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November/December 2016 – BizVoice/Indiana Chamber
93
Doug Mansfield, president and CEO of
Kirby Risk Manufacturing (which encompasses
precision machining; mechanical solutions and
service; and ARCO Electric Products), joined
the company in 1971 when J. Kirby Risk,
Jim’s father, hired him.
“I’ve been here half of the 90 years. Can
you believe that?” he declares, grinning.
Reflecting on decades of memories, he
conveys “a couple things that really excite me.”
“When you can exceed customers’
expectations – delivering early, meeting their
needs and doing more than anyone else can
do for them – that’s exciting. But the most
important value is if you can see employees
that ‘get it.’ And they accomplish something,
and are excited and proud of themselves.
That’s the best.”
Jason Bricker, CFO, grew up at Kirby Risk.
“My dad built this building (which opened
in 1981),” he notes. “At the time, I was about
14 years old. I’d follow him around in the summer
and help as much as I could on job sites.”
The concept of sacrificial service has
been a mainstay.
Bricker offers a scenario: “If you’ve got a
customer that has a down situation in a
factory, it’s about jumping through a bunch
of hoops to get them a part by 10 a.m. the
next morning so they can get their line up
and running again.”
He began working at Kirby Risk in
1996. Newly married and living in
Indianapolis at the time, he avoided a long
commute by staying with Jim’s parents
(Kirby and Carolyn) three nights a week. He
especially treasures time spent eating
breakfast with Carolyn in the mornings.
“I’m going to take one moment and
show you a picture of Carolyn on her 100th
birthday,” he remarks, reaching for his
iPhone. “She had a party a few years back and
I attended that.
“She was an absolutely sweet soul. Such
a classy, wonderful, kind woman. And such a
charming personality. You’ll see a lot of it in Jim.”
Striking a balance … and a chord
Helen DeMarco’s bold purple jacket and
bright yellow bracelet mirror her vivacious
personality.
She’s connected with Kirby Risk’s
philanthropic pursuits during her more than
20 years there.
“It goes back to Jim and his dad and to
how committed they are to the areas where
we have locations,” says the payroll and
benefits manager. “It’s pretty cool.”
Down the hall sits human resources
specialist Patti Graff.
“When I first started here, Patti and I
were office mates,” DeMarco reminisces.
“We shared a space.”
With so many longtime employees, is it
difficult for new people to fit in?
“We really promote the family culture
here,” Graff emphasizes. “Everybody feels
that once they start working. In every
department, that’s just how it is. They pick
up on that pretty quickly.”
She’s enjoyed exploring diverse interests.
“I’ve worked in several departments,”
she remarks. “I’ve been lucky enough to be
able to move around and do different things.
They’re very open to that.”
Cultivating talent is a big part of Doug
Gutridge’s job as vice president of human
resources. And he loves it.
“From a functional standpoint, what I
like about it is having the opportunity to help
provide the next top performers to the
organization through the selection process
and through development.”
Looking back and ahead
Stephanie LaOrange, vice president of
finance and controller, is a relative
“newcomer” to Kirby Risk.
She’s been with the organization 12 years.
“There’s very much a family feeling,” she
stresses. “Not only the family of Kirby Risk,
but also work-life balance is very important
here. It gets a lot of respect (as does)
rewarding hard work. There’s a good balance
between making sure things are profitable and
understanding the soft side of the business.”
John Eggleton, president and chief
operating officer of Kirby Risk Electrical
Supply, has been with the company since
2014. He’s proud of the “Kirby Risk is Older
Than” anniversary campaign, which consists
of contests and events designed for customers
and employees.
At the same time, he’s intently eyeing
the organization’s future.
“I’m kind of the new guy that’s trying to
carry the history forward, but also make the
changes that are required. Because in many
ways, the culture, the people, the focus on
our values – we want and need to take
forward – that’s who we are,” he asserts.
“But as far as our capabilities, our technology
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply stores serve “anyone who walks in the door.”
Outsourcing services for wiring harnesses, control panels, electrical/mechanical assemblies and
parts kitting take place at Kirby Risk.