Chown Hardware was founded almost 150 years ago, yet the company is still thriving. So, what’s the big secret? In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws interviews President and CEO Kyle Chown of Chown Hardware. The two discuss best practices for curing complacency, setting manageable goals, and leading people effectively — all of which are essentials for long-lasting business success in an ever-changing world.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Kyle Chown is in his fifth year as Chown Hardware’s President and CEO. With experience in virtually every facet of the family business, Kyle is passionate about leading the company forward with a clear vision and purpose.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
A COMPANY’S HISTORY
Chown Hardware, a family-owned and operated company located in Portland, Oregon, was founded on September 15th, 1879. Today, after almost a century and a half, the company continues to thrive. Serving customers in both residential and commercial arenas, Chown Hardware sells not only hardware — as the company’s name states — but also home furnishings.
Kyle Chown, President and CEO of Chown Hardware, says, “I think that any business looking to be sustainable long-term [has] to continue to change and evolve and not remain stagnant.” That’s why the company is taking a hard look at potential revenue streams — different products and specific clients — while also evaluating how they can “best utilize the people we have” without seeking to recruit talent from outside the four walls of the business.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
A Family-Owned Business
“It certainly has its set of challenges, but any business does. My grandfather always called it the ‘golden handcuffs.’ I never really understood what he meant by that, but I do now. It’s this incredible opportunity that you have to work and own your family business, but it can consume you to the point where you feel handcuffed — more than if it was just a regular job at Company X. And that’s where the work-life balance can be difficult.”
The Right Priorities
“It’s the people. These people are my extended family, and I truly care about them and their families. I think about that constantly, and I try to put that into the minds of our leadership team — that we’re not here to just be responsible for the 90-some-odd employees that we work with. Certainly, we want them to come to work and feel safe and feel like they can be themselves and that they want to come to work every day.
But we also have a responsibility to the people that they go home to. And so that’s really what it comes down to for me is focusing on the people. And if we do that correctly, then everything should fall into place.”
Embracing Family
“A lot of us, myself included — even before we were working here — we would come to the store. And so there are people here who have literally seen us grow up. So we’ve known some of these people for the majority of our lives. And so I think, intrinsically, there’s this familial aspect — whether we want it or not, it’s there. And for me, I want it. I want us to embrace the family business on a holistic scale and bring people in and have them feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves.”
A Transition in Leadership
“I would assume that that is something that a lot of family businesses going through a transitional period experience. I absolutely grappled with interpersonal conflicts about who I am as a leader. Am I confident enough in myself to be that leader? […] It was a very real struggle of how do I lead my own way without upsetting. And I think part of that is that it took us so long to get through the transitional period, to get through this succession, that there was just confusion — not just that I was having, but that other people were having in their own roles.”
Leadership Development
“We’ve lived in such a hyper-cultured digital world. Now all the information, whether it’s true or not, or whether we want it or not, is all right in front of you at the click of a button. And so you can read books and you can listen to podcasts and you can find anything and everything you want, but what does it all mean? How do you actually apply it? […] For me, I really think it stems from the question you asked earlier, which is about your self-confidence and your own ability to be your authentic self, to believe in yourself, to know that you are in this position because you are qualified.”
Setting Goals and Moving Forward
With my brother and my cousins, we came up with 2030 vision goals. And I said, how do we get there incrementally? So I decided I’m going to grease the wheels. I’m going to come up with my own goals. So we have 3-5 goals that each senior manager is going to have — my team goal, my personal goal (at least one personal goal), and at least two business goals up to five. […] From there, I want every single individual in the organization to have at least one goal that aligns with their manager’s goals, that aligns with the company goals, to help get us to 2030. So everybody feels like they are. Invested that in part of the process. […] As human beings, we want to be part of something greater than ourselves, and we can do that on a business level.”
LEARN MORE
Want to connect or learn more about Kyle Chown or Chown Hardware? Check out his LinkedIn profile or the company website.