July 29, 2003 -- "The Herald-Palladium"

There’s more to life than work
By DEBRA HAIGHT
H-P Correspondent

NILES
A recent mission trip to Nicaragua has given Alro Steel general manager Phil D’Amico a new perspective on his life and his business. It also confirmed his belief in the importance of giving back to the community whether it’s in Southwest Michigan or thousands of miles away. It gave me an opportunity to step back ... and taught me to be a little more patient with people, whether it’s the employees here or customers I meet, he said. I used to pour everything into my job. The trip helped me step back and realize that more is out there than just work.

D’Amico spent eight days in Nicaragua about a month ago as part of a program sponsored by a South Bend area church. He and a few others were asked to go along to offer a basketball camp for youth in the villages they visited. I was very apprehensive about going, he said. I didn’t think it would seem like a vacation. I came back tired, but glad. It was a gratifying and satisfying experience. It put a lot of things into perspective when I saw people living in homes with dirt floors, no plumbing, and little food and clothing. It was really eye-opening.

While the Nicaragua experience was unique, it’s an example of his overall philosophy of doing what’s right for himself and for others as well as stretching his own boundaries and expectations. He said he stretched his own business boundaries and expectations five years ago when he moved back to the Midwest from Pennsylvania to work for Alro Steel. In addition to taking on new duties, the move brought him back to Indiana where he grew up and the opportunity to get a masters of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
D’Amico had never worked as a general manager of a facility before being hired by Alro to manage first its South Bend operation and then its Bertrand Crossing site when it consolidated its South Bend and Benton Harbor operations in a new plant. They took a gamble on me. I had only been an assistant general manager before, he said. I didn’t know any customers or contacts. But one thing I’ve enjoyed is being involved and meeting a lot of people in the community here. It’s really been a blessing.

I also feel very blessed to have parents who were hard workers. My work ethic has always been very strong, and I’m glad to have had people who have had faith in me both at Alro and my previous employer. They saw the potential in me.
He likes the Bertrand Crossing technology park and the chance to work with the other companies in the park as well as the Niles branch of Lake Michigan College. His company has worked with and hired students and graduates from LMC.

Alro’s Bertrand Crossing facility has been open since July 2001 and employs 51 people. Like most Alro Steel facilities, the Niles operation is a warehouse, an information resource and a steel customizing shop. He said the key to the company’s success is its emphasis on service. After five years with this company, the thing I’ve really been impressed with is the emphasis on service, service, service, he said. We want to have and strive for impeccable service, he said. We sell to anybody of any size, to any company that uses metal products from little widgets to big machines. We treat small companies the same as the large ones. If someone buys from Alro Steel, they get impeccable service.

While the national economy has been struggling the last few years, he’s been impressed by all that he’s seen in his job. We’re seeing the grassroots of American manufacturing, where everything starts, he said. We see some real creative people with ideas that you wish that you had thought of. We’re at the forefront of manufacturing.

One thing he tries to do as often as he can is get warehouse employees out to see the company’s customers. When they see where the product goes and what it’s used for, they take more pride in their work, he said. Our biggest challenge is to understand our customers’ needs and wants and be proactive in giving them what they want.

D’Amico takes business ethics and morals seriously. The subject was taught in his MBA course at Notre Dame and is one he stresses in the introduction to business classes he teaches at LMC in Benton Township. When you make a decision, you have to think: Is it right for your customer or your employee and is it moral? he said.

Alro really stresses doing what you say you’re going to do and doing it with integrity and honesty. ... I think that it helps your business if people can look at you and know they can trust you.