business

Four Twin Cities entrepreneurs spent 90 minutes the other night talking about their respective visions, strategies, pratfalls and successes in building businesses that today employ hundreds of Minnesotans.

They share drive, the willingness to share credit for their success with others and a gritty determination that led them to quit corporate jobs and spend nights working on the books or the factory floor or otherwise putting it on the line.

One other thing -- not one of them mentioned getting rich as their goal.

That doesn't surprise Dan Carr, chief executive of The Collaborative, the entrepreneur-network agency that sponsored the forum.

"The best companies come from those entrepreneurs who have a vision to better the world, not to make money," said Carr, who distinguishes between the get-rich-quick crowd and the business builders after 20 years in public accounting and running his own business. "There are those entrepreneurs who have made money and the reward of entrepreneurship is a splendid thing ... But if that's your goal in setting out to become an entrepreneur, your chances of success are diminished substantially."

True business builders have nothing against making a buck. It just doesn't take center stage for them compared with making better widgets.

Barbara King started Landscape Structures, a Delano-based playground equipment maker for schools and parks, with her husband, Steve, a landscape architect, and $1,000 in 1971. The business employs 350 people and has revenue of $85 million.

"Our business is to enhance the lives of children," she said.

To do that and make an increasing payroll, her company every year has to make more products than the competition and make them better and safer.

For King, leadership is about being "risk tolerant" and visionary, understanding kids, parents, parks and schools -- the customers. It's about showing up to work the third shift in the factory bearing pies for break time, and listening to line workers, some of whom have been around nearly as long as the CEO.

"Employees have to see us lead by example," she said.

Bob Fayfield, chief executive of 34-year-old Banner Technologies, which makes photo-electronic sensors (electric eyes) for use in factories, employs 600 folks who generate sales of more than $100 million around the world.

"You create the culture whether you like it or not," he said. "You want an honorable, ethical company. So the most important thing you do is pick the people who thrive in that culture. But don't just surround yourself with people like you."

That's critical, added Brian Sullivan, a co-founder of Recovery Engineering, the publicly held water-filter company that was sold to Procter and Gamble last year for $265 million.

The company, after years of modest success, hit its stride several years ago with a focused strategy built around consumer water filters, competing successfully against bigger, diversified conglomerates.