Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 69

1990 - Arnold Machinery Company - 25 Years of Silver Service® in Arizona - 2015

a year, so I became the executive vice
president,” Richer says. “I used that time
to clean up the company, both in regards
to equipment and personnel.”
The company had lost money three
out of five consecutive years and major
changes were needed. Richer applied the
principles he had learned in his retail
career and as an engineering student to
restructure Arnold Machinery. He closed
three branches, reduced personnel from
198 to 149 associates, and asked
everyone to take a 10 percent pay cut.
Some employees quit but at the end of
the year the company had a profit of
$300,000 and a pool of $30,000 was set
up to distribute bonuses to each of the
associates.
Richer had a clear vision of how to
change Arnold Machinery. “In 1986 at the
first annual strategic planning meeting,
the name “Silver Service®” and
“Customer Satisfaction Is Our Only
Policy®” were introduced to describe our
service to our customers,” Richer says.
This became the firm’s impetus for
growth as the company
has increased more
than 10 fold since 1986.
Richer became
Chairman of the Board
in 1989, a position he
continues to hold. He
also served as President
and CEO for 17 years,
stepping down in 2002.
Arnold Machinery Company’s annual
sales have increased from almost $30
million to more than $300 million. The
firm’s net worth has increased to more
than $71 million and has grown from 149

associates in five cities to more than 500
associates at 21 locations in 10 states. Al
Richer’s leadership and management
style have served Arnold Machinery well.

K

President and CEO, Kayden Bell

ayden Bell has been with Arnold
Machinery Company for more than
29 years, having started in 1986. His
connections to the firm, however, date
back even further. “I had
done an audit of Arnold
Machinery for the CPA
firm where I worked a
few years before I was
hired,” Bell recalls.
Bell grew up in Salt Lake
City and earned a
Bachelor of Arts in
Accounting in 1978. He
became a CPA, served as a comptroller
for several different companies, and had
his own business when an opportunity
came to interview at Arnold Machinery.
“I had put a newspaper ad out for a
comptroller,” Richer says. “We received
something like 150 resumes and whittled
the list down to six promising candidates
with which I would conduct a 15-minute
interview. We heard about Kayden at the
last minute and added him to the list.”
“Our 15-minute interview turned
into an hour and a half chat,” Bell says.
“Later, going out with our wives to dinner
sealed the deal.”
Bell started as comptroller, and was
promoted to Chief Financial Officer,
Executive Vice President, and became the
current President and CEO in 2012. He
also earned a second degree from Weber
State in Master of Business
Administration, which was awarded in
2004.

“Our vision for the future
is that the company will
survive to be 100 years
old as Arnold Machinery;
we’re 86 now.” ()