Jay Taylor, owner of Jay Taylor Exterminating, Inc. (JTE), first met Bo Burch, chief principal at Human Capital Solutions (HCS), at the CEC's Opportunity 2004 conference. Bo learned that Jay's business was going well, but that the entrepreneur saw room for significant improvements, if he could sort out some key issues. Bo suggested that he and his team might be able to help.

It didn't take long before Bo and Jay came up with a plan that incorporated a SWOT analysis as well as human resources and environmental, health, and safety audits to clarify the situation at JTE. The results proved gratifying to say the least. With Bo's help, Jay redefined and communicated his company's values and key performance indicators. He set up an appraisal system tied to a clear and structured compensation schedule. At Bo's encouragement, Jay also conducted an employee opinion poll, set up idea-generating meetings, and fostered employee buy-in to new quality and customer relations initiatives.

The result, according to Jay, was "a more competent, well-trained, and happier work force with higher customer retention and very low employee turnover."

Bo Burch notes that HCS also helped JTE with a number of process improvements, all of which contributed to greater operational efficiency and effectiveness. Bo observed, "Together, I think we helped build a whole new culture at JTE-one that made a good company even better." For his part, Jay had this to say: "Bo and his group have had a big impact on our bottom line. I'm glad we met at last year's CEC meeting; that was a meeting that made a difference."

For more information on Jay Taylor Exterminating, visit www.jaytaylorexterminating.com; to learn more about Human Capital Solutions, click on www.humancs.com.