PFS MENTORSHIP

Simple Processes
Easy Assessments
Mentorships
Partnerships
Efficiency Projects
Bottom-Line Results

Practical Steps for Small Business


Mentorship CASE STUDY 1-M

Velcheck & Finger
Roof consultants and roof repair service with 21 employees
Headquartered in Pewaukee, WI

Kohl's Department Stores
One of the nation's largest retailers
Headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI



OVERVIEW OF MENTORING PROGRAM

Remarks from John Fogut
Vice President Corporate Sustainability
Kohl's Department Stores

"We feel that participating in the mentoring program is important because we are based here in Waukesha County. We've been here for as long as the company's been around and we think that it's important to give back to that community. If we can help a small business or mid-sized business, we think that they're our customers, they're our associates who work in this county and they live in this county. We think it's really important that we give something back."

Remarks from Ryan Lettau
Project Engineer & Solar Consultant
Velcheck & Finger

"This mentorship process has really opened up our eyes to the very simple things we should be taking into account."

John:  "The small companies, mid-sized companies and the large sized companies all are looking at what can they do to help impact the environment and bring savings to their companies.  It really is about the people, the planet and the bottom-line savings."

Ryan:  "Bottom-line: People want to save money. And especially for mid-sized companies because there are so many mid-sized to small companies around that you have to find a competitive edge over your competitor in order to become successful and stay successful. So sustainability is one way to do that."

SUSTAINABILITY AT KOHL's

John:  "Some of the things that Kohl's has done and still continues to do is we are very big in solar. We have over 70 stores that have solar on their roofs. We buy renewable energy. 50% of all of our energy use is through renewable energy. We have LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings - we have over 40 of those buildings currently across the country. So we are always looking at things that we can do from an environmental standpoint. As we move forward, I think that sustainability is going to become not only something that's going to be an added value to a company but is going to be required of companies. I think everybody is going to be looking today that it's maybe a benefit to you. Five years from now, if you are not doing something from a sustainability standpoint, it could be a negative."

SUSTAINABILITY AT VELCHECK & FINGER

Ryan:  "Our concept is: Put your roof to work. Use it for more than just keeping water out. Ways of doing that is ... first thing installing solar panels on a roof to produce energy. Another way is installing white or reflective roofing membranes in order to save energy throughout the year. And a third is installing green roofing, which helps reduce storm water run-off. In our commitment to sustainability, if we are brutally honest with each other, I don't think that we are very far. In fact, as we evaluate where we are, it's almost discouraging to realize that we haven't taken the measures that we really ought to be taking or should have been taking in the past. But we do look forward to doing this and this process we have been going through has been very helpful at opening our eyes to very simple, very easy things to be doing to become more sustainable and more renewable as a company. When we look at return on investment at Velcheck and Finger it becomes very important to us because when we're saving energy, we're saving money. And when we save that money, we are able to become more competitive for our customers and clients as compared to another roofing contractor in the area. And if we are able to offer the same product and the same service to potential customers as another contractor might, but at a lower cost ... it becomes a huge competitive advantage for us."

FINAL THOUGHTS

John:  "For Velcheck and Finger, we are giving them some ideas on how they can better be a sustainable company. We get to pass on some of our knowledge to these smaller and mid-sized companies and say - here's what you can do. And they can look at it as a company and say - here's how we can maybe bring savings to the bottom-line and be more environmentally sound."

Ryan:  "This whole process for us has been a pleasure to work with Kohl's. They've been great mentors to us. And really the investment from our company has been very minimum. A few hours, a couple of days, here and there has been really all that we have invested. But even now, we been seeing the return on that kind of investment, just in the different practices that we will implement. So I would strongly encourage anybody to take advantage of this program." 


To learn more about the PFS Mentorship program, 
contact Bill Mitchell at 262-695-7901 or bmitchell@wctc.edu