For more than a decade, Walsh Door & Security has relied on CIRAS as a trusted partner, leveraging its expertise to enhance operations, improve employee retention, and design innovative solutions tailored to the company’s evolving needs. That has been Walsh Door & Security’s experience with CIRAS. They’ve found CIRAS to be an ideal one-stop shop, providing fresh ideas, updates on best practices, new software strategies for recruiting talent, and even layouts for new facilities.
“CIRAS can be part of a company’s flexible workforce, stepping in as needed for a wide variety of tasks and expertise,” said Mary McGraw, a CIRAS project manager.
Walsh Door & Security’s ongoing relationship with CIRAS spans more than a decade. “They know us, and we know them,” said Brady Warrick, vice president for finance and operations. “They’re here in Iowa, and we feel comfortable working with them.”
Recently, Walsh Door & Security wanted to improve its employee retention, particularly for new hires. “We want to ensure they get started on the right foot and have the tools needed to succeed with us. If they have a strong first year, they tend to stay long term, saving considerable time and resources,” said Warrick.
The company embarked on a comprehensive project to revamp its “new hire experience.” McGraw attended planning meetings, offering human resource expertise and an outsider’s perspective.
“Mary did a great job challenging us to think about our culture and how we communicate it to new team members,” said Warrick. “She also helped with specifics, like making our welcome email to new employees more human and warm.”
When it came time to implement the new hire plan, McGraw recommended project management software to streamline implementation and track results.
When Walsh Door & Security purchased and renovated an additional 80,000-square-foot facility, CIRAS project manager Kirk Haaland created options to help the team plan an efficient layout for equipment and racks. “That helped us design a state-of-the-art facility,” Warrick said.
CIRAS has also helped the company connect with high school students to promote its on-the-job welding training program.
“I can’t think of any consultant or similar company that would do what CIRAS has done for us,” Warrick said. “There may be large consulting firms out there, but they would likely provide subcontractors who don’t know us like CIRAS does. CIRAS knows us, yet they also bring fresh perspectives, which is invaluable.”
For more information, contact Mary McGraw at mcgraw@iastate.edu or 515-231-4734.