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Innovation remains key [Central Penn Business Journal (PA)](Central Penn Business Journal (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LANCASTER COUNTY COMPANIES CONFRONT UNPREDICTABILITY Business, like life, is not always predictable. Worley & Obetz Inc. faced a year of challenges as the winter's record weather conditions brought concerns of product availability, but it reports that prior strategic planning and commitment helped it take care of its customers. HVAC Distributors Inc., meanwhile, logged more than 6 percent year-overyear revenue growth and leaped into expansion mode. It ended 2013 with six locations and plans to end 2014 with 14, having opened three new branches in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia in January and expecting an acquisition this month to give it five more. WORLEY & OBETZ INC. LAURA INTHAVONGSA, COMMERCIAL ENERGY CONSULTANT PENN TOWNSHIP What strategies do you employ to stay ahead of the game? We continue to educate ourselves and our customers. In a rapidly changing environment, we strive to identify new, innovative opportunities. Staying focused on trends and changes in our industry provides us with a strategic advantage. What makes you want to play this game every day? Knowing that there are ever-changing opportunities to make a difference truly drives our team. We all have a passion to offer our customers various options to make smarter energy choices. Providing Amerigreen 100 percent American fuel to keep our American dollars in the U.S. is just one example. Who writes the rules for your game? Our leaders in conjunction with our entire Worley & Obetz team work diligently to provide the best products and services while being highly focused on our customer experience. Our customers help in writing the rules by letting us know what they are looking for in Worley & Obetz. HVAC DISTRIBUTORS INC. DAVID MCILWAINE, PRESIDENT AND CEO MOUNT JOY What strategies do you employ to stay ahead of the game? Here are a few: We implemented a customer relationship management software to help us automate many tasks and provide mechanisms for a more holistic view of our interaction with customers. We hold many focused meetings to assure we are communicating and receiving feedback on areas for improvement while creating strategies and plans to continue moving forward. We are active in our communities and industry associations which provides opportunities for learning and exposure to market trends. We have an active continuous improvement and lean initiative. What makes you want to play this game every day? Business is a competition and every day you have to go out and compete and be better than your competitors or they will take your business or, in some cases, your customer. We have a great team with a dedication to excellence, and it is rewarding to go to market every day when you have a great team around you. Our vision is for our customers, team members, vendors, communities and industry to be better off from having partnered with us. Who writes the rules for your game? Some days your customers change the rules, other days your competition makes moves that change the playing field. Sometimes it can be government or a supplier. One thing is certain, things change quickly and often in business these days, and you have to be nimble to be successful. BY HEATHER STAUFFER [email protected] (c) 2014 Journal Publications Inc. |