The Wright Place

President Bush recently brought notoriety to Wright Mfg. when he made the 12-minute helicopter ride to the mower manufacturer in Frederick, Md., and gave a brief speech that appealed to an audience larger than just lawn care operators.

After the company-with the help of the White House staff-spent weeks preparing, Bush toured the plant and stopped to take photos with some of the employees. He then tried out a standing mower, much to the delight of Bill Wright.

“He said, and this is a quote, ‘start that sucker up,’” recalls Wright, founder and then-president of Wright Mfg. (see the sidebar about his new role) “I showed him how the ZTR feature worked and asked if he wanted to get on and try it. I gave him a briefing on the controls.

“He stepped on the platform and drove backward and forward--maybe 6 feet. He confirmed with me how to make it turn. I showed him, backed away and he did a turn.”

The White House was vague about whether Bush would give a speech, Wright says. But after he stepped off the mower, Bush stood behind the mower as if it was a podium.

“Instead of the presidential seal, it was the Wright logo,” Wright says. “He then gave a four-minute speech to the nation.”

The speech was about the proposed economic stimulus plan, which was passed by Congress soon after. Wright and new president Shawn Wolf were also present weeks later at the White House when Bush signed the stimulus bill.

The White House sought out Wright for the plant visit, saying the company fit the profile of the type of place it wanted to showcase as Bush announced the plan to help get the economy on track.

“They were looking for a company that fit in with a part of the economy that’s not so prone to ups and downs like the dot com and housing industries; something more ‘steady as she goes.’”

With the talk of a possible recession and the bleak outlook for the housing market, doom and gloom often are projected in the news. But some industries aren’t as directly affected by all the bad economy news, Wright says.

“Commercial lawnmowers aren’t something people think about very often, but they’re being used more and more widely as people hire services to do their lawns,” he says. “It’s a service that has been growing strongly for 20 years.”

As a result, Wright Mfg. has seen growth. The manufacturer moved to its new facilities in Frederick in 2001 because of the growth. The 16 years previous to the move, the company grew by a factor of 7, Wright says, adding the company has already grown by a factor of 2.5 since the move.

Wright believes the company has thrived by adhering to the philosophy is that everyone is valuable and it encourages participation in all of the thinking processes of a company.

“As we think of our endeavors office flow, manufacturing process, that everyone has talent and can contribute,” he says.

Talent is the No. 1 quality he looks for in employees.

“Then we communicate we want ideas to be shared. We want open communications. We can always improve, but it’s something we’ve been striving to do.”

Wright also believes the idea of a standing mower lends to the company’s success.

“Imagine sitting down to go skiing or ice skating,” Wright says. “You couldn’t be effective. We discovered if you stand up to cut grass, you can do more.”

Even though business was growing before the president’s visit, the publicity hasn’t hurt, Wright says. He recently visited dealers in Florida, who have told him there has been an increased awareness about the mowers.

“The thing I heard over and over was how many of the dealers’ customers came in and explained how they had seen the president driving the same kind of lawnmower they use to cut the grass and they were ecstatic,” he says. “The presidential visit and what might come of it is just icing on the cake.”