Energy
Happy margins
How Sheri Tackett uses employee satisfaction to drive profits at Delta Energy
By Nancy Byron
Smart Business Columbus | September 2008
Page 1 of 5
Sheri Tackett knows the secret to increasing sales and profits:
Keep employees happy.
It’s that simple.
“I firmly believe that if employees are happy, that comes
through in the work that they perform with and for our customers, which translates into higher profits and growth,” says
Tackett, president of Delta Energy LLC. “The perfect example
of this is visible in our financial statements.”
In 2005, just two years after Tackett formed Delta Energy following a management buyout from Ashland Chemical, revenue
was $584 million. The following year, revenue jumped a full 45
percent to $847 million. In 2008, sales are expected to close in
on $1 billion.
“Many companies say that their employees are their most
valuable asset,” Tackett says. “At Delta Energy, our employees
are our only asset. For this reason, employee satisfaction is at
the top of the list of priorities.”
Delta is a Columbus-based energy management business that services more than 50 Fortune 500 companies, including General
Electric, Harley-Davidson, Honda of America, Merck, Ashland Inc.
and Worthington Industries.
“I have found that it is often the little things that have the biggest
impact on individuals,” Tackett says. “A small example is our outdoor workspace. Employees truly enjoy conducting meetings on the
patio or working outside in the fresh air when they can. Another
example is having the fitness room available on-site whenever our
employees can take a break and work out during the workday.
“We work hard, work smart and have fun,” Tackett says, quoting
one of the company’s mottos.
Yet, adhering to that motto requires a lot of work.
“Keeping employees happy is an effort that must have continuous
attention,” she says.
Here’s how Tackett has made an art out of maintaining employee
satisfaction and kept her company in a favorable financial position
as a direct result.
