Investing in Employees Pays Back with BIG Dividends
In 1926, W. D. McRae established Rex Lumber Company, a family-owned business in Graceville, Florida. The mill started as a cypress sawmill and later became an oak flooring manufacturer. Rex Lumber operates some of the most technologically advanced sawmills in the Southeast, and currently employs approximately 500 people. As a progressive and technologically advanced company, Rex Lumber understands that professional development is key to their continued success, growth strategy, employee satisfaction, and retention. Finding the right opportunities for employee engagement is difficult and expensive. Key Rex Lumber employees participated in a three-day project management professional technical engagement promoting professional development sponsored by Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council (NWFMC), the local regional manufacturers association, in partnership with the University of West Florida, and FloridaMakes. During the engagement, employees learned valuable tools and techniques to help them improve the success rate of their ongoing projects by applying standardized and proven project management principles. By better utilizing personnel, equipment, and resources, they are now able to complete their projects on time and within budget while maintaining excellent customer quality and satisfaction. The direct impact of the engagement to Rex Lumber included the ability to increase annual sales, project future growth of the business, and invest in plant and equipment to meet future demands.
RESULTS
- $1,000,000 in new or retained sales
- $25,000 in cost savings
- $4,065,000 in new investment
- 6 new or retained jobs