Now that global operations are on track, Chamberlin is down to 90,000 to 100,000 miles per year. He makes up a lot of that lost travel time in the middle of the night doing video conferences, however.
“I’ve got the video conferencing system at home,” he says. “Plenty of times I’ve put the kids to bed and do all that, and then you’re doing interviews and meeting with clients in Shanghai. Being that versatile from a work schedule standpoint is important.”
It’s not for everybody, Berry adds. “It definitely takes a certain character of individual to buy into the Verrex way, the strategy, the direction we’re taking the organization. You’ve got to be in it for everything.”
That commitment isn’t just about travel. Verrex is a third-generation family business, founded in 1947 by Berry’s grandfather. Tom Berry Jr. had been around the business for years taking on tasks assigned by his father and uncle — cleaning up, running drawings from the plotter to the engineers — before officially joining the company in 1991. He held roles in just about every aspect of the business before succeeding his father as president in 2000. (“We told him he couldn’t touch products anymore,” jokes Berry Sr.)
The passion that Berry has for Verrex is palatable, says VP of marketing and business development Theresa Hahn, adding that new employees get a taste of it at their orientations. “Tom covers our vision, mission and value with each new employee, ensuring they understand their crucial role.”
Berry says he leads “by walking around” and he likes what he sees in his family’s company. He wants other people to see it, too. Whenever possible Verrex likes to give clients a tour of its headquarters and regional offices in Boston, Houston and Shanghai.
These are not your typical tours, more of a “pull back the curtain” type, says business development director Frank Swetits. “[It] allows them to see our in-house fabrication, testing, engineering, IT, finance, leadership, our own conference rooms, etc. That brings a reality to what we’ve been telling them. We build trust and they understand they have this entire building of dedicated employees working for them.”
Berry says he believes in paying his employees well and getting a high level of commitment in return. That’s one reason transparency and the tours ought to work in Verrex’s favor.
Meanwhile, Berry gets his hands dirty, Hahn says. “He is directly involved with initiatives related to sales, business development, strategic growth, service excellence, and client and partner development,” she says. “He meets with clients, prospects, and partners regularly. Few can speak as passionately about Verrex as Tom.”
A sign that Verrex employees echo Berry’s passion is that they tend to stick around. “We look to keep attritiondown by giving the opportunity to grow,” says Chamberlin, who started as an on-site technician 12 years ago. Jeremiah Brown is another example of a Verrex employee who started at an entry-level position 12 years ago and is now the firm’s programming director. “Verrex fosters employee education and growth,” he says. “Many high-level Verrex employees have started on the ground floor and become excellent leaders within the company.”
That Nuanced Approach
Verrex’s success globally is a reflection of taking its passionate company culture on display in Mountainside, N.J., and bringing it overseas, while being self-aware enough to realize that alone isn’t good enough.
Some lessons were learned the hard way. When it first started out globally Verrex overextended itself, Berry acknowledges. Initially it had a “build it and they will come” philosophy, he says, while it would have been better “to go in and earn that business and then build.”
There were also issues related to not balancing “the Verrex way” with that of the local culture and workplace communication and styles. “Look at us,” Berry says, referring to himself and Chamberlin. “You’re talking to a New Yorker and a guy from Boston. We’re classified on the high-strung side. We get things done and we take charge. We want things done yesterday. We don’t tolerate delays and excuses. When you travel to other parts of the world, they don’t move at the same speed.”
