Clow Valve, after almost 250 years is more productive and innovative than ever. After a focused effort on culture, getting the right people in the right seats, Mark Willet and his team decided they needed to rally around a cohesive vision to get everyone aligned on vision.
A conversation with Rob Taylor, an Entrepreneurial Operating System implementor, and seeing how well it was working with peers, Mark decided it was time to go all in on the system. Five years later, they are the shining light in the McWane family of brands with more employees and more productivity than ever. Take a listen and learn how they turned things around.
James B. Clow and Sons
With roots date back to 1878, then known as James B. Clow & Sons, Mark Willett runs one of Iowa’s oldest and most successful manufacturing facilities. Once a jobber of wrought iron pipe and other foundry products, in 1890, Clow added fire hydrants and waterworks valves to its line by becoming a distributor for the Eddy Valve Company of Waterford, N.Y.
Iowa stories for your inbox
Justin, David, & Kaylee cover Iowa news, agriculture, business and tech. No clickbait. No rage. No agenda. Support our vision and subscribe!
The needs of providing clean water as a fundamental need of every human, the work they do never ends. As Raymond Rinehart former president said, “Although the amount of water in the world has not changed since the day Noah floated his Ark, the increasing needs of industry and irrigation and the loss to pollution compounds the overall requirement.” As it has during the past century, Clow continues to be in the forefront of expanding the scope of its products and services in helping to provide clean, abundant supplies of water for the betterment of all.
A subsidiary of McWane, Inc., Clow now has access to global resources with the same autonomy they’ve always enjoyed. With that autonomy, Mark and his team have completely rehabilitated the company’s culture and have been deeply entrenched in the Entrepreneurial Operating System for over 6 years now.
Extending the EOS cycle and fully leaning on Rob Taylor, their EOS Implementor, they have officially achieved optimal “traction” and are soaring to all new heights. The opportunity EOS has offered to truly focus on what matters and set organization-wide goals to help everyone row in the same direction has improved innovation and has the other plants in the organization wondering what they’re doing to see such results. Take a listen today to hear how EOS is helping with all facets of the organization, from recruiting to innovation to process improvement and beyond.