Greetings Spacesaver Group, 2021 is almost in the books and it is time to turn the page and FOCUS on 2022. As I mentioned last month, we have so much to be thankful for as we reflect on another successful year as a Group.
Challenges will always be there no matter how hard you work, plan, and prepare; that’s life, that’s business. It is how you respond and adapt that makes the difference.
As you know, we started our planning for 2022 in June and at that time our primary concern was the cost of commodities. But since then, as you are all aware, we have experienced some drastic supply chain issues, severe labor shortages and, of course, the recent fallout caused by the federal vaccine mandate. All of which are affecting our ability to perform for you and our mutual customers.
Therefore, over the past several weeks I have been working on contingency planning with my Management Team to our 2022 Strategic Plans—knowing things will not be changing any time soon. First and foremost, in these revisions is a “continued” commitment on hiring production workers. It will require changes in our pay structures and some very out of the box thinking for recruiting and retaining. What we have been doing is not working so changes are necessary, which will again affect our cost structures and ability to invest in some other areas of our business.
Simply said, factory automation (capital spend) and factory labor is our number one initiative to reduce and sustain lead-times and to ship on time. We are still moving ahead with other initiatives as well (i.e. Product Innovation), but will not be able to do it all. We will also be taking a closer look at products that are no longer relevant in our business but take up resources, are not profitable and eat up capacity. This is OK as we reground ourselves and focus on what is truly important and will provide all of us a stable foundation to build upon and ultimately satisfy customers. More to follow as we move forward with our revised plans.
Thank you all for what you do to make our businesses successful. It is appreciated more than you know. Wishing you, your families, and loved ones a wonderful and safe Christmas and holiday season.
God bless, Mark Haubenschild | President/CEO
Spacesaver Scorecard
What a year 2021 has been! While it was quite “unique,” the Spacesaver Group excelled with orders— submitting more than 109 percent of quota year to date. With just days left, there are several milestones within reach: Will Patterson Pope exceed $18 million? Can Diversified Storage hit $10 million? Will we finish with more than half of our Area Contractors exceeding quota for incoming orders? All of these achievements signal a remarkable year and one that I will always be thankful for. This Group is amazing—no obstacle is too big and we will always rise to the challenge!
Christmas is almost here and I want to personally thank each of you and wish everyone the best during the holidays…and hope you are blessed with the gift of TIME with friends and family. While we all have so much to be thankful for and can relish in the success of 2021, do not lose sight of our ability to offer service to others who may not be as blessed. Thank you for impacting our team!
2022: A Time to Change Focus
Over the last couple of years, the Spacesaver leadership team has built plans with a laser beam FOCUS. That laser beam focus will continue to stay on point as we turn the calendar to 2022, but it’s time for new excitement, reinvigorated energy—and time to celebrate our 50th anniversary!
This coming year will be both a year to celebrate what we’ve accomplished since 1972, but also a time to pave the way for our next 50 years. We will be both reflective and forward-thinking. What will our new approach be to the proven track record we’ve built? How will we take what we’ve been the best at and bring new vision to meet changing needs? How will we leave our mark on this legacy brand that we call Spacesaver?
Mark alluded to some of those changes in his opening remarks—and our 2022 Strategic Initiatives and long-term planning will take us there. All of this falls under our new theme for 2022 and beyond:
After the turn of the year, we will be sharing the details of our Strategic Initiatives, the plans for our 50th Anniversary, and how this theme ties it all together. Stay tuned for video messages, handouts, update meetings, and more!
Live Webinar – Spacesaver Overview
Space is nothing. Until it becomes everything. As you know, we recently released a new sales tool–Spacesaver Overview. On January 12, 2022 at 1:30 CST, Laura Walton will be hosting a live webinar…our first of the new year! Please share this link with prospects and clients that want to learn more about Spacesaver and our capabilities across all markets. Don’t forget about the contest!! If you help us promote the live webinar—or you host your own—you have a chance to win an Amazon gift card!! Send an invite or proof of your promotions to ceu@spacesaver.com to be entered to win.
