186 | Business World Magazine |
April 2013
kitchen oven. Hoosier Spring, in accordance
with SAE Aerospace Standard AS7003, is
accredited by NADCAP, a distinction that
recognizes the company’s conformance to
the highest production standards involving
heat treating.
Yet for all its operational and material
growth, staffing and market penetration,
Taylor says the operational environment of
Hoosier Spring still maintains a feeling of
family. He attributes part of that to long-
standing customer relationships, which in
some cases are 30 and 40 years long, but there
are also employees who have worked for the
company that long too. In fact, the company
has among the best employee retention rates
in the industry. In many cases, departments
are led today by the sons of former depart-
ment staff. Taylor says the Suth Family has
always strived to instill staff with a sense that
they are part of a family. “It has kept a fam-
ily feel, and Mike Suth was always very big
on saying, ‘This is who we are... and we treat
each other this way,’ which meant being re-
spectful, honest and cooperative. But we had
to treat customers the same way too. And as
we created partnerships inside the business,
the approach to customers was also about
creating partnerships, learning our customer
needs and committing ourselves to fulfilling
those needs on time with the right product
and the right cost,” says Taylor.
