Stern Success Formula: ‘Listen to the Market’

David Stern, CEO of Paris Cos., DuBois, PA, recently offered insights on his company’s 38-year record of continuous growth in textile services (industrial and healthcare), according to an online article in Smart Business Magazine. 

In essence, Stern said he listens to customers and others whose views he values in order to discern trends in the market that his company can take advantage of in order to create value for Paris’ 4,000-plus clients. “When you listen to the market and people that you admire, you’ll see trends,” he said. “Then, it’s a matter of putting two and two together to understand how it affects your organization and what you can do about that.”

Stern worked his way up in managing the family business, starting in 1973-’74, the article said. In recent years, he’s moved away from direct oversight of the company and its more than 800 employees in order to focus on business planning, 3-5 years out. He delegates to others who are tasked with achieving the company’s growth goals. “We attract people that like to be entrepreneurial because I delegate and say ‘My role is to say where we’re going in 3-5 years,” he said. “Your role is to get us there.” Click here for details.