Challenging yet caring boss
Ed is often described as a demanding employer. An early riser, he was usually out of bed by 3 or 4 a.m. and often phoned one of his staffers to bounce off a new idea.
“He set challenging, and sometimes unrealistic expectations, yet he was so charismatic that people wanted to do whatever he asked,” says Kathy Browning, the foundation’s director of administration, who met Ed in 1983 when she joined ELI’s corporate office. “He had a passion and drive that was absolutely contagious. You never knew when you got to work each morning what you might be doing. For the most part, it was fun. It was certainly never boring.”
“He set challenging, and sometimes unrealistic expectations, yet he was so charismatic that people wanted to do whatever he asked.”
— Kathy Browning
A stickler about punctuality, especially starting time, Ed would sometimes stand at the main entrance or front door of the headquarters office and jot down employees’ arrival times. “While Ed was still alive, we set the clocks at the maintenance shop 10 minutes ahead,” recalls McCuistion. “That way, the crew was moving around the property at or before regular starting time. They were also leaving 10 minutes before everyone else’s quitting time, but that didn’t seem to bother Ed.”
Ed also disliked long meetings, especially if they were related to financial matters. Nancy Goodrich remembers one meeting when Ed asked for the chairs to be removed from the room. “Unfortunately, it didn’t move decisions along as much as Ed liked,” she says. “When people got tired, they found walls to lean against.”
Yet Ed recognized that people were his best assets, and he was on the cutting-edge of payroll, benefits, resources and incentives. For example:
- After purchasing a production facility in Paris, Tennessee, Ed immediately gave employees a 50% raise and provided them with uniforms and steel-toe boots. He also installed shower facilities and arranged for employees’ uniforms to be professionally laundered.
- High-performing sales brokers were taken on annual trips, and the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Europe were among destinations.
- In the late 1960s Ed launched an executive wellness program, the “I Can’t Afford To Lose You Club” ( click here), which was featured in Time
- Lavish parties and outings were held for employees, with spouses often included.
- Ed was an early adopter of technology. “Lowe’s employees always had the best and newest devices and computer equipment,” says Harvey Ross, who worked in ELI’s industrial sales division.
Ed had the ability to connect with all levels of his organization, not just managers, says Wyant: “He was famous for going into the plants and hanging out with the guys on the front lines. He did that intentionally to find out what was going on. The payoff was in spades because it resonated with and inspired a lot of people.”
And though Ed wasn’t effusive with compliments, employees say they always felt appreciated.
Ed loved watching construction projects evolve and would frequently drop by to check on progress. “He was especially fond of haymaking operations, which were part of a horse-raising program at Big Rock Valley,” says Jay Suseland, the foundation’s manager of grounds maintenance. “Ed would often come to the barn to see the crew, drop off some drinks and chat about how it was going. You could tell he was genuinely interested.”
“Ed would often come to the barn to see the crew, drop off some drinks and chat about how it was going. You could tell he was genuinely interested.”
— Jay Suseland
“Ed really cared about his employees,” says Coco Anderson, a foundation employee who first met Ed while working at Granulation Technologies Inc. A Wisconsin-based company that Ed owned, GranTech was trying to develop a recycled litter product from paper sludge, and the plant suffered a devastating fire in 1990. Anderson recalls standing across the street with a group of fellow employees, watching firefighters extinguish the blaze. “We wondered if we would have jobs to come back to,” she says. “Yet Ed wanted to rebuild.”
Not waiting for insurance claims to be paid, Ed poured his own money into the plant, and within 60 days, GranTech was up and running again. “He took all the employees who helped with rebuilding out to dinner to celebrate — and gave us a bonus,” adds Anderson.
