A unique and personal touch to help a 3rd generation family business manage a flexible HR function.

Client

Detmer and Sons is a third generation, family-owned HVAC company with about 80 employees, based in Dayton, OH. Detmer and Sons has been an ALINITI client since 2010.

Challenge

As a small business with no internal HR executive, Detmer and Sons needed basic HR services, including assistance with keeping paperwork in compliance and the definition of job descriptions. Recently, the company diversified, purchasing Electro Polish Co.,and  their needs evolved to include assistance with the day-to-day operations, mapping out roles and responsibilities, and hiring a COO and office manager.

Solution

ALINITI met the initial need, including completing basic HR functions and creating job descriptions. When the needs of the company changed, ALINITI became a key partner in strategic planning, filling executive roles, and providing ongoing leadership training and continued onboarding of managerial staff. Despite being hired to fulfill basic HR duties, Detmer and Sons and Electro Polish Co. were able to utilize ALINITI for a variety of needs.

To help, our team:

  • Triaged issues and created job descriptions and defined roles based on our findings
  • Facilitated a balance scorecard session and created a strategy map and identified measurements to that map to link to all employees
  • Ensured that all paperwork was kept in compliance with industry standards as well as state and federal laws
  • Screened candidates for COO and office manager positions, among others, including creating interview questions for all roles and vetting qualified candidates matching the personality profile for which the company was searching
  • Provided 4 to 5-month onboarding for executives, as well as ongoing management and leadership training
  • Provided customized solutions for the hiring process from A to Z and carried them to implementation
  • Provided ongoing assistance for issues as they arise across both organizations

Results

“As our small businesses continue to grow, ALINITI has assisted us in regulation requirements, alignments, strategic planning, and (has) kept everything. ALINITI is consistent. It doesn’t matter which way we turn, they can pivot to the direction we are going. Could we have grown with them? Yes. Do I sleep better at night knowing we have them? Absolutely. As we continue to grow, people and secure resource behind us helps me sleep at night. I think the world of Bill and his team and recommend them. I consider them a part of our team even though they aren’t employees.” Eric Detmer, President and CEO of Detmer and Sons and Electro Polish Co.

Thinking beyond the current needs

Detmer and Sons was quickly growing but did not have a need for a full-time HR staff. When Eric Detmer, president of Detmer and Sons turned to ALINITI, his company required assistance with basic HR functions, including creating job descriptions and recruiting high-level strategic mapping, and keeping paperwork in compliance. ALINITI worked to triage issues, build roles, and created a performance agreement model.

As the company evolved, ALINITI role transformed

When Detmer and Sons acquired a new company, Electro Polish Co., Eric found himself in need of someone to help with the day-to-day operations. ALINITI took on a strategic role and spearheaded the search for an office manager and chief operating officer for Electro Polish Co.

“ALINITI is consistent. It doesn’t matter which way we turn, they can pivot to the direction we are going,” said Eric. “[As we diversified] we knew we needed help with day-to-day operations and we needed to map out what we were looking for in candidates, including what characteristics and personalities we were looking for. We needed help with hiring from A to Z.”

Filling Key Roles

ALINITI started the search for an executive by defining role responsibilities and job descriptions. The ALINITI team recruited talented individuals and vetted applicants, taking into account more than just past experience. Together, ALINITI and Detmer conducted interviews and facilitated negotiations with qualified candidates. ALINITI followed the processes through to implementation and continued the onboarding process for four to five months, in addition to maintaining the functions they were originally hired to complete. With ALINITI assistance, Detmer hired a skilled, experienced candidate who was attracted to the process.

“Their executive search isn’t one brush they paint for all of their clients,” said Eric. “ALINITI can adapt to a client’s needs or budgetary concerns and they are very flexible.”

Becoming part of the family is invaluable

ALINITI has become an integral part of the Detmer and Sons and Electro Polish Co. teams and has transitioned from simply providing HR duties, to providing leadership training with managers and working with the COO at both Detmer family companies. Most recently, ALINITI facilitated a balance scorecard session, created a strategy map, and identified measurements for that map which can be linked to everyone in the organization.

Throughout his company’s relationship with Aliniti®, Detmer and Sons CEO, Frank Detmer, Jr. has changed the way that he views human capital, and has become an advocate for ALINITI.

“I consider ALINITI a part of our team even though they aren’t employees,” said Eric. “[They have] a unique and great personal touch. I know I can talk to the CEO if I need to, even if it’s not his task. It’s a great and calming feeling to have. ALINITI has a great team, is easy to work with, attentive to our needs, and professional in all manners that operate with us.”