People often chuckle when Michael Stronberg hands them his business card. On the card, his job title simply reads: PROUD OWNER.
“It says that because that’s exactly what I am. I’m not the president. I’m not the CEO. I am a proud owner of this business and I feel proud every day. I started from scratch and we’ve built all of this up.”
Stronberg did indeed start Towne Mailer from scratch. In 1999, he was a successful lawyer practicing in a big city – but he was stressed, unhappy, and ready for a big change. He and his wife decided to move to Montana, where they bought a small printing and mailing company. The business soon blossomed when he moved the operation from Whitefish to Missoula, where he expanded his services, acquired new software, and started hiring more employees. In just a few years, his small operation was well established and building a reputation for accuracy, speed, and customer satisfaction.
Sixteen years later, Towne Mailer still has many of its original employees and is still dedicated to finding the best systems for printing, processing, and mailing statements and letters. They now have clients in states as far away as Alaska and Hawaii – and they have never once lost a client due to a mistake.
As proud owner, Michael trusts his employees to do their jobs and do them well – he doesn’t believe in micromanaging or handholding. Instead, his time in the office is spent communicating with new and potential clients – if you call, he may just answer the phone.
“My responsibility right now is to attract business,” Michael says. “I enjoy connecting with potential clients and telling them about what we do and how we do it. I will get back to them no later than a half-hour after they contact us to start a dialogue.”
His other responsibility is making sure his employees have a great work environment and everything that they need to succeed.
“It’s important to create a laidback and stress-free working environment,” says Michael. “We don’t have a lot of employee rules and regulations. We have free get-together meals on Friday. They take great pride in their work, and they aren’t afraid to tell me if we have had a problem. I can’t be any prouder of them.”
When he’s not in the office, Stronberg’s joys are fly fishing, hiking with his dogs, being with his wife, and seeing their seven grandchildren. He and his wife also travel the world several times a year.
“We are getting on in years and we are working on our bucket list,” Michael says. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be retired. I enjoy the business too much. My mind is always on the business, our clients and our employees.”
What do you love about Towne Mailer? “I am so proud of the quality of service. We’ve never lost a client because of something we’ve done. Ever. We can do it better, faster, and less expensively than anyone and it’s always fascinating to see where our next piece of business comes from.”
What are your future goals for Towne Mailer? “My biggest goals are to continue to grow at a good even pace and to continue to provide customer service that results in great feedback from clients. All of our clients think we’re great and it should be that way!”
Have A Question? Michael Can Help.
Yes, you can really call Towne Mailer and ask to talk to Proud Owner Michael Stronberg – he loves discussing how his team can help your business. Give us a call today at 877.882.6245 and Michael will get back to you as soon as he can (we really mean it!).
