Company Profile: Veenhuizen Painting Specialties

In January, 2018, we profiled Kyle Campbell, owner of Veenhuizen Painting Specialties in Portland, Oregon. Kyle had implemented the Core Vales Index psychometric assessment for hiring in his construction company and saw immediate benefits.

→ See erep.com/blog/kyle-campbell-owner-veenhuizen-painting-specialties/

We wanted to catch up with Kyle and see how things have been going at Veenhuizen in the past two years. We also wanted to find out what impact the CVI has had on his growing company.

My greatest brag is that because of the Core Values Index, my income has increased four-fold and my work week has been reduced by three full days. — Kyle Campbell

eRep: Now that you have been using the CVI for hiring at your company, is there any circumstance when you feel hiring the old fashioned way is more appropriate?

Kyle: If you mean the old fashioned way of people sitting around an applicant all giving input based on their perceptions, never.

There are still some good practices to look for values, confidence, and personal maturity in your candidates. But there is no single component from traditional hiring methods that is as valuable as the CVI.

eRep: Besides adding it to your hiring practice, has the advent of the CVI changed the way you operate your business at a higher level?

Kyle: For me, absolutely. Knowing a team member's core values profile means you have tremendous insight into how they process information. That means you can align your questions in a manner that effectively fits them without miscommunication or frustration. It also means you can hand pick the right people for extra tasks. You can pick the person who is naturally hardwired for the role, that means they succeed better, you get what you want easier, and they are energized by the task.

eRep: Has the use of the CVI within your company changed how you conduct employee performance evaluations?

Kyle: Our company's leadership still has more to learn and apply on that. We do align people in the right seats much better now so they naturally get more accolades and are much more successful overall, so that means better reviews. But having the understanding to evaluate a Banker on a Banker's best use, or to evaluate a Builder on the best use for their profile is something we can improve on. It's all there, we just need to use it at a higher level.

→ TIP: eRep's Performance Fuel can help with employee evaluations and performance metrics.

eRep: Have your customers noticed a difference in your work since you started hiring using the CVI? What is their most frequent comment?

Kyle: Our customers share positive job reviews almost weekly. What they don't know is the underlying reason why: our team members are increasingly aligned to their role because of the CVI. Most customers also don't realize that our employee turnover is very low. They only see the quality results.

I personally know what a change CVI alignment has made. I used to spend 10x the effort solving quality control issues. Now those issues are rare. I can hardly believe how rare customer complaints are!

Our work is in a very high quality custom arena. My team deserves a lot of credit for this. When you have the right people in the role for which they are hardwired to succeed, success comes naturally.

HR and performance systems that aren't based on the CVI can actually become a burden, especially if your people aren't psychometrically aligned to the role that best suits them. I'm very excited to see greater levels of success without the trappings of those non-CVI based systems.

eRep: What does your staff think about the CVI?

Kyle: All members of my leadership team agree there is true value in the CVI. Those who have seen its effects over a longer period and those that have advanced their learning about the Core Values Index through books and online articles have the greatest appreciation.

eRep: Have you encouraged any of the other companies you work with, such as suppliers or service providers, to use the CVI?

Kyle: Anyone who knows me attests I can hardly shut up about the CVI.

I have shared it with many of the general contractors that provide the pipeline of work for my company. My company has grown about 4x its size in the last six years. I dream of the impact if just a few of my general contractors have the success I have had. I would be so excited to share that victory with them. And, yes, I would be overjoyed to see my company continue to grow organically. I am a blessed man on a personal level due to the CVI — imaging if those I worked with could share that blessing, too!

eRep: What do you think would happen if your competitors started using the CVI for hiring?

Kyle: Companies that need to deliver top-notch and custom painting like we do would give me more of a run for our money. But that is life!

There are a couple of other realities, though. Companies need different personality traits at the technician level. So another company may not be my direct competitor for labor because they might need a different technician than I do. They would likely not be a competitor in my space because their techs deliver a product that is tailored to their workspace, not mine.

eRep: Finally, on a more personal note, how has the CVI benefited you outside of work?

Kyle: I recently got remarried. My wife has a CVI profile very different than me, but one that is very complimentary to mine.

It is great to know why we fit so well. It is great to have the confidence that our relationship will keep being renewed because our core values align to seek new and creative experiences together.

In times of stress, it is easier for me to give her slack when I know that how she acts is true to her innate nature and not just an excuse. I know in some things it can be an area of struggle for her, so I can come alongside where I have natural alignment.

I know that where we both have glaring weaknesses, we can seek to use systems, like our kitchen cleaning system, and sometimes we use outside help. For example, we rely on our fantastic company bookkeeper because we are both weak in consistent budgeting.

eRep: Do you have any final comments you would like to share with our readers?

Kyle: My greatest brag is that because of the Core Values Index, my income has increased four-fold and my work week has been reduced by three full days. That should be enough to make any business owner find me or eRep to learn more about it. Hiring with the CVI is for real!