Educated Columbus workforce helps MPW Industrial Services grow
The Columbus region is chock-full of cultural and educational opportunities and benefits that offer advantages to companies and make it a great area for commerce, says Monte Black, founder and CEO of MPW Industrial Services.
"A factor that makes the Columbus Region a great place for a company is the business culture," he says. "It's easy to do business here. There's an extremely solid base of companies that are key suppliers and vendors for MPW."
MPW offers a variety of industrial cleaning, water purification, facility management and container management services to thousands of clients throughout the country. The company, started in 1972 and headquartered here, has 40 locations and nearly 2,500 employees.
As MPW grew, enduring lessons were learned, Black says.
"The biggest surprise has been the amount of work it has taken to grow the company. When managing one location with a few people, it was much easier than it is now," he says. "throughout our growth, we strived to maintain our original standards. We responded to all our customers as if they were our only customer, and we still do."
That evolution of expansion has been dependent on the latest technological advances to speed up production, conserve resources and enhance safety for the technicians in the field.
"To meet that demand you need bright young minds, and so many colleges and universities nearby have helped our recruiting efforts, especially with our engineering and it departments," Black says. "Columbus is also a strategically located logistics hub. We've been able to find talented people for our own logistics department, which tracks and manages 2,000 pieces of equipment daily."
To promote continued success, Black says the company must be diligent and continue research and development on its products and services. For instance, technology the company developed has helped keep employees safe, lowered costs and boosted effectiveness in MPW's Cleaning Division.
"We want to ensure we're concentrating on servicing and targeting the right industries," he says. "An engineering and automation focus will play a huge part in keeping us relevant and ahead of the curve."
The company will also keep its eyes on competitors and market changes and look for opportunities to expand into different markets, Black says.
"Entrepreneurial spirit and vision are significant factors to how the business grew," he says. "And the ability to accept and manage risk are essential components for the future growth of MPW."
Being aware of the bottom line is also important for the future of MPW's business.
"Controlling expenses is another important step, but we have to make sure we never jeopardize our core values of safety, quality, responsiveness and professionalism," Black says. "MPW is driving constantly to improve every aspect of our organization. Our goal is to not necessarily be the biggest, but the best."
MPW Industrial services
9711 Lancaster Rd. SE
Hebron 43025
