Spanning a career of over 30 years in waste management, Rod Proto understands full well just what it takes to turn a company around from loss or stagnancy to profit. In the 1980s, Rod was put in charge of mobilizing a publicly traded waste management company’s presence in the Middle East and his strategies turned that company around.
From there, he was moved to Europe where he continued to grow the company’s concerns, and after all those years, he ‘retired’ home to the United States where he is now a Senior Advisor and Director of Waste Management for the investment firm GPB Capital.
His many successes have made it possible for him to understand what it takes to bring a company out of virtual obscurity to a concern with tens of thousands of employees in a matter of a few years. He now looks at just what it takes to bring a company from the verge of going under to major profitability.
Begin with What You Know
What Rod Proto noticed was that it seemed as though the company he was tasked with turning around was complacent with their current earnings. Although the company was netting a sum of over $60 million a year, it seemed to be in a dormant state. In fact, the company was struggling, even with that amount of annual revenue. This is where he began to analyze just what was going on.
What he found was that it seemed as though the company had lost focus on the customer, both commercial and residential. Since they were handling waste management according to strict best practices and federal and state guidelines, there wasn’t a problem there. He knew the business inside out and there was nothing awry with the way they handled day to day affairs.
It’s Time to Refocus Your Strategies
From there, he decided that the focus needed to be on service. To grow a business, it was necessary to keep current customers happy while growing a new and much larger customer base. That is what he excels in, what he knows, and what eventually turned the company around. It took him just three years to bring that annual revenue up to an amazing $375 million, and from there, his career took him to new heights.
What this proves is that the customer is the lifeblood of a company. If you find that your company isn’t growing or making a profit, perhaps you have lost sight of the customer. They, after all, ultimately sign your checks, so if you aren’t giving them what they need, you have lost the battle. Today, few companies focus on customer engagement, and this is why Rod Proto has earned a name in the industry.
In the End, It’s All About Serving the Customer
Rodney Proto understood years before the catchword “customer engagement” hit the marketing arena and his successes have continually launched him in new directions on several continents. If you want your company to grow, forget about what you want and give the customer what they want. That’s the key to success and one that will bring you quickly out of the verge of bankruptcy. He’s proven this time and again.
