Ingenuity, collective effort keys to Sauder's success
Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, April 18, 2004
ARCHBOLD, Ohio — Way back when Erie Sauder was beginning to build church furniture here, a description of today's Sauder Woodworking might have sounded more than a little foreign.
Back then, Archbold would have been described as a farming community, and while the fields are still in use, this is now a factory town too because of Sauder's sprawling facilities.
Erie Sauder, who as a youngster had demonstrated his talent for woodworking, made his first ready-to-assemble tables because he was looking to put the wood scraps from church pews to productive use.
A salesman traveling through Archbold in the early 1940s convinced him the tables were commercially viable and gave him an initial order for 25,000 pieces. That was a staggering commitment, but with the help of some investors and relatives, Sauder managed to fill it.
That bootstrap ingenuity and collective effort has been a central component of Sauder's success over the years as the company's workforce, drawn from the small Mennonite communities of northwestern Ohio, proved their resourceful in solving problems and meeting challenges.
And over the years, the company has faced several daunting challenges, including two major fires.
"The farms around here are family farms," said Kevin Sauder, current president and CEO. "They're entrepreneurs, and they understand the importance of getting things done on a shoestring. They're frugal but smart."
The Sauder family fits that mold too, and it's been smart enough not to turn its executive offices into a family playground. Kevin Sauder, Erie's grandson and Maynard's son, and two other members of the third generation — Dan Sauder, vice president of engineering, and Garrett Tinsman, executive vice president for operations — are part of the management team.
Kevin Sauder said employment is open to all members of the family as long as they meet three requirements:
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Go to a good school and get a degree.
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Work somewhere else and be successful.
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Apply for an open job and accept compensation in line with its value.
"The family members who are involved are qualified and interested in what we are doing," Sauder said.
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