DCS Employee Profile | Jimmy Crawford: Great People Plus Good Information Means Top Customer Service
DECEMBER 2020
Jimmy Crawford, DCS’ vice president of development, started what he hopes will be “the last job I ever have” at the company in 2013. But, he’s been around DCS his whole life. “I’ve wanted to work here since I was five.”
“This is my third stint at the company. I worked here, in the plant, when I was 16 for the summer. Donny, one of the guys who works here today, remembers working with me, side by side. Then I worked here again, one summer in college. I did all kinds of stuff. Since joining the company full time, I've worked all over the warehouse and manufacturing facility to try to learn the ropes of the business.”
That experience—coupled with undergraduate and graduate degrees in information technology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee—has given him an excellent basis for his current post at DCS.
“I got my undergrad degree in 2010—which was just about the worst time since the Great Depression to get out of college. But, I got a job at Northwestern Mutual as a consultant. That was a rough gig. It was a lot of work, and I was attending grad school at the same time.”
The Benefits of a Smaller Company
Jimmy enjoyed his time at Northwestern Mutual. But, it also helped convince him that working at a smaller company like DCS was more up his alley than navigating a vast bureaucracy. “Northwestern had a six-week process to make any change. They had a Change Control Board. You had to fill out a lot of paperwork and go before the Change Control Board with your idea.”
Things work a lot differently at DCS—where quickly meeting the needs of customers is a top priority. "If one of our customers wants something, it's not going to take six weeks to get an answer. That’s for sure. We play to our strength here, and that strength is customer service. Sure, we are selling pigment. But what we are selling along with that pigment is excellent customer service and years of experience getting color right. We work hard to give our customers what they want when they want it. Some customers like dry pigment. Some want it in 50-pound bags. Some want it in our custom bag sizes. Some want liquid. We try to help them figure out what works best for them and make things easy for them.”
Nimbleness and Customer Service
Jimmy’s work in various aspects of the company’s business—coupled with his IT background—has come in handy in helping improve processes inside the company that are all tied to the company’s focus on customer service.
“Within the last two or three years, I've gotten more active in sales and marketing. I enjoy looking at potential markets—like manufactured stone veneer, for example—looking at the economics of the market and whether or not it fits with what we're good at.”
“One of my favorite things about DCS is our nimbleness. We have always been pretty quick about making decisions. Our size and the fact that most of our employees have been here a long time help make that possible. The new accounting and information systems we’ve put in place have also helped take us to the next level. Good information means better and faster decisions. Couple that with great employees, great people, and you have a winning combination. We have great, dedicated people. There’s no doubt about that.”
When he’s not at work, Jimmy enjoys Packers football, racquetball and drawing. He and his wife Courtney also welcomed their first son JJ into the world in April of 2019.
“You know that saying about how if you love your job, you never work a day in your life? Well, I love my job. I love the folks I work with here. I love making our customers happy. I’m excited to be part of this company’s great tradition and part of taking it into a very bright future.”