Nix Companies 

By Charlee Beasor

HUNGRY FOR THE ‘WIN’
Nix Companies’ vision statement is “to create one of the best employment options in the world for our industry.” The company was honored by Gov. Eric Holcomb in April as one of the Governor’s Century Award honorees for 2018.

“We’re hungry. We’ve got a lot of energy. Really, it’s our culture; we just have such a strong culture. We’ve got a group of people that love to win and that’s really what it comes down to: Everybody’s pulling in the same direction. It’s not about who’s right; it’s about what’s right.” – Matthew Nix, president

Company ingredients: 

• Located in Poseyville (Posey County) 

• Nix is the fifth-generation leader of a familyowned company formed in 1902 as a blacksmith shop; he took over in 2012 

• Company portfolio includes Nix Metals, Nix Coatings and Nix Equipment. Superior Fabrication was added through a recent acquisition 

• Focus areas: industrial product sales, manufacturing and maintenance contracting 

• Serves clients within a 200-mile radius; ships some products nationally

Crystal clear: 

“The biggest thing that drives our engagement … is that we have such a culture of transparency and team environment. We share openly with the team and I always use the phrase ‘everyone needs to know the score.’ Our people know when we’re doing well, not doing well and what the connection is between their personal financial reward and fulfillment and the organization.” 

Employee base: 

• 50 employees 

• Millennials make up about 70% of the workforce 

• Company is 116 years old, but first nonfamily hire was seven years ago 

• Finding talent is the biggest challenge: “The rate at which we bring on good talent is the No. 1 limit to our growth. We are in a technical, highly-skilled industry … through being recognized as a Best Place to Work, we’re looking to promote and leverage that to attract new talent.”

Employee driven: 

• A new initiative is a 10-member employee compensation council 

• Goal is to have an employee stake in determining the outcomes of the company’s profitability and efficiency 

• Hiring a human resources manager and providing a career roadmap for employees are company drivers in 2018