Having weathered challenging work environments in his career, Ray Sprinkle, CEO and president of URM Stores Inc., was determined to create a different kind of workplace when he joined the Spokane, Washington-based company – one characterized by positivity and support.
Instead of micromanaging, Sprinkle prefers a hands-off approach, focusing on hiring highly qualified people, trusting them to deliver results and treating everyone – regardless of position – with fairness and respect.
This attitude also extends to URM’s Member-Owners. Sprinkle and his team base everything they do around serving the interests of the independent retailer. To do this effectively, communication, support, trust and transparency with his team are the heart of his approach.
“My past job experiences taught me how not to manage people. I am a better person for having gone through that, but it showed me there is a healthier way to work with people to elicit the best from them,” he said.
Perhaps, not coincidentally, many employees have been at URM more than 20 years, which staff members attribute to Sprinkle’s leadership style.
“Ray really engages with you, and it’s clear he cares about what you’re saying. I never worry if I need to speak to him directly about an issue because I know he will support me,” said Rich Stuber, VP of Information Technology. “That goes a long way to creating an organization of trust and fostering collaboration. He’s really a master at that.”
Stuber added that a true test of a leader often is how they navigate and lead an organization during tougher times.
“When URM has faced challenges, Ray rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside us to come up with programs and ideas to improve things. He has always taken an active interest in trying to improve operations for our Member-Owners. It guides everything he does.”
Surrounding yourself with the best
A 2024 inductee into Shelby Publishing’s Food Industry Hall of Fame, Sprinkle said he realized a long time ago there is so much going on in the industry that it is impossible to be an expert in everything.
“I’ve always looked for people that can stand on their own two feet and be confident to make decisions,” he said. “My responsibility is to make sure they understand what the goals are, what the vision is and that I am here to help them if they need me. My job is to remove the roadblocks.”
Does he challenge his staff and offer ideas? Yes, but it is up to them to execute the vision.
“I believe people work harder when they believe they are in total control. Are they going to make some mistakes? Yes, and if they don’t, then they are not doing their job,” he said.
“When they make mistakes, I tell them to just come in, tell me our baby’s ugly and we’ll fix it together. Not every decision they make is the correct one – or maybe it is the correct one, but we just need to modify how we go about executing the initiative that we’re trying to accomplish.”
Creating a company culture that sets people up for success is at the core of Sprinkle’s leadership style.
“When my team succeeds, I succeed. If I am the only one who succeeds and they don’t, then I’m not going to be here very long and neither will the company.”
Calling URM’s culture “very unique,” Sprinkle recalled the advice he got when he first stepped into his current role.
“I got a call from a past CEO, who said, ‘Don’t screw up the culture.’ He understood that culture makes the company. It gives you the moral compass of what this company is all about. If we have the right values and treat our employees and membership well, then we are going to be successful. We must care about each other to make this work.”
Mentoring staff
It’s this very attitude that has colleagues calling Sprinkle a mentor and role model.
Mike McShane, VP of Procurement and Profit Centers, said coming to URM was the best move he could have made and attributes much of that sentiment to Sprinkle’s leadership.
“Coming from working in a destructive culture to URM is just night and day,” he said. “The support and communication are an everyday thing with Ray. You don’t need to wade through layers of management to get your ideas heard.”
McShane recalled telling Sprinkle he wanted to create a category management department.
“We talked through my ideas, and I explained how it was a huge opportunity for URM. Ray gave me the go-ahead and we started with one person,” he said. “Today, there are eight in the department. During this same time, he supported the idea of starting a retail merchandising program to ensure our Member-Owners were fully supported, and today that program is thriving.”
McShane noted these are things that in any other organization would take years to get going. But with Sprinkle, that’s never the case.
“It all goes back to having someone who says, ‘I trust what you’re telling me. Go ahead and give it a shot.’ That’s what makes Ray different from anyone else I’ve ever worked for,” he said.
Having a boss who is a balanced, reassuring influence is irreplaceable, according to McShane.
“I have a boss that sits in that corner office over there. I also have about 225 of them out in the stores that can call and light me up at any point they feel I am not doing my job. But Ray’s calming, steadying influence – whether it is with staff or retailer members – is one of his biggest assets. It makes the rest of us want to work harder and do what’s right for the independent.”
Mike Winger, VP of Store Development, said Sprinkle believes in bringing on talented people and letting them do their job.
“He’s not the type of person who wants to direct every move you make,” he said. “We are encouraged to come up with ideas and collaborate. He’s very approachable and an excellent listener. He’s not a micromanager, but if you are not doing your job you can be sure he’s going to tell you.”
[RELATED: Sprinkle Hailed For Visionary Leadership, Strong Commitment To Mentorship]
Open communication
Fostering new ideas, transparency and collaboration has created a very cohesive team within URM, as well as with its Member-Owners.
“I encourage the team to throw out ideas, then build upon and modify them,” Sprinkle said. “Then, if it has merit, we bring the idea to our employees and communicate this to everyone, including frontline workers. I think it is vital to the health of our company that we’re transparent with all our employees.
“We are in the business of pick, pack and ship. Our distribution center is the heart of our core mission We need to tell our workers what we expect from them. At the same time, we need to recognize them for their efforts and outstanding performance.
“Our employees need to be involved in understanding the issues we face, whether that be bringing on new customers or that we are changing policies.”
And just as he does with his executive staff, Sprinkle encourages frontline workers to contribute ideas. He recalled a time when several new retailers were coming on board and someone in the warehouse had the idea to put a banner on the back of the truck that read “Welcome to URM.”
From truck drivers to warehouse workers, Sprinkle encourages everyone to contribute ideas and to communicate on any issues they encounter.
“Our truck drivers see our customers more than anybody else,” he said. “If they hear or see something in one of the stores that we aren’t aware of, they can alert us to it and we can address it.”
It is important to Sprinkle that everyone at URM understands that when their retailers succeed, they succeed.
“I’ve always felt if I can help someone be successful, whether it’s professionally or personally, I want to be there for them. When you treat people with respect, it makes it easier to sit down and discuss issues when they arise,” he said.
To foster communication, the company holds meetings four times a year with employees in the warehouse. During these town hall meetings, Sprinkle talks to the group about where the company is with sales, rebates, any initiatives, new customers and who’s building a store or remodeling.
“It’s important to Ray that we share what is going on in the business, what’s going on with our Member-Owners and any issues we are facing as a company,” said Roger Ohlhauser, VP of Operations at URM. “Our employees look forward to Ray’s updates and to be able to ask him questions.
“Ray and I spend a great deal of time talking about technology – what that looks like and will it result in significant operational changes that will be unpopular to our workforce? His response is to encourage us to overcommunicate with our employees and make sure they are aware of what the change is and why it’s happening.”
It’s this open communication that has Ohlhauser calling URM “the most family-oriented place I’ve ever worked.”
“Yes, as an industry and company, we have major challenges ahead of us. It’s a very competitive world right now, and inflation is impacting us all,” he said. “Despite this, URM still takes care of its employees and is concerned about their happiness.”
Taking pulse of members
To gauge what URM is doing well and what it needs to work on, Sprinkle and his team recently surveyed the Member-Owners.
Winger said Sprinkle reacted quickly to the responses.
“Ray wanted to make sure the Member-Owners knew we heard them. He even brought up some of those issues to the shareholders to let them know that we listened, and now we’re going to react,” he said. “Communication is a big part of his leadership style.”
URM sent a similar survey to its employees. Elizabeth Bartch, VP of Human Resources, said one of the key takeaways was that they sought better communication on the big picture.
“Not only did we want to know what their concerns were, we wanted them to feel heard,” she said. “By the time we were ready to talk to the employees, we had formulated possible solutions in response to their feedback to show them we’re taking this seriously.
“Everyone appreciated the transparency and having a better understanding why certain things happen the way they do. Above all, our employees noted how they feel seen and heard because of how accessible Ray is.”
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