Smart Business Magazine, October 2017

20 Smart Business Akron Canton October 2017 CASCADE CAPITAL CORPORATION 2017BUSINESSGROWTHAWARDS L eppo Group Inc has had to adjust to growth Its success in the past five years has come with a challenging transition away from family management However the company hasnt strayed from its values among which include giving back Its growth has required adjustments For instance not many years ago the owners determined all of the companys strategies and plans for executing them Today the company has a leadership team of three family members and four non family members that sets the strategic direction Its 10 member business operations team of non family members lead the teams that implement the strategies and run the stores Family still sets the strategy but most of the day to day operations are run by non family members William Glenn Leppo CEO of Leppo says he trusts his co workers to get the job done in accordance with the companys values and hes made it a point to celebrate their achievements Following the success it had in 2016 the company paid quarterly and annual bonuses to every full time co worker Whenever a rental or total revenue record is set the owners cook for each of the stores to express their thanks to those who get the job done The companys co workers also trust Glenn to live up to the companys values Among its values is the drive to give back It has two particular causes that it supports autism and breast cancer Leppo gives as much as 4000 annually to charities that work in these areas and it does so in a unique way The company has two 80 foot boom lifts designed to create awareness and generate donations for the causes it supports One is painted yellow and features colorful puzzle piece designs along with the words Autism Awareness The special lift helps raise autism awareness and 10 percent of the revenue earned from the boom is donated each year to a local autism charity Another special boom lift is painted pink for breast cancer awareness Like the other lift this machine helps raise awareness and donations with the company pledging 10 percent of the revenue earned from this boom to a local breast cancer charity The company is striving toward sustainability which it defines as the continued prosperity of Leppo beyond the working lives of all current coworkers To achieve sustainability the company focuses on efficiency financial performance people development stability for its staff growth and smooth transitions Growth however is a major component of the companys strategic planning as it connects several other components Leppos growth over the past five years includes the addition of a Northeast Ohio location 34 additional staff and increased sales revenue by 55 percent Leppo is now the 79th largest equipment rental company in the country How to reach Leppo Group Inc 330 633 3999 or www leppos com AKRON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION PHILANTHROPY IN BUSINESS AWARD Changing with growth Leppo Group makes tough adjustments to sustain its success Leppo Group Inc William Glenn Leppo CEO