A Moment with Janet Sofy:
President of HMS Mfg. Co.
By Chris Sonjeow
It’s 1:58 pm. on a normal Thursday afternoon. As I sit at my desk, a meeting scheduler begins buzzing, telling me I have exactly
two minutes to meet with my interview. I start gathering some of the questions, a pen, my trusty notepad and I was on my
way.
Even though it’s a short walk to the office of HMS Mfg. Co. President/Owner, you pass just about every level of the HMS
business structure along the way: Design Manager, Engineering Manager, Controller, General Manager….finally reaching the door I was looking for. HMS Mfg. Co. President, Janet Sofy.
While my description above may sound like a long, arduous journey, it’s really quite easy. The office structures of all the upper management are simple, some may even say small and modest in comparison to size of the company. Regardless of size, Janet’s
office does have a general theme. While her desk is decorated with images of her two daughters, there is a full wall display of all the
children of HMS’s employees. The idea of a family oriented atmosphere has always been a driving force in Janet’s business
model.
I slowly poke my head into the door frame. She is sitting with Dave. Dave is one of our Product Development gurus and
looks to be in deep conversation. In a moment of spontaneous transformation, Janet kindly looks up and asks me for 10 more minutes. I nod
my head in confirmation and as easily as she looked up, she was back down to business.
As I wait out my 10 minutes I realize that this is a good example of life at HMS. Janet’s office has been host to many landmark
decisions. After all, it’s her job making big decisions every day and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
I wait an extra 5 minutes, making it a grand total of 15. Meetings always have a tendancy to run a little longer then expected. Again, I peek around the corner
to find Janet straightening up her desk. Everything is neat and orderly. The light blue walls are calm and inviting, but make no
mistake, her office was not designed for spending long hours in. This, again, defines her priorities. She is a family-first woman and makes
no claim otherwise.
She invites me to sit down. “How have you been?” she asks. I replied, “Fine, a bit of a cold, but other than that, not
bad.” We both make short work of the pleasantries and get to work. I get out my list of questions and begin.
CS: What makes HMS Mfg. Co. a unique company?
JS: “First, we are not a catalog company. We don’t just walk in with a book of products and say ‘Here’s what we sell, take it or leave it.’ We work with our customers on custom solutions. At the same time we
don’t want to be “everything to everybody”. We like to talk to our customers and get their input on directions we can
take. What good is a product if our customers can’t see its value?”
“We want to focus on high design and create products that are unique but affordable. We also take a lot of pride in making the
creation process fun for our customers & our buyers.”
“We’re not a company that just wants to stand still either. We are always coming up with new product lines, always trying to
stretch our imaginations even if it goes in directions that may not be feasible; at least we know more about that direction and can apply
it to other ideas.”
CS: What benefits do you have over your competition?
JS: “Our biggest advantage is that our company is small compared to the big guys out there. We have the
flexibility of a small company but the knowledge of a large corporation. This allows us to make customized products quickly.
Sometimes being the underdog can make you push harder for greatness. It’s because of that, we are very proud of our products and
truly believe in them.”
CS: What are some of your favorite products HMS has developed?
JS: “This is a difficult answer – there are many products that I love, but I love each of them for
different reasons. Let me think. I would have to say the Martha Stewart Hamper. It’s really the big item that launched the housewares
side of the business. I have to mention the Rotating Christmas Tree Stand. I like this product because it was at the height of the tree stand business.
It is innovative and very well received by consumers.”
“Finally, I should mention the first wastebasket built for Target’s Back-2-College line. The “Trashed” Wastebasket. It was fun, simple and it was also very well received during the back to college season.”
CS: Where do you see the future of houseware products heading?
JS: “During this sluggish economy I believe people are going to be renovating their homes rather then
moving out of them. That means more money will be spent on home accessories as well. People will be looking for affordable ways to make their house look
good. That’s where we come in.”
“I believe we’re moving into a less disposable phase and people are looking for products with substance. With gas prices rising
and environmental concerns coming to the forefront people really want to take action and it starts with people being less wasteful. As a
company we’re looking to become more environmentally responsible by making products that people can hold on to for longer periods of time.
We’re also using materials that are better for the ecosystem. We’re reducing package sizes as well as finding new packaging
materials that are biodegradable. These are just some of things we're working on to become more 'responsible manufacturers'. ”
“Even while all this is happening, form and function will still play a huge roll in the designs of our products. You will start to see what I call “Outside In, Inside Out”. It’s a style in which you see many earth and water tones and organic shapes fill the interiors in an effort to bring us closer to nature.”
CS: Where do you see HMS and its brands in the next 10 years?
JS: “The next 10 years for HMS will be exciting. There have been so many changes in just the past few years,
I can only imagine what the next 10 will bring. I know for certain that I see growth not only in the product lines but the company itself.
Ultimately, we want to see growth in all aspects of the company. So, we’re anticipating an entrance into the global community with
offices all over the world, as you know we already have our first overseas office in Hong Kong. We are also looking into acquisitions, new product lines and new manufacturing processes.”
“We’ll soon be announcing a new product line for Home Logic Housewares involving sinkware…but you’ll have to wait
for info on that.”
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