By David MacDonald I t did not take me long to discover that John Hudec is driven by passion, focused on the future and a true leader in, what he says is, “an extremely demanding industry where time is everyone’s worst adversary.” “That continues to be one of the largest challenges we face,” he explained. “The expectations are increasingly growing as the industry evolves and this significantly impacts lead times. We have nurtured an exceptionally committed and seasoned staff that is committed to meeting these growing demands. Likewise, we rely on the efficiency and commitments of our proven vendors and suppliers to ensure we exceed the expectations of our clients. We are fortunate to have excep- tional industry partners.” John explained that the architectural millwork industry as a whole has been evolving these last four decades at an unprecedented rate. CAD (Computer Aided Design) software has been the backbone of commercial and indus- trial manufacturing since the 1960s when famed computer scientist and internet pioneer Dr. Ivan Sutherland devel- oped Sketchpad – the original CAD program – as a Ph. D Candidate at MIT. The cost of early computers, however, limited future development of CAD to the worlds of aero- space and automobile giants McDonnel-Douglas and General Motors, respectively. As personal computers and CAD software became ubiquitous in the 1980s, John said his industry began “exploding with greater demands.” “An extremely demanding industry where time is everyone’s worst adversary.” This surge saw Hudec Woodworking move twice. In late 1987, John and his team moved to a facility in Highland, Indiana. “We occupied three different tenant spaces within this building for nine years,” he said. “They were cramped quarters, but in 1996 we designed and built our present – and spacious – facility in Griffith, Indiana.” As his team expanded and diversified, so did office needs in Griffith. “We completed another remodeling project for more office space and constructed a large conference room with several millwork details. The team volunteered to make our 20th conference table as a reflection of their passion for the craft.” “Our corporate culture revolves around an integral partner- ship that we share with our employees. We have some of the most talented employees in the industry. They are also equally committed to Hudec; some have been with us for over 15 years. That talent is the reason for our success and ongoing growth.
In turn, we are enthusiastically committed to the success of
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SEPTEMBER 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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