Jones Metal Products

Photo by Kris Kathmann

Mankato metal fabrication company with deep community roots growing through tough times.

“Aw, you’re a girl.”

The chagrin was evident in the coach’s words when 10-year-old Sarah Richards was drafted to play baseball the first year Little League went co-ed. She didn’t let the coach’s response to her gender deter her. Her parents’ advice—now that she took seriously.

“My parents encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do, so I don’t give much consideration to obstacles,” Richards said. She convinced the coach to get her off the bench by insisting, “I’m so much better than most of those boys.” She has since excelled in such diverse worlds as sports management and manufacturing. As director of sales and marketing at Jones Metal Products Inc., Richards has plans for a title change.

“When coming to Jones Metal Products in 2008, my goal was to reach the position of president and ceo,” Richards said. “I’m confident I can do the job and am hoping it happens by 2012.”

High-powered females are a tradition in this primarily woman-owned company.

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When Cecil Jones, who purchased Kato Engineering in the late 1920s, needed a metal fabrication company to partner with his existing company, his wife, Mildred Jones, started Jones Sheet Metal and Roofing Company in 1942. (They eventually dropped the roofing part of the business.) In 1952, Jones and Chuck Pennington founded a third company, Katolight, to sell generator sets, and the three companies operated together.

The present Jones Metal Products, located on 3rd Avenue in Mankato, is a full service contract metal fabrication company, supplying metal components while offering a “complete solutions” package of services that combine elements of design for manufacture and assembly, document control, precision fabrication, finishing and shipping. In 2007, the ISO 9001:2008 company expanded capacity by opening Avalon Metal Fabrication in Owatonna under overall management by the Jones Metal Products management team.

Jones’ daughters, Marcia Richards and Kay Jacobson, eventually acquired the stock for Jones Metal Products and Katolight, splitting company ownership in 2000. Richards became the majority owner and board chair of Jones Metal Products. (Kato Engineering was sold to another corporation in the ‘80s.

Although Marcia Richards (who received a YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in March) remains the majority owner of Jones Metal Products, Sarah and her siblings, David and Jessica, are purchasing stock from their mother with the intention of eventually owning the company. Richards explained, “All of us are involved in the company, with David as a sales engineer and Jessica (who lives in Colorado) as a technical writer and the administrator of the family foundation. In addition to directing sales and marketing, I also have been the training and recruitment director, a responsibility I now delegate to co-workers. Some people call me the Chief Antagonist because I ask so many questions. Since coming here, I have realized that my personality, which enjoys confrontation and challenge, is needed. I’ve always held a non-traditional role, beginning in grade school when I told my fourth-grade teacher I wanted to be the first girl Vikings football player. (It’s a goal she has not pursued).

L to R: Marcia Richards with children Jessica, David and Sarah.

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Richards predictably admits to being a workaholic, but said, “Occasionally I can do nothing with the best of them, with music or TV. And I don’t sleep with my PDA.” She explains her ability to multi-task as a function of what some people consider a disability. She said, “If I were in school now, I’m sure I would be classified as ADD.” For her, though, the ability to change focus fast has been a necessity.

“I came from the golf business and have been a PGA golf professional since 1987,” she said. “My dad and my Grandpa Jones taught me. I have a picture of myself with a club in my hand when I was about four. I probably got fairly serious about it when I was 12. I quit when I was 17 because of disagreements with my father and not being able to break the score of 80. I had plenty to do because I also played tennis and was a ski instructor. I returned to golf at age 23, after receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in education from St. Thomas University in Minneapolis. I did some classroom subbing, and I have used that degree in my positions over time. It’s an advantage to understand learning styles and behaviors. When I graduated, I wanted to work in sales at Katolight, but my father politely declined. I didn’t know why at the time, but he didn’t think manufacturing was still a thriving, exciting opportunity.”

Most recently, Richards was the head golf professional and general manager at Cannon Golf Club in Cannon Falls, Minn. She was in charge of all finances, budgeting, overall maintenance of the course, marketing, food and beverage, building maintenance and customer service.

“In your free time you have to make sure the golf operations, such as tournaments, outings and general play, run smoothly,” she said. “On Sundays, you might be the plumber or try fixing the air conditioning. It’s high intensity management for eight months of the year, very hands-on, and requires flexibility and agility. I also gave golf lessons, which I still do.

When Richards first took the job, she was one of only three women of 300 head pros in Minnesota–very much a non-traditional role for a woman, much like manufacturing.

“That job did help prepare me for this one, because I had to manage all parts of the business, including 50 employees–from preparation to chaos,” Richards said. “One of my motivations for leaving the golf club was that it was becoming harder and harder to turn down invitations from friends during the best weather of the year, but it was a fantastic business for me to be involved in.”

After Richards left the golf club in 2004, she took a month-long trip on the old Route 66, driving from Los Angeles to Chicago. Her office walls bear testimony to the photos she took of vintage motel and restaurant signs and of Googie architecture (the name for certain kinds of roof styles on gasoline stations of the era).

After returning to Minnesota, Richards enrolled at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount to study a combined program of graphic design and architecture. In 2008 she received an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree in interior design.

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“I really wanted to be an architect or designer when I was in high school,” Richards explained, reaching over to bring up graphic designs on her computer screen. “My first time in college, at St. Thomas, I couldn’t get through the third level of calculus, which is no longer required in the architecture program, but it was then. Since getting my AAS degree, I’ve done graphic and interior design for an architecture firm and hope to continue doing that as the opportunity arises. If money were no object, I’d like to provide graphic and marketing services to non-profits at no charge.”

Along with family members, Richards is the face of Jones Metal Products. She said, “One of our company values is community. We try to be a good steward and support companies and projects in Mankato. We donate materials and services for school projects, and I’m on the Technology Education Board for the school district. We work with the Center for Business and Industry at South Central College, helping to develop training programs. I take part in planning how the school can best provide manufacturers with future employees. When doing employee recruiting for Jones, I’ve had to go to other areas for welders, but now SCC is bringing back that program.”

Richards’ direct marketing responsibilities involve making physical visits to customers. “It takes quite a long time to develop a partnership with a new customer because many products are very complicated,” she explained. “In developing new customers, we look at what sectors we currently serve (see sidebar). It’s to our benefit to have balance so we are more resistant to recession. I choose an area that makes sense with what we are already doing and knock on the door. Sometimes it takes months or even years for our five-person sales team to court a new customer. The trends in this business are quality expectations and on-time delivery. These are table stakes now. You cannot sit down at a table with existing or new customers without good, on-time delivery or quality. I think this has been gradually happening as a result of the global market. It’s the Toyota business model. More businesses are looking into lean manufacturing and processing and ‘just in time’ inventory. Most inventory doesn’t sit on shelves any more; products are re-engineered more often, so we must be more agile and flexible.

“Because we make products for other manufacturers, we have to wait and see how much business our customers send us; we depend on them for information on how busy we will be,” she continued. “Our marketing is often through our existing customers. We have helped them solve a problem. Our brand promise is: Solutions, Service, Satisfaction. We bank on solutions. Our goal is to be the preferred global supplier of metal fabrication solutions.”

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Richards has been involved in streamlining the manufacturing process. She explained, “We are changing some of our operational philosophies. For example, we used to take orders from all our customers, overfill the ‘incoming bucket’ and schedule on the fly. Now we work on understanding our capacity and the schedule so we have steady production. Communication—just talking to each other and being more transparent—is a huge area for us. We have a classic work force; some people have been here over 40 years. There’s an extremely high level of pride for the company. New employees sense that a welder isn’t just a welder. He’s a problem solver. The employees all participate in our brand promise.”

She continued, “We’re developing an owners’ plan and becoming much more involved in the business. The changes occurring in the business, modernizing technology and equipment, are what I would do (anyway). We’re also modernizing our health care program in response to our employees’ needs. I’m just fascinated by people. It’s my mission to try to know everyone who works here, how much they use their skills when they’re not here and what they like to do.”

Richards usually works 60-70 hours a week and of course takes home quite a bit of work each day. She admitted, “I have a hard time shutting it off. When I was in the golf business, I was married to the job, and I swore I wouldn’t do that again, but I am doing it. I can’t help it. We have a great opportunity to grow and change. I can’t resist a good challenge when I think I have the tools to handle it. I need a stimulating atmosphere. I’ve never had the alarm go off in the morning and wish I didn’t have to go to work that day.”

Working in the family business has opened Richards’ eyes to the thrills of immersion in the manufacturing sector.

“I never thought for a minute the manufacturing world could be more exciting than the golf business,” she said. “Every single day, there’s opportunity to improve the business and products. Technology and equipment in manufacturing change and evolve just as quickly as the desktop computer. There is no doubt that there is an old, slow-moving culture, and it’s a challenge that I really enjoy—to mix the new opportunities and the old culture, which could be customers as well as employees. I learn something every day. I never imagined having this sense of pride and feeling of stewardship, all the way to the heart, that I have here. It’s a big responsibility and a wonderful opportunity. Working here has helped me understand my true passion. It’s not sports or graphic design, it’s helping people.”

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Company Statistics

• Makes parts used by OEMs (other equipment manufacturers) in industries such as road construction, power generation, agricultural implements and the military.
• 120 employees, a 33 percent increase over one year ago.
• 75 percent of employees work in manufacturing (more than one-third in welding), the remainder in administration and sales support, including seven engineers and engineering techs, of which one is a woman.
• Customer base: about six clients make up 85 percent of the business and dozens of smaller customers.

Sarah Statistics

Childhood: Grew up in Mankato, middle child of three; graduated from Mankato East High School in 1982.

Preparation and education for this job: My work experiences, which include a lot of time in management.

First jobs: Lawn mowing at age 12, developed into a lawn service with another girl. At 15, the first female hired at Jim’s Sporting Goods. Also worked at Mt. Kato as a ski instructor, and during college summers sold ergonomic and personal care products as well as sporting goods. “I have a strong customer-relations and service background.”

Best accomplishment: My perseverance in pursuing the non-traditional role, succeeding and staying, without sacrificing my dignity.

Regrets: I might have stopped for a moment to have a family. I’m not a loner, but I sometimes have the lonely view from the top.

Most valued possession: Items of sentimental value from my grandparents and parents.

Most valued intangible: The great opportunities I’ve been afforded through the hard work and beliefs of my grandparents, parents and mentors. I’ve always sought out mentors. When I need help, I usually ask for it. I don’t know it all.

Recreation: Ski trips—a great escape, either alone or with my family.

Descriptive words: Risk taker, communicator, activator, positive, transparent.

If not in this business: Working with people somewhere, somehow, or skiing and golfing in Colorado.

Memberships

• Professional Golf Association
• YWCA Board
• Founding member, Region Nine satellite of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association
• Represented by others in the company: Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Welding Society, Greater Mankato Growth Inc.