Marcel Roles wears many hats at Arctic Spas to help increase sales
2004 eAward Winner: Business Results — the Bottom Line
by Dennis Hryciuk
Arctic Spas staffers describe Marcel Roles as more than just the production manager. Counsellor, social worker, confidant, trainer, motivational speaker — all apt words for a man who has helped the company grow faster than any of his co-workers could have imagined.
“What stands out for me is the man’s ability as a motivator and a storyteller,” says Tom Gray, the communications officer for Arctic Spas, a division of Blue Falls Manufacturing Ltd. Every morning when Gray was on the production line, Roles would begin with a meeting to inspire his co-workers. “He would have a story or an instructional message or a joke or a verbal kick in the pants,” says Gray. “He could be making a living as a professional speaker — he’s that good.”
As well as motivating co-workers, Roles has brought in more efficient production processes that have saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result, the manufacturer of high-end hot tubs has rapidly steamed ahead with much higher sales, production levels and profitability. When Roles started at Arctic Spas five years ago, annual sales were $4 million. Last year, sales climbed to $52 million, and this year’s target is $70 million. Output has heated up to 1,000 spas a month — a record that previous managers could only dream of. In fact, Roles has broken every production record set by his predecessors at the company, which is located in Thorsby, a village 50 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
It’s Roles’ team-building processes that fellow employees believe have had outstanding effects on production. Among his ideas was the Green Hat Team, a select group of nine or 10 highly motivated workers who can choose to work in any area of the facility that they choose. Employees — whose numbers vary between 100 and 120 — actively compete to be picked by Roles for the team.
Roles himself is modest about his achievements. “It’s because of my team,” he says. Yet co-workers note that he often spends 15-hour days at work, a fact that Roles says is just part of his job. “I’m very goal-oriented, and when I set myself on sights, it doesn’t matter if it takes eight-hour days or 15-hour days.” Roles also downplays just what he has done during those days. “It’s not rocket science. All I did was to convince them to do things they had never done before.”
Follow Alberta Venture On: