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Create a Culture of Learning: Art Lambert and Ron Simkins

Art and Ron's Story: LexJet has three company rules: Have fun. Make money. Don’t get in the way of anyone having fun or making money.

Art and LexJet Corporation co-founder Ron grew their Sarasota, Fla.-based company from five employees to more than a hundred, and increased their sales by 25 percent a year for a dozen years with this guiding philosophy.

Founded in 1994, LexJet provides complete digital color output solutions for customers worldwide. Ever had a banner printed at a large copy center? It’s LexJet technology that makes that convenience possible.

From the professional photographer to anyone who produces large-scale digital color images, LexJet provides its customers with the knowledge and products needed to create and produce digital images such as those found on backlight displays or at tradeshows.

It started out as a simple enough idea. Art and Ron, both computer industry executives for more than 20 years, were looking for something to do during early retirement in Florida. The Americans with Disabilities Act had just passed, and they started a Braille display business, making raised-letter signs for hotels and hospitals. It was when they wanted to branch into four-color signs for the non-visually impaired that they found there was no way to print directly onto Lexan, GE’s highly durable polycarbonate resin thermoplastic.

With a little innovation and door-knocking at major corporations, the duo was able to apply a coating to Lexan to make direct printing possible, and also convinced the printer manufacturer to adjust print heads so large-scale printers could accommodate the material. Looking back, it sounds obvious, but no one else was doing it.

“We essentially solved our own problem and made it into a business,” says Art, who projects that LexJet - short for Lexan and inkjet - will make nearly $40 million this year.

Art and Ron’s Key Move: Create a Culture of Learning

When the large-scale digital format industry started, it was new to everybody. While there were companies eager to sell new products, it boiled down to “buy this printer” or “install this software.”

“No one was addressing the needs of the customer,” Art says. So LexJet created a culture of learning. Professional photographers who made the jump from film to digital get training in how to produce the image. Photo labs that produce graphics for trade-show booths learn ways to reduce production costs by taking the process down from several steps to just one.

“We established an education philosophy,” Art says. “Selling stuff was easy; it is helping customers understand that created value. We are the knowledge base in an industry that really needed it.”

One of the first things LexJet did was create buzz in their niche. Paper for large-print format was overpriced, and LexJet picked up 400 customers a month in the company’s early days by selling the paper at near cost. “We rocked and shocked the guys who sold paper to print on,” Art says. In the process, LexJet gained a name in the industry with the goal of establishing customers who would buy other items.

Today, LexJet provides products and services for more than 13,000 customers, with hundreds more a month joining its loyal following. “We make it easy for salespeople to sell and customers to buy,” Art says.

There are no phone trees at LexJet. When you call, there’s a person on the other end, and more than likely he or she knows you, the products you need and can fill your order and ship it from one of 10 distribution centers that day. By merging cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned customer service, LexJet runs a very efficient “one-touch” system.

In 1998, the LexJet Corporation was ranked 48 on Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and also was cited as the 48th fastest-growing technology-related company in North America by Deloitte & Touche. Besides that, it was recognized as one of the best places to work in the Tampa Bay area.

LexJet functions without offices or a management hierarchy. Team leaders move about the open floor with laptops in backpacks. Young recruits are the norm, and retention is high because LexJet encourages involvement in the community. From local theaters to animal shelters to hurricane relief efforts, LexJet employees are visible.

Art’s Bonus Insight

By creating a culture of knowledge for both staff and customers, LexJet essentially grew to prominence by focusing on innovation, employee and team development, corporate citizenship and responsible leadership.

Art’s advice is to have an endgame and keep the big picture in mind. LexJet began with a new method for production, but quickly expanded into affiliated businesses including research and development, distribution, a trade association and import brokerage.

“When I talk about our vision, I look at it as a gateway,” Art says. “Hold out your arms. On your left are the suppliers, on the right are the customers. Both have to go through us, the gateway. Therefore, we have to be the most efficient we can be. That vision drives what we do in business.”