Generation of family ownership: Fourth.
Number of employees: 1,000 globally.
Years with the company: 27. After college I worked for a year for the company in the U.K. in marketing. Then I obtained an MBA and worked for J.P. Morgan and another bank. When I joined Bissell in 1985, I did a rotation to almost every department for a year before officially stepping into my first position in marketing.
First job at this company: I worked in assembly jobs at the factory.
At what age? 18.
Most memorable thing I learned from my father: He instilled a strong work ethic in me. My dad would always say, “If you go on a sales call, never come home without an order.”
Most memorable thing I learned from my mother: The importance of communication and being able to relate to others.
Best thing about this job: To be able to pull levers and create a great organization. I’ve got the freedom, within reason, to do what I think we need to do.
Worst thing about this job: It gets to be all-consuming. I do a lot of other things, but I’m either thinking about work or checking emails in the morning and in the evening. I’m “on” all the time.
One of our greatest successes: We introduced deep cleaning, or carpet shampooing. There were professional services and rental machines, but that hadn’t existed as a product, and it was a big breakthrough for us. It worked off our heritage with chemistry, in creating rug shampoo, and linked it with an appliance that was a systems approach to cleaning. It created a new category in our industry and gave us an entry into other floor care segments as well.
Best advice I ever got: Treat your employees well and they will make you successful.
Quote from our company’s vision statement: Be the consumer’s No. 1 choice for home cleaning products in the U.S. and in select countries internationally.
One of my greatest accomplishments: With the support of others, I have been able to achieve a compounded growth rate of 13% since 1985.
Best thing about working in a family business: The ability to take a long-term perspective and be able to run your company and treat your associates as an extension of your family.
Worst thing about working in a family business: Family is family. There are great elements about family and some not-so-great elements, and when you have a family business the two are intertwined. You either protect the business from the family, or protect the family from the business.
Advice for other family business leaders: There are a lot of networking opportunities today, and they’re worth getting involved in. I would avail myself of finding a good network or opportunity to learn about family businesses.
Philanthropic causes our family supports: We believe strongly in giving back to the community. We support United Way and academic, social welfare and arts groups. From a cause marketing standpoint, we support animals. My wife was the impetus behind the Bissell Pet Foundation, which supports animal welfare organizations.
I realized I had emerged from the previous generation’s shadow when… I started questioning some of the decisions made in the past.
Future succession plans: I’m working on that. My children are 27, 25 and 18. There will be one. To have a family business continue, you have to have family in the business. You must create a level of excitement and desire while ensuring that there’s the capability and ambition to do it right. A lot has to come together.
Words I live by: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. The Golden Rule works in business as well as in one’s personal life.
— As told to Patricia Olsen
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