Fall / Winter 2015

Implementation of the strategic growth initiatives MPSGroup adopted five years agohas guided our company tocontinued and impressive

progress. In a short span, we have nearly tripledthe size of our company. As I’m sure you alreadyknow increasing size brings increasing challenges.

While we carve out our well-earned position as amajor player in the industrial and environmentalservices fields, we face mounting pressures, bothinternally and externally. Our customers expect highvalue, but also demand low cost. The success of ourprevious campaigns and deliverables sets the stagefor elevated future expectations. We must continuallyraise the bar to meet our clients’ anticipated results.

On the other side of the equation are ambitious andwatchful competitors. They will not willingly give upground and will continue to challenge our gains. We,however, possess the ultimate secret to success –our committed and dedicated employees.

Know that the Leadership Team is driving this forwardto ensure a secure future for our employees whohave given so much to MPS Group. We realize thatonly by hiring and retaining the most capable andmotivated people can we continue to be the best.As a service company, our people are our future.Accordingly, current initiatives are underway to solidify MPS Group an “employer of choice” in ourregion by investing in our workforce. We intend tobuild our bench strength through hiring initiativesand skills training that ensure we have the built-inknowledge and experience needed to supportgrowth, both today and tomorrow.

Our human resource professionals have set out tocreate an even more attractive workplace withrobust benefit programs. Key items of interest to beimplemented in 2016 are an invigorated 401k retirement savings plan and the top notch Blue CrossBlue Shield healthcare coverage.

While corporately we express our gratitude for your continued efforts through enhanced programs, I would also like to personally say, “Thank you.” You have helped bring us this far; let’s continue theeffort together. Hard work will create the companyinfrastructure to sustain even greater success.

Ed Schwartz – President and CEO

SolutionsSeparate,Sort & RecycleSometimes surpassing a customer’s expectations involves providing them with excellent, responsiveservice that leaves everyone subjectively pleased with the ongoing relationship. At other times, it’s a quantifiable leapfrogging over the client’s stated measurable goals. MPS Group’s work at Ford MotorCompany’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant (FRAP) solidly fell into the latter category.

“Last year, Ford set reduction of total waste goals for their plants at between 8-9%,”noted Keith Koskela,MPS Group’s Total Waste Manager for FRAP. “With a new system in place, we have achieved a 22.8%annual reduction in landfill volume for the Flat Rock facility.”

The MPS team at Flat Rock has implemented an innovative parts destruction program to record thesesingular results. “Simply put, we work with each Ford department to isolate what we gather, separateand sort,” explains Koskela. “Two MPS Group technicians go through the gondola baskets sent to us

by the Ford Quality Control people by hand and break the recovereditems into different recyclable factions.”

MPS’s role at the facility is to destroy rejected production parts so they can’t be inadvertently reused or potentially soldon the black market. “We receive everything from headliners totransmissions and seat belts,” said Koskela.

Once the parts are broken into different material streams, MPSGroup distributes each faction to the appropriate recycler. Recoveredplastic, paper, glass, wood and synthetic materials head to one facility and the high density automotive plastic is sent to another.

“Adding the extra step of separating the parts has dramaticallyreduced the landfill waste generated by the plant,” Koskela detailed.“It’s a model for other programs.”

Continuous Effort,Continued Success

Solutions

By Matt RasakSince the creation of the Occupational Safety andHealth Act and the OSH Administration in 1971, fatalities and serious injury rates had declinednearly 70% by 2009. There can be no question thatOSHA health and safety standards, like RespiratoryProtection, Confined Space Entry, Controlling Hazardous Energy and Fall Protection, are directlyresponsible. And since 2009, Safety continues togrow into a mega billion dollar industry giving riseto new careers, college degrees, companies and aseemingly never-ending reserve of safety slogans,gimmicks and promotions. Today, the word safetyis spoken in more conference rooms across theglobe than ever before as companies are demandedto open meetings with a safety message, to operateunder a safety policy and to develop a safety culture.

In our passionate attempt to prove our commitmentto safety, we – as well as our customers – continuallyadhere to and mandate compliance with redundantsafety programs in a sea of procedures anddocuments that have exceeded best practices andinstead create document pollution, muddled communication and misunderstandings. In ourhaste to prove just how safety conscience we are,we have created a monster that is both feared andmisunderstood. And if this feels like déjà vu forsome, it’s because safety today is following in thesame footsteps as quality did in the 1980’s, whenit had been wrenched from its product or serviceand singled out as its very own entity.

Today, safety, something so fundamental tohuman nature, has undergone a similartransfiguration so much so that peoplehave lost sight of the fact that – likequality – it isn’t a separate entity ordepartment at all; like quality, it is a fundamental necessity of the product or service you provide.

Safety and quality canbest be compared to a coin where one or theother is the head and tail. Youknow you cannot separate oneside of a coin from the other as they are inseparable. The coin itself is the product. So whyare we separating and compartmentalizing twoessential characteristics of a valued product, distinguishing fellow employees as ‘operations’ or‘safety’ or ‘quality’? We should be conductingbusiness knowing that quality and safety are integralingredients of any process or product and that safetyis not something upheld and enforced by ‘safety’people, but upheld and enforced by every employee,no matter the position or function in the organization.

People and companies should not need

to be coaxed or reminded with banal slogans that ‘Safety Starts with You’ or that ‘Safety is an OurOverriding Priority’ or that ‘Safety is Number One’. We dedicate whole departments to managing safety, to developing stacks of safety procedures andprotocols that promise to ensure every conceivablerisk has been scrutinized, eliminated or controlled.Jobsites are policed with safety officers, we havesafety committees, we conduct safety briefs, debriefs,talks and participate in endless safety meetings.We have, in a sense – if not globally – segregatedsafety while employees identify themselves as beingpart of it or belonging to another camp.

As the safety director for MPS, I see it differently.For companies to develop a true safety culture requires them to acknowledge and act with goodconscience for the protection of human life andhealth. Everything else is just a tool to achieve this.

Creating a Culture of Safety

Seamless Integration:Superior and PatriotBecome Part of theMPS Group Team

“We’ve had the best year yet,” Phil Hubbell remarkedabout MPS Group’s operations in Carlisle, Ohio.Formerly Superior Mill Services and the servicescomponent of Patriot Machining, the Ohio branch’saddition secured MPS Group’s place as one of thecountry’s top industrial services and total wastemanagement companies.

Expanding to approximately 120 employees since thefriendly acquisition in 2014, the team specializesin industrial cleaning including both high and lowpressure blasting, as well as ongoing field maintenance,with an emphasis on welding and rigging. Hubbell, aU.S. Air Force veteran and entrepreneur who foundedthe company when he was just 34 years old, creditsa shared philosophy as smoothing the transition.He now serves as the operation’s General Manager.

“Darrin Stafford has been incredible to work for,”noted Hubbell. “He regularly checks in to inquireabout our needs. What’s working, what’s not? Ed Schwartz has made the transition very comfortable.Additionally, the human resources support from thelarger Soave organization is outstanding.”

Of course, merging the two distinct groups into onesystem has presented some challenges. “Integrationtakes time and effort,” Hubbell said, “IT systems,payroll, accounting processes – they all had to worktogether, but we’ve gotten that accomplished.”

Growth over the past year has been driven by thebranch’s largest customer, AK Steel. With theadditional resources associated with belonging to abigger company, the team is able to take advantageof every opportunity. Recently, the Ohio-based staffassisted their Michigan coworkers with initiatingwork at an AK Steel plant in Dearborn, Michigan.The two parts of the greater whole worked togetherto best meet customer's needs.

The hard-working, well-adjusted team from theformer Superior/Patriot businesses clearly reflectsthe attitude of their leadership regarding theacquisition. Hubbell noted that, “I’m running thisbranch the same as before. The same expectationsand the same work ethic remain firmly in place now with the MPS Group name above our door. We have a very experienced workforce here in Ohio.Their trust in the move to join MPS Group made thetransition much easier.”

The biggest surprise a year after the acquisition?“There have been no surprises,” laughed Hubbell,“and that’s the most shocking of all! We’re still doingwhat we do best and MPS Group supports us.”

Longtime MPS Group team member John Bowdenhas been successfully applying his skill set tooverseeing Facilities Services’ operation for sometime now. This spring, his job title changed toreflect his steadily growing role and expandingresponsibilities. Bowden was officially promotedfrom his previous title of Senior Program Managerto Director Facilities Services.

His roster of responsibilities includes managingbooth optimization programs at the numerousGeneral Motors’ facilities where MPS Group iscontracted to maintain paint shop performance.Bowden is a force behind the game-changingdifference in philosophy that guides MPS Groupin overseeing these paint shops.

“By placing the client’s overall interest at theforefront, and aligning our goals accordingly, wehave been able to achieve considerable results,”notes Bowden. “We take the different job segmentsneeded to run an auto paint shop and consolidatethem into one team to ensure all processes aresynchronized. To use the analogy of interlockinggears, previously each ‘wheel’ was a differentcompany with sometimes incompatible goals.Now, by combining these activities and managingthem as a single accountable unit, all the gearsare going in the appropriate direction. It makes fora much smoother and more effective operation.”

With an extensive background in the industrialcleaning industry, Bowden’s career path has seenhim through roles of increasing responsibilitywith each step. An employee of Soave affiliatedcompanies 25 of the past 28 years, his dedicationto MPS Group is rooted in his fellow employees.

“The people I have around me – those up, downand sideways from me in the organization, aswell as customer mentors – offer unparalleledsupport,” explained Bowden. “I’m proud to be apart of this outstanding team.”

Optimizing His Role

John Bowden

SolutionsEmployee & Family Recognition

• Emmanuelle Frowner, a senior at Livonia’s Clarenceville High School, is west coastbound next fall to continue his education. The son of Staff Accountant Dawn Frownerwas accepted to the prestigious American Musical Dramatic Arts College in Los Angelesafter a rigorous audition process. Held this summer in downtown Detroit, the auditionsrequired the 200 hopefuls to act, sing and play the piano. Emmanelle was one of fiveMichigan students selected.

• At a Court of Honor ceremony on August 6, 2015, Ian Walczak, sonof Project Manager Cindy Walczak, was awarded the rank of EagleScout. Living up to the Boy Scout slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily,”Walczak's service project included leading a team of volunteers inthe historic Spicer Barn renovation at Farmington Hills’ Heritage Park.As a result of the project, the Spicer Barn, including its many historicartifacts, is now available for public use and tours. A member of Troop263 since 2008, Walczak is one of approximately 5 percent of all BoyScouts who attain the Eagle rank.

• Four boys in Willis, Texas recently participatedin a valuable lesson about organizational processand community activism – and got a renovatedbasketball court. Thirteen-year-old twins Evanand Jeremy Harper, sons of MPS Group RegionalManager Heather Cataldo, approached theirhomeowners’ association board requesting anupgrade to the neighborhood basketball court.With faded paint, ripped nets and broken backboard, the play area was in rough shape. The determined boys made their case to the Board, who unanimouslyapproved the proposal. “We love it!” said Jeremy. “Other surrounding neighborhood kids are in awe of our court.”

• Putting their well-developed executive skills to good use, Leadership Academy participants from FPT andMPS Group, along with the companies’ senior management, spent an October afternoon packing food boxes for

families in need. The group volunteered for Canton, Michigan-basedOpen Door Ministry’s food bank preparing weekly deliveries to localresidents who need assistance to achieve a nutritious balanced diet.

“Last year alone, Open Door served 71,331 people the equivalent of 855,972 meals,” said Marcia Moss, Soave’s Director of HumanResources. “We’re honored to assist with their ongoing program.”

The MPS Group Solutions newsletter is developed and published by MPS Groupfor and about our employees and clients. Contents© 2015 MPS Group. All rightsreserved; reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Have an Idea for a Story?MPS Group Solutions reports on professional and personal successes of team members.Story ideas include: updates or changes in business, accomplishments by employees orfamily, employee appointments, events, or awards. Photos greatly enhance any story.Please send your story ideas to: hcataldo@mpsgrp.com

MPS Group Anniversaries in 2015

15 Years

10 Years

5 Years

1 YearKIRK WEHNERCHRISTOPHER KINGADBO ALOMARIKEVIN SCHUKNECHTWILLIAM TOURANGEAUJOSHUA NIFFELERNICHOLAS VANHECKEROBBIE GAINESJACQUELINE LOWECHRISTOPHER RECKLINGGLENN PERHAMALLEN SLUSHERVINCENT SARACINOCHARLES BURNETTEVAN CUSUMANOJUSTIN SHARRARMICHAEL DRAPERMICHAEL BRUETSCHDONNIE GREENALDO GALLINACHRISTINA VASQUEZBAINAOMUKIZA MUTABIHIRWASCOTT STEWARTRACHEL CRUMPKATHERINE WHITINGTRAVIS DERSCHEIDCYNTHIA GREENRICHARD SMITHKERRY BROWNERICA FULTZARRON DRAPERAUSTIN LAMBERIK PAPPASBETH KOBECKGARY BAADE IIALVARO ALVAREZHECTOR CASTILLOANTHONY KIDDKAMAL TAYLORJENNIFER TAYLORWILLIAM BAHNDONALD JOHNSONJAMES PECKWESLEY PENNINGTONTERRY SIMPKINSMICHAEL MCGUIRERICHARD MAYGREGORY COLEMANBARBARA POWERSFRANK POLINGJAMES FORSTERTIFFANY LANGDONCHRISTOPHER RACKLARRY BREWERPHILIP BIERMANTHOMAS LYNCHNICHOLAS THORNSBURGMICHAEL DALRYMPLEJACOB STEFFES

KEVIN ROWLANDDUSTIN HIPSHERJAMES HOLBROOKHENRY DEANJUSTIN JAMESANTHONY FALCOTYLER JEWELLJOHN HOLBROOKJEFF SUTTONDANIEL ENTPHILLIP HUBBELLJOSEPH LANERONALD HOLLONTONEY BATESALLEN KROLLJOHNNY BROWNCLINT FARTHINGKENNETH KIDDERJAMES MORANSTANLEY ESTESANDREW SMITHTIMOTHY GOMIASAMUEL MILLERZACH HINDMANTIMOTHY HOWARDSUYONG SIMPSONANTHONY BARNUMCHRISTOPHER DURHAMJOSHUA LANGDONROBERT CAROLANAUBREY FRANKLINSTEVEN STEPHENSJOSEPH LAPINECHRISTOPHER TURNERTIMOTHY MALONEYOWENS PRICETERRELL ARMSTRONGKENNETH HATTONMELANIE VICKERSDAVID MILLERJOSHUA TACKETTWESLEY PONDERDUSTIN METCALFQUAYSHAUN JOHNSONJEREMY JONESJAMES PARSONDAMEN MCGUIREDONALD MABEGENE DOKASGEORGIA BERNARDJAMES HOWARDWILLIAM TYLERHARRY WALKERJAMES MAYNEJAMES ROBINSONRONNIE PALMERMEGGIN WELLINGJILL BURNETTEKEVIN NORRISADAR HASSAN

HEATHER SITKODENISE GIROUARD-NEWMANCALVIN CROSSGEORGE ASCIUTTOAMY MIRELEZEDWARD SCHWARTZKIMBERLY STROUD

BYRON SIMSEARL WINGETJAMES TOUHEYLARRY JOHNSONANDREW PEASODANIEL FISHERTHOMAS KAZMIERCZAK

BRETT CHURCH JILL HAMILL

DONALD WEEMS JOHN BOWDEN

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