years, Human Resources Manager: Ceretta Westbrook –16 Years, Purchasing Administrator: Tonya Burrell – 17 Years, Billing Administrator: Darrin Stafford – 17 Years, Chief Operating Officer Have an Idea for a Story? MPS Group Solutions reports on professional and personal successes of team members. Story ideas include:updates or changes in business, accomplishments by employees or family, employee appointments, events, or awards. Photos greatly enhance any story. Please send your story ideas to: hcataldo@mpsgrp.com The MPS Group Solutions newsletter is developed and published by MPS Group for and about our employees and clients. Contents © 2015 MPS Group. 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