A NEW YEARS MESSAGE FROM Steve B...
2026 â The Year of Change
Making proclamations can be important or they can be just words that go unheeded. Unfortunately, I believe that in the past I have made some proclamations that didnât come to pass.
Not this time, Junior.
By the time this newsletter hits your inbox, I will have turned 63 years old. It doesnât seem possible. Just the other day I was 32 with the whole world in front of me. When you have more in the rear-view mirror then you do in the windshield you start to ask yourself â âHow am I going to hang up my cleats?â
I have been the steward of this family business for almost 20 years now We have grown, learned, won and lost. But today I find that we have stalled. We have not grown over the past few years. Maybe it feels like we have. We built a new building, some new equipment and some new faces. But the truth is that in the last 3 years we are the same size in terms of our sales. This is on me.
Companies go through phases of growth and at certain points along this growth path you have to make strategic changes to your operating structure and philosophies. With our company this goes back to 2001 when I started Terra.
Start-up Phase 2001 â 2004
This phase had me running around like a mad man. Chief cook and dishwasher. Sales, estimating, equipment operation, project management etc. During this phase we began to build a small accounting group and a safety program (Keith remembers)
Initial Growth Phase 2005 â 2006
During this phase we could do no wrong. Costs were small (our overhead, office) and we landed some big, profitable work. We climbed up to $20,000,000.00 in sales.
First âOh Shitâ I Have a Tiger by the Tail Phase 2007-2009
Overworked and understaffed, we needed to gear up for the more technical/larger projects that we were winning. Profits were squeezed with the incoming staff and the rigors of managing a larger company were evident.
FOCUS
This is the phase where the commitment to increase overhead paid off. Sales grew to $50,000,000.00 and profits were much improved. At the end of 2012, I sold the company to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock.
Having sold when I did, I didnât realize at the time that I was at the next threshold In order to get beyond the $50,000,000.00 mark, we would need an overhaul on how we were doing things. In the last couple of years, we have struggled organizationally to find the method to push us through this ceiling.
In the last 12 months I have pushed myself to learn more about where we are and why we are here. I have met with countless other family business owners and sought professional advice from my historic advisors as well as several new ones.
We are ready to move forward!
What you will see and what you will feel.
First of all â OUR WORK MATTERS! This is what we believe and this is how we will conduct ourselves. That little slogan puts a burden on all of us while it makes us proud of what we do The burden is that because our work matters, it must be done right â every time Whether thatâs driving a truck, managing a division, doing payroll or cleaning a sewer The burden is on us.
The first thing you will begin to see, and feel, is a complete commitment to training. Mitchell Taplin, with the help of all of us, will be taking what we are currently doing and improving it, engraining it into our very fabric. We will embark on a wholesale commitment to mentorship that will be non-negotiable.
We are increasing the Safety Department staff to complement the training investment and assure that we are becoming the best in class relative to safety in our industry.
We have begun to evaluate all systems and the organization by which we manage the business. We will be adding some staff to further professionalize our operations and refining reporting and projections. We will become experts on where we are headed insuring that we get there.
A few things should be self-evident Opening the office in North Carolina â headed by Daniel Taplin Opening the office in Grand Rapids â headed by Tim Draft We are flexing our muscles, and we need to have infrastructure in place to support the impending growth.
Recently someone asked me â âYou donât seem like youâre slowing down as you approach retirement. Seems like you are working harderâ.
JANUARY 2026
For those of you who havenât heard me say this â I donât use the âRâ word. Retirement isnât in my future. I love what I do. I expect that I will slow down at some point but hope to always be involved right up until I get planted. I think my experience brings value and hope that I can share my experiences with others so that they are better at running this company than I have been.
These changes will be calculated. We are not running off willy nilly. Sometimes it may seem that there isnât much progress and then âboomâ it will be there.
At the end of the day the goal is to create a more sustainable company that has consistent work at great wages and benefits whereby we can all be successful together.
So, hang on to your ass We are on a mission You will be called upon to pull your weight, offer your opinions and participate
Hereâs to 2026 â the Year of Change
âYOUâRE EITHER GROWING OR YOUâRE DYINGâ
FOCUS
New in 2026 New in 2026
CompanyCulture ChecksCompany Culture Checks
In an effort to keep an accurate pulse on our company culture, please click here and let us know⌠Itâs anonymous, it takes less than a minute to submit and the data will help guide us to creating a better workplace for everyone!
And of course, you can still always submit your detailed feedback via the employee satisfaction survey as well. Workplace culture affects ALL of us and we all play a role in shaping it. THANK YOU for all you do every day! ��
Weâre Weâre Doing Doing Weâre Doing
answering What s your preferred work fuel?â
If you â re at the Kalamazoo office, be sure to take a peek at the board and share your own answers to the current question: âWhat are you proud of from the last six months?â
Time to check in and let us know - are you getting what you need to be successful at Taplin?? How can we help? We want you to build a successful CAREER here but we need to hear from you. Whatâs important to you? WHY do you choose to work here? What can we do better?
We currently have 8 Taplins working here. Being that Patâs spirit is always with us, I can say 9.
I believe there are more family members working in the company than we ever have had.
For what it's worth, it makes me very happy to look around and see all of you here or know that you are involved from a remote location
Itâs very special that the 4th generation is involved. Not many family enterprises make it 73 years (or at least have not experienced a murder amongst family members ��)
12 if you include Will, Arko, & Bulldog
ART RICHMOND
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES DRIVER
JERRY BLUE
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES DRIVER
ONTARION FRY
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
LABORER
LUKAS SEBAHAR
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES DRIVER
BREVIN GANZEVOORT
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES DRIVER
January Safety Awards
Travis Franklin (RS) - felt the D71 dozer lurching and made the right call to stop the machine immediately.
Aaron Moll (RS) - caught the glass on the door of the D51 wasnât sealed all the way
ERIC BOUDREAU
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES DRIVER
MELVIN MIRANDA INDSUTRIAL SERVICES LABORER
âPRIDE SHOWS IN HOW YOU WORK. RESPECT SHOWS IN HOW YOU KEEP EACHOTHER SAFEâ
