Give Them Knowledge

John Williams
Central State Manufacturing

“It’s metal roofing. It’s not the sexiest thing,” John Williams says. “But it’s really not so much about what you make, it’s how you make it.” And how Central States Manufacturing — which employs more than 700 people and has retail outlets in Arkansas, Texas, Alabama and Kentucky — makes metal roofing and metal building parts is through a rigorous system of accountability: “We will never sacrifice accountability for financial success.”

In this video Williams explains that accountability is achieved in part through CSM’s commitment to an Evergreen CEO’s best friend — open-book management, where financial information is freely shared within the company and all employees are empowered to make decisions. It’s a People First strategy that is working for CSM. How does that front-end decision-making work in practice? We’ll let Williams explain.