At eight o’clock in the morning, on any given day, you’ll find an older man carrying a tote of mail to the front door of Rice Lake Weighing Systems. His name is Donald B. Johnson and he is 94 years old. As the company’s founder, he’s been walking through the front door of this Wisconsin-based scale business for more than 64 years.

Mention the name “Donald B.” and just about everyone knows who you mean. There are more than a few Johnsons in northwest Wisconsin. And in fact, more than a few at Rice Lake Weighing Systems. But there’s only one Donald B. in the scale business. When he started his two-man scale service shop in 1946, little did he know it would grow into an international company known for everything from test weights and truck scales to complex process-control systems. Scales are everywhere, big and small. Rice Lake isn’t just a small town in Wisconsin, it’s one of the most popular scale brands in the world.

These days, Donald B.’s son Mark occupies the big office. And his grandson, Mark Jr., is here every day, too. Three generations. You’ll find a handful of other Johnsons in the building, no relation. But the feeling of family is just the same, pulling all 360 people in the building together through whatever each day brings.

Priorities, front and center

Mark Johnson Jr. grew up with the business and has a family of his own now. “We’ve never had a layoff and we plan to keep it that way,” he says. “In fact, the first employee my grandfather hired still works here full time.” Eighty-eight year old Les Gunderson has been repairing mechanical scales for 62 years and was honored in 2008 as Wisconsin’s Outstanding Older Worker. “Les likes what he does and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience,” says Mark Jr. “It’s hard to imagine what the place would be like without him.”

The Johnsons hold that feeling for all of the people they work with. Beyond keeping mood and productivity high is a strong sense of responsibility. The Johnsons are active in their community. The people they work with are neighbors and friends; layoffs are an absolute last resort.

It’s no secret that cutting jobs has been the tool of choice in this cutthroat business climate. The Johnsons have watched as suppliers, customers and competitors made that move over and over again.

In the past decade, Rice Lake has seen unprecedented growth. Sales have doubled since 2005. As we leave behind one of the most economically rocky decades in history … it’s not a common story. But Rice Lake’s success is no accident.

Following the 1990s, the company established new goals. Acquisitions strategically thought out. Product lines diversified. Every move was carefully crafted to secure long-term growth for the company and guarantee well-paying jobs for families in northwest Wisconsin. While the object all along was to position the company against the competition, they also prepared themselves for the rollercoaster economy to come.

The driving force

Unless you work at Rice Lake, scales probably aren’t the first thing on your mind. For whatever reason, this 230,000 square foot manufacturing facility fades into the background of this small Wisconsin town.

“Next time you see a big red Survivor scale rolling down Highway 53, or weighing trucks somewhere across the continent, you’ll know where it came from,” says Mark Jr.

Scales are everywhere, part of almost every industry we could think of. As one of the largest manufacturers of scale equipment in the world, Rice Lake employs 360 people at its Wisconsin plant and 40 more in Alabama and Connecticut. More than half of the team has been there 10 years or more. Turnover is low. “We make products here whenever it makes sense,” says Mark Jr. “Some of our components do come from off shore. But because of our need to be responsive and flexible, we often will invest in equipment that allows us to keep production here.”

Mark Jr. describes Rice Lake’s diverse range of employment opportunities. “We have some of the most dedicated people in our industry, and they really are our biggest asset,” he says. “You’ll find welders, machinists, assemblers, graphic designers, buyers, salespeople, and electrical, mechanical and software engineers. We try to promote from within whenever possible; people can move into administration, product management, international sales, marketing … you name it.”
The Johnsons want more than to simply keep jobs in America, they want to keep the people they have.

“People enjoy living in this part of the state and we want them to enjoy working here, too,” he says. “We have a very successful health and wellness program that our people are really thankful for, and we support many of the civic activities people choose to get involved with. We hire the best people and do everything we can to invest in them and keep them here.”

A higher standard

Employee longevity is crucial when your products span decades of technological advancement. From pivots and bearings to Bluetooth, the company’s catalog is extensive. More than 1,000,000 items are in stock and available for immediate delivery. New offerings are being added all the time.

“It takes good people that know their stuff to keep it all straight,” Mark Jr. explains. “When customers call Rice Lake for technical support, they talk to real people right here at the plant who know the past 20 years of products like the back of their hand. We can’t take that for granted because it’s invaluable to us and our customers.”

Doing things right

Undeniably, that experience is what helps Rice Lake deliver the kind of service their customers have come to expect. It’s how they so quickly respond to customer needs, one of the few things separating them from their competition. Doing whatever it takes to help the customer has been an ever-guiding principle for the business. A quote from Donald B. hangs as a reminder to employees around the building.

“Take care of the customer, and the rest of the business will take care of itself.”
    –Donald B. Johnson

For Rice Lake, it’s just that simple. Taking care of the customer has been good for business in more ways than one. Rice Lake has always been a leader in areas like customer training, providing courses in both English and Spanish throughout the year, and educating professionals that sell and service their products. Dealers are supported by Rice Lake’s own internal marketing firm that creates sales literature, magazines, websites and more. The company’s Mobile Marketing Unit packs almost the entire product offering into one coach-style bus, crisscrossing the continent year-round and reaching out to those that use and sell Rice Lake products.

Rice Lake is also well-known for providing quick-turn custom products. With their own in-house engineering staff they design and build whatever a customer has in mind and respond to needs in a way that no other scale business can. In the course of helping one customer, they almost always help many, many more.

In a price-driven market crowded with foreign-made goods, this kind of responsiveness is rare. It’s the people that make this kind of customer service possible, people that have been with Rice Lake for the past 30 years or more and people that will be here for many years to come. Donald B., Mark, and Mark Jr. all know that what they’ve done right for the past 64 years is something they couldn’t have done alone. They know that keeping jobs in Wisconsin is good for Wisconsin families, and most of all, good for America.

By Jessica de la Cruz