A company's mission statement must drive everything it does to be successful in today's economy, stated J. Chris Lansing, president and chief executive officer of Ted Lansing Corp. at the 1999 Marriott School Honored Alumni Lecture Oct. 7.
"Our greatest challenge is getting our associates to share the same vision," Lansing said. "They need to understand what it means to be a part of the Ted Lansing family."
A graduate in accountancy from Brigham Young University in 1974, Lansing was honored as the Marriott School's Distinguished Alumnus and also as an honorary inductee to Phi Kappa Phi, one of the nation's most prestigious honor societies.
Since Lansing replaced his father as head of the company in 1980, the Ted Lansing Corp. has grown from 18 to 48 service locations throughout the nation and increased sales from about $6 million to $200 million. A wholesale distributor of exterior building supplies, the company has operations along the east coast, in Utah and in Idaho.
Marriott School's Dean Ned Hill, attributes the success of the company to Lansing's leadership.
"Watching Ted run his business is like watching Kristi Yamaguchi ice skate," Hill said. "He makes it look so easy."
Lansing said the key to growth in today's market is making strategic acquisitions, buying out successful companies and incorporating them into the company structure. Although these acquisitions have enabled Ted Lansing Corp. to expand dramatically in a short period of time, Lansing said it is difficult to ensure that all service locations are producing the same quality of work.
The company's mission statement — "to provide superior service in supplying exterior building products to professional contractors while maintaining the highest ethical standards" — plays the key role in helping the company remain competitive and have the service that characterizes the Ted Lansing Corp., Lansing said.
"Our mission statement describes how we do business," Lansing said. "As our associates internalize it and have that vision, we enjoy success."
Despite his success in business, Lansing cautioned students at the Marriott School that responsibility to family, religion and the community are all important measures of success.
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Writer: Peter Carr
