Scrubbing clean company culture, one toilet at a time
The VPI Quality Windows team today is a supportive, tight-knit family—but that wasn’t always the case. A decade ago, we weathered a storm that only made us stronger. And it all started with a toilet brush.
The question that changed company morale
Following the recession, cuts were made, and morale was low. Leadership knew it had to step in to make a change before it was too late.
Burke Blevins, VPI’s founder, began by asking employees, “What is the culture of VPI like?” The responses were harsh but telling, referring to VPI as a dreary place to work with outdated appliances in the lunchroom and dirty bathrooms. This was not the vision that Blevins had had for the company—and it broke his heart. He and his leadership team got to work.
Out with the old…toilets
Leadership took a chance and invested in a significant remodel of the lunchroom area and all bathrooms. It was a first step in an ongoing program to boost morale—but it wasn’t a “one and done” effort. The leadership team knew it needed to model behavior that told employees they were respected and “we’re all in it together.”
Leadership rolled up its sleeves
Every day at 2:00 pm, the leadership team began cleaning the bathrooms. Doing so allowed them to demonstrate what quality looks like. At VPI, no job is beneath anyone in the company. According to Blevins, “This is when I learned the real power of modeling.” Using the tools of modeling and standard work, employees quickly took notice, and it became the impetus for cultural change. “Leave it Better than You Found It” became a company mantra—one that applies to every product that leaves our line today.
The new VPI Quality Windows
Today, VPI’s culture is thriving, built on respect and service that filters into the products we make. The management team has embraced servant leadership knowing that, when you are truly in service to your team, good things will happen.
And the cleaning program continues. Senior leaders and front-line staff clean side by side on a regular basis. It’s so ingrained into the culture at this point that no one schedules meetings, breaks, or calls during this time. If visitors, customers, or suppliers come in during cleaning, they are invited to roll up their sleeves and participate.
The cleaning program has become a source of pride. Not only does this allow people from all areas of the organization to get to know each other, it fosters trust, engagement and, above all, a service mentality.
Better culture equals increase in quality
While the initial goal of the cleaning program was to make employees feel valued, the byproduct was an increase in quality and productivity.
“People are our most valuable asset. Twenty-five to thirty employees touch a window we produce and each impacts quality. If you treat people well, they will do the same with the products they build.”
Burke Blevins, VPI’s founder
Today, VPI employees are engaged and passionate about what they do, and it shows in the high-quality products we produce, and helped VPI earn the reputation as the most reliable commercial window company in the market.
And it all started with a toilet brush.