Employees count at this office
Bob DuFresne’s office is a showstopper. In an otherwise plain manufacturing facility, walking into the faux log cabin interior of his office jolts you into paying attention. Then you listen to the Vadnais Heights, Minn., entrepreneur’s philosophy of running a business, and the jolts intensify.
DuFresne says his mission isn’t to ship X number of precision parts, which is the business of DuFresne Precision Manufacturing; and it isn’t his mission to hit certain profit goals. DuFresne’s goal is to develop people and to provide job security. He wants his company to be a “destination” employer. He strives for minimal turnover and he wishes for a long list of potential employees who want to be a part of his company. He proudly tells stories of vendors and their employees who want to go to work at DuFresne.
When people do leave his company DuFresne wants them to be the first employees hired at other companies. He urges them to keep their resumes updated. He tells them their resumes are their “employment X-rays.” He constantly searches for ways to help people get the training they need to make their resumes impressive.
DuFresne started the company 15 years ago with eight people. There are now 130 employees, and five of the original eight are still with him. He gave those original employees and key managers a share of the action and proudly says keeping his employees financially secure is crucial to his mission. “My dad established the feeling in me that everybody needs a security net – financial security with no surprises,” the thoughtful, almost gentle, DuFresne says.
Over the years DuFresne says he has loaned more than a half million dollars to employees and he says, “I think I’ve been stiffed for 50 to 100 bucks.” That innate sense of trust seems to underscore all of his actions. He says he usually has eight to 10 loans out at a time, but he cautions people that the funds are only for true emergencies.
It’s important for DuFresne to teach his employees about business, so he helped 15 employees start their own side businesses. His face lights up and his soul is almost visible when he tells touching stories about assisting people in developing projects and small businesses. Two of the employees left to continue to develop their businesses, but most stay and use their side businesses to supply parts and fulfill projects for DuFresne.
A sense of fun is essential to DuFresne. When he interviews people he is intensely interested in their collegiality and their sense of humor. “A real serious person would have trouble here,” he admits. Treating people as if they are the most important asset is another part of DuFresne’s philosophy. He says a lot of employers “hug and kiss an expensive piece of equipment, but they never hug their employees. That’s a mistake.”