FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Lipman, Wood Manufacturing Council
Office: 613-567-5511 E-mail: rlipman@wmc-cfb.ca
The Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC) is pleased to announce the recipient of its 2020 HR Award of Distinction -Stan Pauls, owner of Decor Cabinets, Morden, MB. The WMC HR Awards Program honors companies and individuals who develop and implement creative solutions and contribute to best practices in the wood manufacturing industry. The program was established to promote the importance of HR in our sector and give outstanding individual(s)/firms an opportunity to share their innovative ideas with others.
Our 2020 Award of Distinction recipient is someone who is described as a visionary when it comes to wood manufacturing and growing a successful company. His firm is at the forefront of the Canadian kitchen cabinet industry and is also growing continuously in the US market. Stan Pauls is a very intentional person, who has endless ideas and is described by his people as a great leader with a passion for craftsmanship – but his greatest passion is his focus on people.
Stan Pauls genuinely cares for his employees and is committed to their growth. He believes the company culture must challenge and support people to reach their full potential. And with this comes the expectation that everyone in the organization, seeks to “be better, to do better and to think better”. Stan’s desire is to have people “go home happier and have a happier home”. Stan has stood for and has worked hard to create family in his company – and it is now truly a family business with his wife Connie joining the senior leadership team.
Stan has an eye on the future – he is ready to revamp, build, expand, and market. His company vision is to be “Undeniably Different”. To respond to the needs of customers, the performance of Decor’s cabinets are top of mind, and Stan studies the requirements of different demographics, including aging Canadians. He consciously applies design and functionality to ensure Decor’s cabinets can best serve all customers.
Stan has recognized that digital transformation is critical to the success and growth of the business and he wants Decor to be the Digital Disruptor, not the company whose business model becomes obsolete. He recognizes that if the outside rate of change is faster than the inside rate of change, you will be disrupted. Even before COVID-19, Stan had his team working on how Decor can interactively work with partners and clients – developing new tools to reach people through technology and he continues to invest in this area. With the investment in a new ERP system, Decor is focused on streamlining their customer experience and internal processes. They are modernizing the plant floor to provide more relevant information to their operators and reduce paperwork across all operations.
Decor looks continuously at technology and improvement as key priorities. Along with significant equipment purchases to stay at the forefront, Decor is doing unique things on the operational side. The process by which continuous improvement is undertaken is always under review and subject to change. Decor implemented ‘2 Second Lean’ to achieve this and it has paid off. Employees have come up with numerous changes, from the simple to the complex, that have resulted in great enhancements.
With all the focus on being a leading-edge company, community involvement remains a top company priority. Stan recognizes the power to bring positive, measurable change to both the community they live in and those around the world. The company supports various organizations that give help to those in need, including Opportunity International Canada.
With the nomination, it was the desire of other leading figures from the wood industry to recognize Stan Pauls – citing his business acumen and his tremendous passion for people. The award was presented in late December, over Zoom, by WMC Chairman Pete Fournier, Triangle Kitchen, Dieppe, NB and his father, Roger Fournier, a previous Award of Distinction recipient. The WMC is very proud to recognize Stan Pauls with our 2020 Award of Distinction.
