Dick Resch, president and CEO of KI, was selected as one of America's top business innovators profiled in "Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win" (William Morrow), an important new book by William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre that presents fresh new ways to lead, compete and succeed in business.
Resch was credited with leading the company in innovative approaches to customer collaboration and product development. Under his direction, KI has leapt in the past two decades from the 25th-largest industry player to a major force that ranks in the top five.
The authors praise KI as a "truly distinctive workplace," with a rate of growth in the past two decades that cannot be overstated. Among the select group of companies profiled in the book, Taylor and LaBarre single out KI's unique "Market-of-One" strategy, in which employees work closely with clients to deliver highly tailored and customized products. Its approach has made the company "a force to be reckoned with."
"Recognition in this book is an affirmation of the values and strengths that have set us apart from the competition," says Resch. "In leading KI to success, I have focused on giving employees the tools, knowledge and confidence to excel at their jobs, and to understand our customers' businesses and industries in devising solutions that meet their unique needs."
The book emphasizes that when Resch signed on as a junior executive in 1964, sales hovered at $4 million. Currently, KI has 3,500 employees and annual revenues of $600 million, a staggering financial increase that has largely been accomplished in-house. The phenomenal success of KI is the natural result of a workplace in which "every person understands what makes the business tick."
Among Resch's maverick ideas is the use of company sales representatives to directly target end users in core markets, a strategy that guides KI in designing furniture to meet their customers' unique needs. Resch also established a culture of open exchange and company-wide give-and-take, with monthly meetings for all managers to review operations in-depth. Resch's primary goal is to teach every employee to think like a CEO, generating personal interest and incentive to excel.
KI manufactures innovative furniture and wall system solutions for college & universities, K-12, healthcare, government and corporate markets. The employee-owned company is headquartered in