Feb 2011

It All Comes Down To Trust ...

Doing the right thing isn’t always an easy choice.

But for Suzann Speck, doing the right thing is always the right choice, in her professional life as Speck Plastics President, as well as in her personal life.

“Values are key to any relationship—personal or professional,” Suzann says. “It’s all about doing the right thing.”

When it comes to her work and marriage, Suzann stresses the importance of upholding a high level of trust and accountability in all of her relationships.

At a leadership breakfast at the Lehigh Iacocca Institute in November 2010, Suzann felt inspired by Todd Welch, a Bethlehem businessman on a 1,000-day, cross-country Trust Tour. His mission is to kindle a conversation about the value of trust in every aspect of our lives.

“In my mind, [trust is] the most important issue on the planet,” Welch says. “It affects everything; it’s the basis for our happiness, our ability to create, our ability to connect and bond with other people.”

According to Welch, the most important role a CEO plays is instilling a sense of trust at all company levels.

“As trust breaks down, it’s corrosive—the whole structure collapses.”

Suzann plans to keep her business far from a devastating downfall caused by mistrust.

“For me, professionally, the Trust Tour has inspired me to think about everything I do, and ask myself if this is the right thing to do,” she says. “It simplifies your life.”

One customer in particular avows he can always count on Suzann and her brother Walt to do the right thing, especially when things go awry. Steve Cacamese is the Operations & Field Services Manager for Distek, Inc., a supplier of pharmaceutical dissolution testing instruments. Although he considers Speck’s quality of parts always first-rate, Cacamese knows full well that he places complex and sometimes demanding orders. If Speck makes him a part that is just one millimeter off, it’s unusable. But Cacamese has continued to do business with the Specks because he can trust them to professionally and resourcefully handle issues that arise with his complicated requests.

“If I can’t trust a vendor, that’s a problem,” he says. “I never feel like Speck will say they don’t want to deal with [a problem with a part]. Even when they have made mistakes, they’ve made it right, even if it meant working overtime to get me parts that are important.”

In one instance when something wasn’t right with a part, Cacamese says Speck tried to accurately fix it by sending department managers and production-floor people to his office to see how parts are installed.

“They bring their expertise to us, so maybe we can change the design of something in a way that could be beneficial.”

Cacamese can also trust the Specks to answer his phone calls, a major dealmaker for him. Price is always a factor in choosing a vendor, and Cacamese bases his decision on the “fairest” price, not the cheapest. If a vendor can follow through on the things that are not part of the bill, such as responding to phone calls and accepting responsibility for flaws in parts, then he is willing to pay the extra cost for such quality service.

“I always know if I pick up the phone and need to get Suzann, I’ll get her. If I need Walt, I’ll get him. It’s never a worry that I can’t get them to answer my calls. That’s a big deal.”

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Suzann also recognizes the vital role trust plays in her personal relationships, particularly her marriage.

“What’s surprised me is how much the vision and values we use to guide our business interaction also come into play when it comes to building a strong marriage,” Suzann says. “With regard to trust, there’s accountability, and that’s a part of both kinds of relationships.”

On November 16, she and her husband Eric Anthony celebrated their first wedding anniversary. They started dating in 2003 and tied the knot in Tulum, Mexico, with a small group of close relatives and friends attending the destination wedding. Last July, the couple hosted a party for their family and friends who could not make the trip. Suzann and Eric planned to celebrate their anniversary with the leftover cake.

Suzann and Eric have decided to rent out his house in Bethlehem and officially live in Suzann’s Bath home. Although the houses are 15 miles apart, the move went smoothly with the help of Suzann’s teenage stepsons, Evan and Tanner, who were put to work moving furniture and other items down three flights of stairs and then up two.

“The kids have been really good. The older one is a real organizer, and that’s been a big help,” Suzann says. “The fact that they’re young, strong, and able to help us is a huge plus.”

Now settled into family life, Suzann says she did the right thing marrying Eric.

“The past eight years have gone so fast, so I must be having a good time.”

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