Executing the Plan

Norm brought his managerial skills with him when he took the helm at John Zink in 1987.

At the time of Norm's arrival in 1987, Zink was a stagnant company ready for change. During his first week at the helm Norm called a meeting of the executives at the company's HVAC headquarters in Tulsa to lay out his plan.

Norm proposed Zink reorganize its manufacturing process utilizing computer technology. The move would allow Zink to build its HVAC units on an assembly line, but add the custom features demanded by the market. Zink could sell these semi-custom units at a premium price while limiting its production and labor costs.

Zink's executives bought into Norm's plan and provided him the capital to implement it. The plan went well until October when Zink's owners called Norm into a meeting to inform him they were selling his HVAC division.