Bill Yoh — Co-Owner of Day and Zimmermann, Author, Chairman of Yoh Group
Release Date: 02/05/2020
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Bill Yoh — Co-Owner of Day and Zimmermann, Author, Chairman of Yoh Group
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Bill Yoh is the youngest of five children born to Spike Yoh. Bill's grandfather, Harold, helped build the Philadelphia-based business that is now in its 5th generation, Day & Zimmermann. Founded in 1901 as a fledgling staffing company for engineers, it has grown into a massive organization of 45,000 employees globally and nearly $3 billion in revenue, making it one of the biggest privately held companies in the US and the world.
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info_outlineBill Yoh is the youngest of five children born to Spike Yoh. Bill's grandfather, Harold, helped build the Philadelphia-based business that is now in its 5th generation, Day & Zimmermann. Founded in 1901 as a fledgling staffing company for engineers, it has grown into a massive organization of 45,000 employees globally and nearly $3 billion in revenue, making it one of the biggest privately held companies in the US and the world. Their employees protect faraway embassies, create munitions for the US defense department and staff nuclear power plants. Bill is part of the 3rd generation of Yoh children who have worked at Day & Zimmermann in some capacity, and in 2017, Bill undertook the endeavor to chronicle the family history. Through interviews with his father and other related parties, Bill compiled the history of Day & Zimmermann and its century-long lineage into a book, Our Way: The Life Story of Spike Yoh. In this interview, we dive into Spike Yoh, his legacy, the ups and downs of running a family, a business, and a family business, focusing on four themes — enterprise, leadership, culture, family business dynamics. Tune in to find out more.
Key Takeaways:
[1:18] Kevin introduces his guest for this episode — Bill Yoh.
[3:50] Kevin does a speed round with Bill.
[6:44] Day & Zimmermann is an impressive company. Why don't more people know about it?
[8:24] How much of the Day & Zimmermann team is in Philadelphia vs other sites?
[8:58] What did the company start as and how has it evolved over time?
[10:25] What was the difference between Yoh Staffing Services and Day & Zimmermann?
[11:17] How did the revenue of the company change over time?
[12:33] What are the four business lines of the company?
[14:32] What are some of the high profile construction jobs Day & Zimmermann has been involved in?
[16:39] Why has Day & Zimmermann remained private instead of going public?
[18:38] How has the company taken on outside equity through the years?
[20:02] There was a time when there was a business miss that didn't align with the corporate values or strategy. Bill speaks more about this situation.
[22:05] What are Bill's greatest hopes and fears for Day & Zimmermann, and the greatest opportunities he sees?
[25:17] How did some of Spike's family influences dictate the way he led the company?
[31:19] Kevin and Bill discuss some of Spike's leadership traits and styles.
[37:07] Spike was big on giving back to his community and his alma mater.
[38:46] How does Bill feel about his relationship with his father, a larger-than-life figure?
[41:04] What is the culture of Day & Zimmermann like? What were the foundational values and "our way"?
[46:04] What were some hurdles Spike had to overcome to buy out the company from his father?
[51:01] How was the transition and succession from Spike to Hal and Billy, as compared to from Harold to Spike?
[54:26] Bill and Kevin discuss some of the anecdotes from the book.
[56:31] Was it always assumed that Hal would take over.
[58:05] What does Bill envision for the next five generations and the company?
[1:01:39] What is Coach K's five-finger analogy and how has it played out in the Yoh family dynamic?
[1:03:43] The Yoh family has developed a system of metaphorical hats. Bill explains the system.
[1:05:32] How did Hal, Mike, and Bill become shareholders of the company?
[1:07:32] What were the three strategies implemented when Hal took over?
[1:10:47] How important was the Philadelphia region to Billy, his family, and his company's success?
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