Ted Fick: Implementing Changes that Generate Growth

Ted Fick has made a number of innovative moves during his career, designing and implementing outside-the-box solutions that have not only made multiple multimillion-dollar transformations possible but have generated dramatic growth and improved performance for a number of high-profile corporations.

Having spearheaded successful turnarounds at such notable names as Port of Seattle, Polar Corporation and Thermo King Corporation, Ted Fick now applies that same innovative energy and solutions-driven leadership at LTA Manufacturing—a leading manufacturer of truck accessories and caps based in the Greater Kansas City area.

Implementing Changes that Generate Growth

As CEO at LTA Manufacturing since 2018, Fick has continually sought out opportunities for improving production, revenue and profitability, and for ensuring LTA has the programs in place to unlock its full competitive potential.

One such program, an innovative compensation plan, has not only paid off for LTA, but recently garnered Fick recognition by the local business press, including within a November 2019 article in the Kansas City Business Journal.

Ted Fick’s Innovative Wage Increase Pays Off

Seasoned senior executive Ted Fick has accomplished a great deal throughout his leadership career, including the design and implementation of multimillion-dollar transformations at Port of Seattle, Polar Corporation and Thermo King Corporation.

Now the CEO at LTA Manufacturing, Fick is working to help the industry-leading truck caps and accessories manufacturer unlock its full competitive potential, making moves that have not gone unnoticed by members of the local business media.

Ted Fick’s Innovative Wage Increase Pays Off

Ted Fick’s talent for identifying innovative, results-driven business solutions has not only garnered him mention in a recent Kansas City Business Journal article, but has produced positive results for the company and its leadership.

The CEO at LTA Manufacturing since December 2018, Fick’s “innovative compensation plan” involving higher wages seems to have paid off for the local manufacturer and may have a positive impact on the company for years to come.

Ted Fick Featured in Recent Article

Accomplished business leader and senior executive Ted Fick has led successful, multimillion-dollar turnarounds at a variety of high-profile corporations during his career, including Polar Corporation, Thermo King Corporation (Americas) and more.

And now, Ted Fick is making waves as the CEO of LTA Manufacturing, making moves that are earning him positive mentions and considerable recognition in publications across the Kansas City region.

Ted Fick Featured in Recent Article

The Kansas City Business Journal recently highlighted Ted Fick’s work at LTA, particularly a higher wage initiative that seems to be paying off for the truck accessories manufacturer in a number of ways.

Fick’s recent request to implement a substantial and “innovative compensation plan” was not only approved by the LTA board but has since produced positive results for the company.

LTA Manufacturing specializes in the production of brand-name truck accessories and caps. Fick has been a leader at LTA since late 2018.

Ted Fick: What to Include in Your Strategic Plan

As a seasoned senior executive, Ted Fick knows that behind any successful business transformation or shift is a strategic plan—an outline that not only lays out your organization’s capabilities, position, and goals, but that also provides the tools and guidance to take your firm to the next level.

And because strategic plans are such an important piece of a successful turnaround, it’s essential to take great care with their design and ensure each crucial component is in place before moving on to that next step.

What to Include in Your Strategic Plan

Ted Fick has architected and implemented numerous strategic business plans during his career, and knows that for one to work, it should include:

• Your mission, vision, and objectives. Including mission and vision statements, along with clearly defined objectives, helps ensure everyone is on the same page from the word go.
• Your company’s core values. Articulating the principles your company is built on is key to guiding leadership and decision-making down the road.

Follow him on Behance. https://www.behance.net/ted-fick

Ted Fick: Triathlete

Ted Fick is a triathlete who completed his first full Ironman in 2012. He completed his first marathon six years prior, and he hasn’t stopped training since. He regularly goes on cycling rides around Seattle ranging from thirty to one-hundred miles long, completes several marathons/half marathons each year. Away from his training, he’s a busy CEO who travels often and spends as much free time with his family as he can.

Also Read: Ex-Port of Seattle CEO Ted Fick has a new job in Kansas City

Ted Fick: Creating Opportunities for Dramatic Growth

An executive leader and specialist in organizational transformation, Ted Fick understands that identifying and unlocking opportunities for dramatic growth is one of the best and fastest ways to turn around an underperforming business.

Having executed multimillion-dollar turnarounds at Thermo King, Polar Corporation and Port of Seattle, Fick knows the many available avenues for generating such growth quickly—as well as for growing market share and restoring a competitive advantage within one’s industry.

Creating Opportunities for Dramatic Growth

As Ted Fick knows, growing an organization’s reach, revenue and profitability—and doing so in a short period of time—can be done in a number of ways, including:

• New product development. A renewed focus on product innovation and launch can often be a great way to open up new markets and revenue streams.
• Mergers and acquisitions. Partnering with others or acquiring the competition can improve reach and increase market share in a hurry.

New market expansion. Putting your brand and your offerings into a new market can generate new business and increased profit margins fast.

Ted Fick: Developing a High-Performing Leadership Team

A proven leader and transformational executive, Ted Fick knows that for anything to get done in a corporate environment, the right group of leaders must be in place.

Such teams, as Fick knows, are essential not just for carrying out the company’s vision, but also for ensuring that the firm’s short- and long-term business strategies are properly defined, understood and executed in a way that aligns with company objectives.

Developing a High-Performing Leadership Team

Having assembled a number of high-performance leadership teams during his career, Ted Fick understands that to build a group best equipped to solve problems, accomplish goals, innovate and pivot on-demand, one should consider:

• Defining clear goals at the outset, those everyone knows, shares and can collaborate toward for however long the team exists.
• Setting an example, such as by demonstrating a willingness to take on tasks and engage in behaviors you expect and demand of your team.
• Looking from within, or seeking out talent and potential from within the organization before hiring from the outside.

Read more  about Ted Fick: Ted Fick Is Making the Port of Seattle More Businesslike

Ted Fick: What Makes New Product Development Effective?

Ted Fick has led major, multimillion-dollar business transformations throughout his career, utilizing his skills in strategic planning, team building and identifying opportunities to drive dramatic growth and enhanced performance quickly.

And as he knows, one of the most effective ways to capitalize on opportunity and put companies on the right path is through the facilitation of new product development—a process that, when properly managed—can reap untold rewards for an organization.

What Makes New Product Development Effective?

Having led successful new product development initiatives in the past, Ted Fick knows the major steps that go into a successful development process. These include:

• The search for and generation of new ideas.
• Screening ideas to identify good opportunities and drop bad ones.
• Product concepting and testing.
• Building an apt marketing strategy.
• Performing a business analysis/review of the new product.
• Actual product development, or developing physical versions or prototypes of the concept.
• Testing the new product in realistic market settings.

Ted Fick: Steps for Building a Strategic Plan

Throughout his career, senior executive Ted Fick has delivered the adept, decisive leadership organizations have needed to innovate, identify opportunities and achieve dramatic improvements in performance and profitability.

And a large part of Fick’s success comes from his talent for building a strong strategic plan, the framework upon which successful transformations are built, executed and sustained.

Steps for Building a Strategic Plan

As Ted Fick knows, developing an effective strategy for improving productivity or pivoting your business requires:

• Knowing where you are. Through thorough, objective internal and external audits, you can begin to develop a better understanding of your strengths, weaknesses and where you’re positioned in the marketplace.
• Identifying where you want to go. For your plan to have focus, you must know where you want your organization to go and what you’ll need to accomplish to get there.
• Determining who will be doing what. With your priorities in place, you can allocate time, resources and manpower to the issues you need to tackle and achieve your predefined objectives.

Ted Fick: Core Components of Strategic Planning

Ted Fick knows a thing or two about strategic planning, having architected and executed the strategic plans needed to drive dramatic growth and transformation at multiple high-profile firms over the past 30 years.

A proven CEO and change manager throughout his career, Ted Fick understands the importance a strong business strategy has in turning an underperforming company around—as well as repositioning that firm as a viable, competitive enterprise prepared to overcome challenges and thrive for years to come.

Core Components of Strategic Planning

Behind any strategic plan is a good leader, a professional who knows that creating an effective plan is more than simply setting goals and assigning teams tasks, but taking into account:

• Thorough assessments of industry, customer and competitor trends that directly impact your business.
• SWOT analysis of your company’s capabilities, weaknesses, existing threats and opportunities for improvement.
• A clear mission and vision that defines goals and sets expectations right at the outset