Michael Krisher is the owner of Midland Wood Products, a pallet and crating manufacturer and broker. The company’s headquarters is in Mascoutah, Illinois.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever received?
Krisher: Our business, like any business, has its ups and downs. Remember the downs when you are up and the ups when you are down. It’s a simple observation, but it works.
Pallet Enterprise: Have you recently started pursuing any new markets/product lines?
Krisher: We have begun to focus more on our crating line in recent years.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one thing you do at your company that is different from other pallet companies?
Krisher: We shy away from high volume/low input accounts. It seems counterproductive, but over the years we have found the larger accounts tend to be more competitive, with less customer interaction and less appreciation for what goes into our service. Smaller accounts allow us to build strong personal relationships with our customers.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one of the hardest business decisions you have ever made?
Krisher: During the housing crisis in 2008-2010, we downsized our staff to stay competitive. Making our staff leaner proved to strengthen our company, but it was a difficult decision that I still think about.
Pallet Enterprise: What performance indicators do you track to measure how your company is doing?
Krisher: Customer satisfaction. If the customer is satisfied, everything else will fall into place.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the most important thing you do each day?
Krisher: Communicate.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the hardest challenge your company faces right now?
Krisher: Staying competitive while keeping our customers informed of the ever-changing market.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about customer service?
Krisher: Open, honest dialogue with customers is essential.
