If a microscope had been focused on the
business landscape of Stark County in
2003, Alliance Castings Co. LLC would still
have been hard to see.
In its first year, the Alliance-based manufacturer of rail freight car components
began with a founding group of four and
finished the year with 13.
More than tripling your employee base is
a good year for any company, but for
Alliance Casting, led by general manager
Lawrence R. Stewart, it was only the tip of
the iceberg.
During the next five years, Stewart and
his management team have taken Alliance
Castings to new heights in employee numbers. The company employed 544 as of the
end of 2007, and has become a major
employer in Alliance and Stark County.
A big reason for the growth is the proactive approach that Stewart and the Alliance Castings management team take to training their employees and involving them in
helping to shape the future of the business.
Alliance Castings recently took its
employees through a series of seminars,
titled “Value of the Person,” or “VOP.” In
those seminars, employees were taught to
treat each other with dignity and mutual
respect while also maintaining a work environment focused on quality and safety.
The “Value of the Person” program has
also helped enhance relationships between
employees and management and has
helped build a sense of trust and teamwork
throughout the entire Alliance Castings
staff.
The VOP program has helped turn
Alliance Castings from a tiny start-up company to a place that prospective employees
seek out for employment — in Alliance and
beyond.
The spirit of teamwork has moved beyond the walls of Alliance Castings, as
the company employees have created
teams to oversee the company’s activities outside of work. Employees now
work together to oversee holiday functions and have compiled a cookbook of
favorite employee recipes.
The end result is a growing company
with employees who haven’t just memorized the company’s mission statement
and core values but who have truly
embraced the idea of collaboration,
teamwork and involvement. Under
Stewart’s leadership, Alliance Castings is
strong and getting stronger.
HOW TO REACH: Alliance Castings Co. LLC, (330) 829-5600
