THE INTERVIEW
Marks has implemented skills-based training for Uesco’s employees with micro-raises, to help modernise and embed people in the business.
proper vacations. I just got back from a two-week vacation in Europe, and I have not done that since I got married.” Coming back from vacation straight into a new
project to grow production capacity is no mean feat. Marks is currently working with a real estate developer on a new 70,000ft2
manufacturing
facility. He can do so because he has the right people in place. So, he must be a people person, right? Well, not exactly. “My three children and my wife are my motivation to lead the company, though they would not agree with me,” he explains. “But I am not a very empathetic person, and that can be a problem. I can be very sympathetic and helpful, but my feeling is that if you are at work you are here to do a job and do it right. If you don’t want to be here, you can leave and I’ll find someone else. Work is work, home is home.” “But for the people who work with and for us, and who care about where the company is going, I want them to improve their lives as much as possible,” he adds. “I put my effort into what will improve their lives, and I look at it generationally. My father was my biggest inspiration, but I had to tell him to put on the dad hat at times, and the boss hat at times. There were times when we
butted heads, but he taught me a lot and was a huge influence.” The approach he takes to any problem comes straight from his father, who told Marks to always do his homework. That said, he is careful not to overprepare.
“I wait until I’m 70% sure and then pull the trigger,” he says. “If I wait for 100% certainty, I will miss the boat.” His approach is defined by rigour and efficiency. Marks is all about creating systems, efficiencies and automating everything. But despite his confessed lack of empathy, there is still great concern for the people in his care. For example, when he first took over the company, it had a decent retirement programme, but he noticed a trend where younger people were not putting anything in, choosing to live paycheck to paycheck. So, he changed the system. Now, 3% of pay goes into safe harbour, and a
profit-sharing programme takes another 2–3% of earnings. Then a cash balance gives employees a further 2–3%. So, before they choose to put anything aside for retirement, the company has already put in 6–8%. “I am very system-oriented and I believe in the power of follow-up,” Marks says. “I have
never failed to follow up on something, and I will invest in anything that lets me automate and get knowledge out of my brain into a system. “I have modernised our approach a lot, not least in manufacturing, sales and accounting, and I did it with my own workflows. Since I have taken over, there has been a lot of change and I have pushed people. There has been some attrition because people like to stick with things that are familiar even if they are inefficient, but we can see our production schedules more clearly, and we are big on lean manufacturing now.”
Fit for the future As well as making internal changes to ensure the company runs more efficiently, Marks has had to deal with a changing business environment affected by competitive pressures and macro- economic factors.
So far, US tariffs and talks of a trade war have
not really hit the industry, and Marks notes that European suppliers have largely taken such matters in their stride. He also foresees some solid growth in the US market ahead, and a generally positive economic environment. The Trump administration’s policy of encouraging investment in the US is undoubtedly good for manufacturing,
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