I found interesting a recent column from Diane Stafford of the Kansas City Star on Ewing Kauffman and more specifically, Marion Labs, the Kansas City pharmaceutical company founded by the late Mr. Kauffman, which would have turned 60 years old this month but sold to Merrell Down in 1989.
↵↵↵What doesn’t show up in bricks and mortar or even in philanthropic grants is a philosophy inherent in many of the organizations founded by former Marion workers. It’s about the way to do business, the way to treat people inside and outside the company.
↵A little thing: Kauffman used “associates” instead of “employees” to describe those who worked for him.
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You can always tell you're running a good company when other competitors (or in the case of sports, teams) want to take your ideas. The article lists off a handful of companies that have come from former Marion Labs employees.
↵It's like the Royals taking Dayton Moore after he'd been so successful with the Braves. Ditto for Scott Pioli and the Chiefs. Both of those guys were members of teams that had nearly everyone from the organization plucked because of their success at one point or another.
↵Once Kansas City teams start getting other teams hiring their front office folks, you know they'll have made it.