The Exuberant Accountant - Scott Heintzelman

Four Seasons Produce: Green Company and EPA Energy STAR

This month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a retrospective titled Celebrating A Decade of ENERGY STAR Buildings: 1999-2009. Four Seasons Produce’s facility on Wabash Road in Ephrata is one of two buildings identified as “Early Champions” in Pennsylvania. The EPA credits the company with having the first ENERGY STAR labeled warehouse in the country. Forty-seven facilities are highlighted in the retrospective among nearly 9,000 buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR since 1999. ENERGY STAR labeled buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than average buildings.

As I profiled Four Seasons Produce as an Organization that “Gets It”, it was easy to see their attention to culture and values. This recognition by the EPA proves that they are a forward-thinking “green” company and sets them apart.

Stauffers of Kissel Hill (SKH)

Stauffers of Kissel Hill (SKH) is a growing and innovative group of supermarket and garden center locations with a large expansion of services offering high quality foods, garden, floral, and nursery products and services in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Lititz, PA, SKH is a great organization with humble beginnings and a rich history of serving. I am excited to profile them in my series of Organizations that “Get It”.

 

SKH was founded by Roy M. Stauffer, Sr., who was born and raised on the Stauffer Fruit Farm in Warwick Township, a few miles southeast of Lititz. His father raised fruits and vegetables and sold them on the farm and to local stores. This thriving business began in 1932 when Roy purchased the Kissel Hill home and a small farm of five acres. Later that year, the present Kissel Hill building at Lititz was built. This small beginning grew rapidly with the addition of several employees and the help of the family.

Masser Potato Farms

As an eighth-generation, family-owned potato farming company, Masser Potato Farms has become one of the most well-known potato companies in the area, packing and distributing over 70 million pounds of potatoes each year from its operations located in Sacramento, PA. Masser’s is a successful organization with rich history in serving the community and their employees – a perfect example for the next posting in my continuing series of Organizations that “Get It.”

Lobar, Inc.

As part of my continuing series of Organizations that “Get It”, one company that I believe fits the mold is Lobar, Inc. Since it’s founding in 1967, Lobar, Inc. has been offering the broadest possible range of professional services which reflect the company's understanding of the needs of the business by providing superior construction services at competitive prices, striving for excellence in customer relations and construction quality, and keeping in mind that their employees are critical to the success of the company.

As third-generation owners and builders, Lobar, Inc. is one of the few private, Pennsylvania-based, family-owned general contracting firms operating statewide. Over the past forty years, Lobar, Inc. has built its reputation, and today it has become a multi-million dollar enterprise, offering comprehensive, quality construction services for Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia.

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc (EIHI)

  Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. (EIHI), headquartered in Lancaster, PA, is one of the leading providers of specialty insurance products and services in our area. At EIHI, the benefits of loyal employees, shareholders, agents, brokers, policyholders, and their respective employees are put first, and they are able to excel by bringing fresh perspectives to the market place and the work place. This differentiates them as a uniquely progressive insurer and employer and puts them on my list of Organizations that “Get It.”

I believe that what differentiates EIHI as an organization that “Gets It” is their development of a unique and respectable culture that benefits all within the company. Their culture is based on five aspects: Personal Development, Open Communication, Continuous Improvement, Community Spirit, and Fun.

PinnacleHealth

When I think about positive leadership in our business community and within the nonprofit world, an organization that “gets it” is PinnacleHealth. PinnacleHealth has a long tradition of caring for the people in Central Pennsylvania, dating back more than 130 years. Not only does PinnacleHealth provide great service to their patients, but they also have a proven track record of providing that same great service to their employees and to the community around them.

PinnacleHealth is the leading hospital and healthcare system in Central Pennsylvania, dedicated to providing the area’s most comprehensive and quality-driven healthcare. Whether it’s performing the first open heart surgery in the region, a life-saving kidney transplant, or offering the latest technology to treat Parkinson’s disease, PinnacleHealth is committed to excellence and providing quality care, today and always. Since their beginning, PinnacleHealth has been a healthcare leader, offering innovative and compassionate care. As a nonprofit organization, they are dedicated to the health and wellness of the people they serve and care for.

PinnacleHealth is regarded throughout Pennsylvania as a leader both in terms of the number of patients they have the privilege of serving, and in terms of the superior quality of care they provide. PinnacleHealth’s Mission is to be dedicated to maintain and improve the health and quality of life for all the people of Central Pennsylvania – a goal that they continually strive to meet. They are also highly committed to living up to their organization’s vision to be the most caring, innovative, disciplined and trusted health system in Central Pennsylvania. These are the goals they remain focused on in every aspect of their work with patients, their families, their medical staff, and the larger community they serve.

Brubacher Excavating

 One of the coolest parts of my job at McKonly & Asbury is getting to meet great companies with solid family-owned leadership.  In my continuing series of highlighting Organizations that “Get It”, I am going to be profiling Brubacher Excavating, Inc. - a Lancaster County based family business that for over 35 years has made its mark as a top provider of excavating, paving, site utilities, drilling, and blasting services for both public and private markets.

When Ben Brubacher first started Brubacher Excavating, an enduring commitment to quality workmanship was part of its foundation.  Today, it is clear that their commitment still lives and grows.  Brubacher Excavating is a company eager to progress, but committed to maintaining its tradition of outstanding service to the regional marketplace in which our families all live and work.

Wenger’s Feed Mill

You can’t talk about Pennsylvania business without talking about its largest industry – agriculture.  But agriculture in PA is not all Amish horses and buggies.  It’s a huge, modern, enterprise with major manufacturing companies dedicated to serving the needs of modern farms.  One of those companies is my latest Organization that “Gets It”.  In the heart of Lancaster County farmland sits the small town of Rheems. And dominating the skyline of this little village is home base for Wenger’s Feed Mill with one of their six mill operations and also their corporate headquarters. 

 

Hersha Hospitality

I’ve been trying to profile companies that we work with that “get it” when it comes to leadership, employee engagement, and business success.  Although McKonly & Asbury doesn’t audit publicly traded companies, we do have a number of publicly traded companies that we serve with our tax and consulting segments. Something I have learned is that you don’t have to be a small, privately-held company to understand the value of building a culture of service.  A great example of that is Hersha Hospitality.

Four Seasons Produce

My colleagues at McKonly & Asbury and I are fortunate to see many companies up close and personal that understand the value of engaged employees.  As I profile these companies, I think you’ll see common threads about attention to culture and values. 

One of those companies is Four Seasons Produce, Inc. – a distributor of fresh produce, based in Ephrata, PA. Founder, David Hollinger, was driven by a love for fresh fruits and vegetables from the young age of eight.  His fervor for the industry deepened as he traveled with his father to purchase produce for the family’s farm market.  Years later, David’s involvement in the family produce market grew as he began buying produce and managing the company.  Local bankers recognized Hollinger’s personal integrity and potential and Four Seasons was founded in 1976 when David purchased a 5,000 square foot building, some trucks and equipment.