Established in 1906 by Guy Huyett in the “other Minneapolis,” Huyett is one of the oldest operating businesses in Kansas. We offer industry-leading products and services to industrial fastener distributors with global supplier partnerships, a customer-centric Sales approach, and an orientation towards a Culture of Excellence.
Huyett’s purpose is to acquire customers and make the world a better place. With a history of sustainable business growth, adaptability, and servant leadership to guide us, we continually invest in resources that will sustain Huyett’s cultural core. We believe this requires an evergreen mentality, selfless and innovative leaders, and a drive to support the surrounding community. As we acquire customers and grow our business, we build a stronger foundation to contribute to the world around us.
Company Culture
Culture of Excellence
There is no attribute of Huyett’s culture more important than its drive for excellence, which is a direct contrast to the culture of comfort that plagues many companies. While comfort is a worthy goal, doing things the right way is not always comfortable. It is much easier to ignore a bad situation than it is to confront and challenge one..
To achieve the Culture of Excellence, Huyett team members practice functional competency, as defined in Patrick Lencioni’s book
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:
There is trust.
Huyett is a transparent business, and that transparency exists because there is trust.
There is no fear of conflict.
Our managers are humble servants to their teams. They encourage and appreciate feedback from team members, and team members are encouraged to respectfully and firmly confront upstream employees when something is not right.
Team members are committed to excellence.
Huyett is not the easiest place to work, and everyone who works here knows it.
Everyone is accountable.
There is a constant stream of formal and informal feedback.
Everyone watches the numbers.
Interdepartmental metrics are communicated throughout the Company so everyone knows how the business is doing.
Huyett’s Culture of Excellence guides our daily work life. There is a concerted effort to eliminate drama, secrets, and factions because people treat one another with care, dignity, and respect.
Employee Excellence
To win championships you must know how to find great players. We do not select people based on their experience, but on their talent. Talent encompasses natural ability, but also a commitment to the pursuit of excellence. Here is how Huyett ensures the quality of its team members:
We take care in hiring.
At Huyett, we hire carefully with a holistic and detailed approach. We understand that people are more than just their resume! Applicants proceed through multiple interviews and complete a set of pre-employment assessments to ensure that they are the best fit for the role. Huyett team members participate in the hiring process and interview future co-workers.
All new hires start with a written Onboarding Plan.
The Onboarding Plan ensures that new hires learn their job quickly and completely. Employees are trained for three months on their job duties, the role of other departments, and are given opportunities to pursue skills training.
Huyett has a points-based Attendance and Reliability Policy.
In order for the Company to continue growing, employees must be reliable and plan absences in advance, save for illness and accidents. People who are not able to attend work reliably don’t make it at Huyett. We count on you, and our employees count on one another.
Huyett is a safe place to work.
We foster both a physically and mentally safe work environment through consistent process evaluation, strict adherence to safety protocols in the warehouse and manufacturing shop, and regular communication between staff and leaders. Communication includes informal weekly check-ins, annual surveys, and committee meetings. Harassment, hostility, discrimination, negligent behavior, and unsafe work conditions are not tolerated.
Community Improvement
The owners of Huyett are committed to building community. Employees and their families are encouraged to engage with their surroundings and provide support to the communities we work and live in. As a whole, Huyett contributes to:
Ottawa County Carnival:
Employees walk in the parade each year and volunteer at the concessions. The Company also donates tokens to a local food bank so that families in the community can have a fun night riding carnival rides and playing games.
Salvation Army Thanksgiving Dinner:
Every year, the Salvation Army hosts a Thanksgiving dinner in Salina, KS. Huyett donates turkeys in support of the event, and employees donate funds for sweet potatoes and volunteer their time to serve meals to people in the community.
Huyett Community Garden:
Employees manage and maintain a Company-sponsored garden, and the produce is donated to local food banks and people in need.
Ottawa County Community Foundation:
Huyett and its Executive Team donate annually to on-this important community funding mechanism for non-profits.
Love, Inc. (a local food pantry):
Each Christmas season, the Company donates hams that are packaged together as a holiday meal and delivered to local families.
Huyett works to be a community of value-added communities building communities.
Financial Investment in Team Members
Huyett’s goal is to help team members achieve financial and professional growth, which means the Company financially values their time in a number of ways:
- Profit sharing: Employees are eligible for profit sharing bonuses. These are calculated by weighing employee performance scores, employee salary, and Company profit. The Company is transparent about its financial health so employees can see the direct impact their individual and team performance has on the bottom line. As profits increase, so do profit shares.
- Annual merit pay increase: All employee salaries are reviewed at least annually. Employees may receive a pay increase based on their performance and the results of an annual independent wage audit.
- Employee Benefits Advisory Board: Employees can join this advisory board to directly influence Company benefits, which are configured to bring the greatest value back to employees and their families.
- Personal development: The Company has a performance management system that includes personal development planning, so that employees shape how they contribute through time. Greater contribution equals greater pay and compensation.
- Free agency: Each month the Company CEO advises all Huyett employees that they are free agents who get to choose where they work. As such, the management of the Company is extraordinarily occupied in ensuring that the employee experience is prosperous financially, emotionally, and professionally.
