M. Holland keeps its long-term vision

Every time a customer refers to the M. Holland Co. by name, they're recognizing that the Northbrook, Ill.-based resin distributor is a family company.

The “M” in M. Holland was Marvin Holland, who founded the firm in Chicago in 1950 with $600 and a borrowed typewriter. Marvin's son Ed joined the firm in 1975 and became its president and CEO in 1994 when Marvin passed away.

Today, Ed's son Brad, age 35, is a business analyst and project manager with M. Holland. Ed's daughter Lindy, age 32, is business development manager for the firm's business in Mexico. But expectations for family members are as high as they are for other employees — maybe even higher.

“There's no guarantee that the next person in my chair will have the last name Holland,” Ed Holland recently said. “It's an earned position, not a birthright.”

Marvin Holland was 26 years old when he started the company, but he already was a veteran of World War II who had attended college on the GI Bill. Holland also had worked for Superior Plastics — one of the Chicago area's first injection molders.

M. Holland started as a compounding business, beginning with one extruder and having 11 at its peak. At one point it was the largest independent extruder in the Midwest. But in 1967, plummeting virgin resin pricing and poor overall market conditions led to the decision to exit compounding and focus on resale and distribution. In one day, the firm went from having 200 employees to only three.

But M. Holland would rise from the ashes, growing from a small regional reseller to a nationwide distributor. Today, the firm ranks as one of North America's largest resin distributors, selling more than 1 billion pounds of commodity and engineering resins from more than 20 suppliers to almost 4,000 customers every year.

To this day, Ed Holland personally meets with every new employee to stress the importance of the corporate culture and core values and to present them with their badge of membership — a poker chip inscribed on one side with the eight core values and on the other side with the words “All In.”

Advantages to being a family business, according to Ed Holland, include being able to make decisions based on value for customers, suppliers and employees.

“We do the right thing even if it is not economically ideal. At the end of the day, it's always our decision, not that of an outsider, that drives our business,” he said.

But there are some disadvantages to family members with the company, such as a lack of differentiation between work time and family time. “It's probably not that much different for all of our committed employees as well,” Ed Holland added.

Younger family members and employees at M. Holland provide a very different approach to business.

“They want a work/life blend,” Ed Holland explained. “The younger generation may leave at 5 p.m. many days. They have a much more structured life outside of the office. Whether it's taking a yoga class or picking up their children; they aren't afraid to manage their time and business their way.

“With technology today, it's easier to complete tasks when it's most convenient for them and be ‘All In.'” he added. “We've done a great job of building our leadership team. Our talent pool is deep and broad. We have a lot of talent that is more than ready to step up.”

Work/life balance also comes into play at a family business. “We prefer the term work/life blend,” Ed Holland said — while admitting that he doesn't always follow his best work/life blend policy.

“I have a wife that is very supportive, allowing me the time required to manage what we've built,” he added. M. Holland involves spouses in company functions. When the company throws its holiday party at year end, it flies in spouses and significant others at the company's expense. “We can't be who we are without our employees having that support at home,” Ed Holland said.

Read an overview of family-owned businesses and find links to other profiles.