LAYOFFS: Dacor Pawns One of the Family Jewels
Submitted by advisor on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 4:25pm.
Dacor's long tenured Assistant VP of Product Development, Bob Lewis, the emobodiment of the Dacor credo and a soft spoken ambassador of goodness and earnestness was fired by Dacor in early September as part of cost cutting and reorganization.
Mr. Lewis has left his finger prints on every product in Dacor's barn.
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More Bad News
It appears that some of the very fine people who made the fabric of the organization work to a very high degree are leaving California as a result of some short sighted layoffs of some of the finest who made the organization what they were at one time. Don't let any other discussion fool you. They tumble because of the good people who know the product and the business and that threatened Moe ,Larry and Curly. One of the floor guys who did a great job and only got hammered because he reported the truth is leaving for greener pastures. All hail King Zod ! The second best chess player in Southern California ! The solid fabric is now a burlap bag for sure. Oh , I am sure someone will say the magic words of "Lean Manufacturing" and all will be well in their minds. Here is to the good ones forced out . Do you notice how many people use "Lean Manufacturing " as their marching orders and fail ? Hmmmm.Substance has taken a back seat everywhere.Put Lean Manufacturing on your resume and you will be deemed a genius !!!!All my opinions of course.
Bump
All hail King Zod
To the Good Ones.
Here ,here. BL...MG...PB....BB.......Purchasing Guru......VS.....NS.....Just to name a few.
Bob Lewis
I left Dacor back on 2005! I work there 8 years. Started out at the bottom, as an assebly line, moved my way up to engineering! I remember we used to have a annual "associated meeting" at the City of Industry building right there on the fabrication area. It was nice eveyone new everyone, by the early 2000 some new people came in, and started to make some really dumb business choices. I will say one name George Simadaris! this guy went up from being a simple engineer to become a director. why? this guy had no people skills, the fact was that several people complaint! anyway with the departure of Bob Lewis, Chef Lesslie Sassman and many other on that group the company has being going down since then. Funny thing is... they always shoved their so called "company values" down our throats.
I have to Comment
Bob and Leslie were some very good people but they were not part of the group that set policy. Bob had some very good ideas that were incorporated into the design plan and he carried out those duties but our designer Ray Smith needs to get a lot of credit. I don't like to see credit misplaced altogether. There was a smaller group of four executives/owners who helped to establish policy together with Mike Joseph's vision. I was one of them. We carried the vision through all of our people and it worked quite well. Sometime in 2001 that vision was obscured. Not by Mike and I am not sure by who. However , I am certain that the entire Joseph family lives those values all the time.Somewhere the economy and other issues have made that look like they don't care. That assumption is wrong. The problem must be the current people charged with executing those values are living under a different economy , different circumstances. As I have said before Mike surely needs to take a look at what some of you people are saying and make sure those values developed in 1997 are still being followed by his current staff. When times are rough ,one's character gets tested. That applies to the executives now in charge under Mike.Good luck to you Jesse.
Dacor , Last Comment.
To put this to bed....All of the people in the decision making positions that made a difference at Dacor have left over the past 10 years including Tony Joseph. They still have many workers who can contibute but probably will not be heard. Plain talk ,just as I see it. My opinion.No way to sugar coat it.
More lay offs
Dacor has recently laid off some of the lower level people with 20 + years of service. They have now consolodated operations into three buildings from the six they had a couple of years ago. Where will it all end? Is there going to be a Dacor in 2009 or beyond? Will there be a buy out?Time will tell.
More Layoffs
Well...They continue to lay off people with the knowledge that made them great. The comments of new management would justify it by saying they have to think out of the box. The truth is anyone with knowledge is a threat to the newbies and may actually know something worthwhile. There soon will be no box to think out of. 2009 ? Some of the people responsible for what is happening were not that good at bringing on good talent to begin with. Other people there had brought them aboard going back to the early 90's. I guess that is the MO and will continue to be. That will be too bad for the good folks still there.Anyone left in management that had anything to do with the new products , sales or operations ? I doubt that. I am sorry to see this. All my opinions of course.
Steven Joseph was recently
Steven Joseph was recently named VP of Marketing. I would put him at about 30. Good for you Steven, so young and now VP of Marketing. Moving up quick.
Recent Promotions
There is a term that is bantered about by most owners who speak of the lucky sperm club. I think most of the time it is meant tongue in cheek.It is amazing that the talent that was let go at Dacor is now being quickly replaced. Simply amazing... I am at a loss for words.
other changes
I hear the national service manager has been also been re assigned
Dacor
So...Have they fallen off the cliff yet or what?
Dacor
For all of us involved in these comments let's understand that my original comment was to honor the good work that Bob did during his 20 years with Dacor. Bob was a key member of a team of 6 people including the Josephs who helped the associates at Dacor achieve some very wonderful things and had a great time doing it. For those of you on the outside Dacor led by the Josephs was a pretty caring company and people were allowed to do their jobs the right way. All the while Mike thinking about what he could do for others. If Mike has a Bentley , he deserves it. That is the risk/reward of putting yourself on the line with a business and in no way reflects on the condition of the company today.They reinvested a lot of money in their company. He is not a Wall Street shark.I cannot speak for the team he has today but it seems like they are not warm. Business is very tough these days for everyone including Dacor. There are many other appliance companies that could care less about their employees. Dacor is not one of them. The internet can be nasty.Let's keep it classy. That is the right thing to do.
So much for loyality
Bob over the years became the face of Dacor to the industry & @ trade shows. He was the only constant in the always revolving door Mike Joseph created. Everyone recognized his smiling face, he will be missed; catch is Dacor is not smart enough to realize it.
Guess who has a new bentley
no comment
Bob
I have no doubt that Bob Lewis will land on his feet. Some lucky company will gain a dedicated and hard-working individual that will surely be Dacor's loss.
My concern, like the others who have already spoken, is the poor decision-making that has been going on for years. There are many self-righteous individuals leading the company who are quick to take credit for others work or pass on the blame for their poor choices. Doesn't really fall in with the mission statement of "Respecting Others" or "Doing Good Work."
Dacor
Seems to always happen that way my friend. People who did not sweat the blood and put in the effort to make the company the success will always take credit for the good but have no idea of the hard work involved to get there. Dacor still has many good people and my hope is that the power that can make the right choices will eventually come back full circle. The owner's intent has always been good, it's the company he now keeps that has hurt their efforts.Mike Joseph is a stand up guy who really has a big heart for people. I have seen it first hand.I wish for nothing but success for them going forward.
Dacor
This evacuation of talented individuals has been sytematically going on for several years now. Most were eased out however some left by their own choice. There is no solid foundation left from what made Dacor such a sucess in the late 90's. People are what make companies and Dacor has sure let go a great number of people who have departed for other pastures.
Bob Lewis had the foresight to know where the industry should be going now without him the Dacor ship has no direction and so will become lost in the jungle of me too's.
Some bright guy once said "You reep what you sow".
Good luck Dacor.
Dacor
Where has Dacor gone?
Now this, Bob Lewis was Dacor.
Bob Lewis
Comment