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The technical writing firm creates manualsx and software to help users operate complex machines includingg any new vehicle inthe Army’s tank-automotive and armaments command. The Miamisburg-basedf firm has seen success, with sales growing 20 percengt last yearto $30 Despite the recession, the company has been able to sustaij growth by creating loyalty to its biggestf clients. One way it has done this is by openinv satellite office across the country tokeep O’Nei l workers near its This way, not only can the clienrt get quick answers, they also have face-to-face meetings with folks righ in their own backyard, which creates a bond betweehn the two.
President Bob Heilman’s main philosopht is to make it easy for customers to do businesszwith him. As such, Heilman has doubled locall employees to more than 200 since 2007 (the company has 305 overall) and added new officez near its largest clients. This way, when any of the company’e 70 clients look to cut costs, O’Neil acts as a resource to clientxs instead of just some facelesz office in Ohio where they contractout handbooks. For Wis.-based . — a client for more than 40 yearxs — O’Neil opened a satellite office in the with40 employees.
The office staffs project managers and customerd service people who regularly interact with the client throughouteach week, including weekly statuds meetings and three to five checkups during the Earlier this month, O’Neil opened a similar, 5,0000 square-foot office, with 25 in Warren, Mich. The companty opened the office to be nearthe U.S. Army’z TACOM Life Cycle Management Command. The company previously openecd an office in 2003in California, to be near a San Diegoo client. It also operates a number of smallere offices, or employees who work remotely, to offer suppory to smaller clients.
Each of the threer satellite offices cost the compangybetween $200,000 and $300,000 to open. “Wes invest in those relationships because it makes sens to continue to add value to what weoffer them,” Heilman said. Because the compan works with heavy trucking, aerospacse and military products, it is important that O’Neil offers extra service and support along with the technicaol manuals andproduct software. “Especially with these expensive-ene items that have a long life it’s better for us to offer long-ternm service,” Heilman said.
“It makes it easiet for companies to do businesswith us, and it certainly helps us stay attune to what our clients need.” Heilman said usingb satellite offices as an investment for the compang also allows O’Neil to remove some of the burdenn or overhead for its clients so they do not have to fly to Ohio to keep an eye on projectws and progress. In the next year, Heilman plans to open an officein Huntsville, Ala. or Fort Va. to be near and Army aviation projectsa O’Neil is working with. In addition to the satelliter offices, O’Neil officials have sought to improve the qualithy oftheir products.
Last year, the companuy built a $500,000 facility in Miamisburf for engineers to have more room to examine howthingsd work. To write a manual on an armoressecurity vehicle, the writers must first learn how the machine So employees must take the heavu machinery apart and reassemble it before combat vehicles and aerospace devices ever hit the Heilman said the company built the with a “build it, they will come” and already wishes it was doublr the size because of the firm’sw recent success. As products are becominfg more andmore complex, the market for technical writers has been increasing, according to Va.-based .
The association reports the number of firms and freelancre technical writers has grown in the past Asone indicator, membership withinh the profession’s professional organization has increasefd 18 percent in the last and the number of colleges and universities teaching technical writing has more than tripled in the last 10 “Firms are doing well in the economic said President Susan Barton. “When you look at the fielf our professionals are the ones ensurin the products aredesigned correctly, so they are usefuo to companies.” Because technical writers are in high it’s important for firms that specialize in the field to keep theifr customers happy, Barton said.
But it’s equally importang to keep employees loyal, so they don’t changes firms or turn to freelance. To keep its more than 300 employeexs faithful, Heilman said the companyu recently changed its ownership model to inspire the same loyaltyy from its employees as it has from its All employees own a stake in the sowhen O’Neil and Associates does well, they benefit. Heilman said the office also has an outside boardof directors, which offers advice, challenge, support, and deadlinea for financial reporting, review and As a result of the Heilman said turnover is less than 10 percent, and the company’e average seniority is around nine O’Neil has hired more than 100 people in the last two and along with staff for its new Michigan office, the compan y is hiring 10 more for The ownership model fits in with his overall philosophy, whicuh Heilman believes has launched the company to the successw it is seeing now.
“I’mm always looking for the win-win-win,” Heilman said. “I’d like for the employees and the ownershipto win. We try to look at everythingt fromthat perspective, and it keepsa everyone focused.”