Bringing Out the Best in the ‘Industrial Athlete’

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Mark Lamoncha doesn’t consider himself a CEO or company president, or for that matter any C-Suite titles that are common among executives in the business world.

Instead, Lamoncha refers to himself as the “head coach of the Humtown Manufacturing Industrial Athletes.” 

It’s a concept that was born out of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, when his company, Humtown Products, was on the verge of bankruptcy.

“Coming out of the 2008 Great Recession, I wanted to reinvent the company,” Lamoncha said.  He said he was inspired by his son’s hockey games, and how athletes are driven to perform because of their love for the sport. “If we can align our interests with what we do, we really are performing. It was a conversion. It was converting from jobs and work to careers and performing.”

The transformation led to the publication in 2023 of “The Industrial Athlete Operating System: Where Human Performance Empowers Industry 4.0.” The 166-page book was written by Lamoncha and Tim Figley, an organizational strategist, author and sports broadcaster.

Humtown Products manufactures sand core molds for the foundry industry. The company operates two plants, a conventional operation in Columbiana and a 3D sand core manufacturing center that it recently opened in Boardman.

Lamoncha said the book illustrates how the company transformed its culture and developed a team-oriented approach to business and success. There are sports analogies throughout, such as Super Bowl LI in 2017, when the New England Patriots staged the greatest comeback in NFL championship history to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28.

Lamoncha draws parallels to that game and the state of Humtown in 2008:

• The time clock was winding down, creating a sense of urgency to perform.
• The team worked together late in the game to motivate one another.
• The coaching staff called the right plays, bringing trust to leadership.
• There was a team focus on winning.

“Instead of having a corporate ladder or pyramid, it’s more like a Swiss watch with the open gear sets,” he said. “There’s nothing static about a manufacturing company. When you look at the watch and the hands, the watch and hands deliver time. A company delivers a product.”

Lamoncha’s system identifies the difference between a “manager” and a “coach.” While a manager is charged with monitoring employees, a coach encourages players and brings out the best in them. Employees are not simply considered workers paid for their time, but rather “athletes” who are recognized for their performance.

“I realized in 2010 that how I see them [employees] and what I call them has everything to do with how I value them,” Lamoncha said. “Building a team is about building value with people.”

The idea is to shift the mindset from boss to coach, from tug of war to “win-win,” and from employee to industrial athlete, he said. “It’s really about building the bond of the team.”

This system was enhanced by technical tools such as the Visual Earnings System, a sort of “scoreboard” to measure the performance of each industrial athlete and the company.

The results over the past 10 years have been impressive, Lamoncha said. First, the company reduced its shifts from eight hours to six hours. “We accomplished more in the six-hour shifts than during the long ones,” he writes. The early adaptation of the system resulted in a 175% increase in production earnings and an increase of 615% in monthly sales production per worker.

“When people find value in who they are, they find value in what they make,” Lamoncha said.

Since implementing the new culture, Humtown has brought itself back from the edge of insolvency to being honored with the 2020 Manufacturer of the Year Award from the National Association of Manufacturers.

Also in June, Lamoncha was elected as a board member of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, strengthening advocacy for the Mahoning Valley.

“I am so thrilled to be able to represent our Valley,” he said.

Pictured at top: Mark Lamoncha, president and CEO of Humtown Products.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.