Dale Paron is the president and CEO of Fairborn Equipment Co. Florida, LLC, where he guides strategy and leads a team of more than 30 employees. With over 25 years across general services, technology, and industrial equipment, Paron previously held project management, sales, and territory roles in Raleigh-Durham and Orlando. He launched Fairborn Equipment Co. Florida with a $10,000 investment and expanded it to about $10 million in annual revenue. His technology initiatives include an in-house ERP platform, AI-informed parts search and product manuals, a streamlined inventory program, and improved time, expense, and credit card tracking for field teams. Paron is also developing Business Operating Management Service, a startup focused on automated document management, workflow, and accounting. These experiences tie directly to company culture; recruiting, training, process design, and accountability shape daily operations and illustrate how tools and leadership choices can support a healthy workplace.
An Overview of Company Culture
Workplace culture, or company culture, is the set of values and attitudes promoted by an organization, from the executive leadership down to the entry-level employees. Company culture, which is evident in virtually every aspect of business operations, reflects a company’s core values and should support the execution of the business’s mission statement. Several signs may indicate poor workplace culture, though business leaders can take proactive steps to strengthen company culture.
If employees leave or must be let go on a regular basis, executives may need to review workplace culture. Employees struggling to achieve a healthy work-life balance or feeling stagnant about their career development are additional signs of a failing company culture.
Harassment, favoritism, and low morale are all indicative of the toxic workplace behaviors and attitudes that characterize businesses without a strong culture. A MIT Sloan research project determined that employees are over 10 times more likely to quit their jobs due to these issues than inadequate compensation. The increased burnout and rate of employee turnover caused by toxic workplace activities can seriously hamper a company’s productivity and relationship with customers.
Business leaders should be aware that company culture develops naturally over time. This means workplaces may develop unproductive habits or disruptive behaviors when there is no defined and concentrated effort to establish a positive culture.
Fortunately, business owners and executive leadership teams can take several steps to instill and improve company culture. Many elements of a strong workplace culture are simple in concept but often overlooked in practice. For instance, leaders must ensure that their teams feel respected, appreciated, and motivated at all times. This can be achieved with a simple “Thank you,” now and again. But business leaders cannot forget to show the same appreciation for short-term victories as they do for major milestones that serve the long-term corporate vision. Leaders who only thank their teams upon the completion of multi-month or multi-year projects may wonder why they are replacing team members so frequently.
Communication is the cornerstone of a strong workplace culture. Employees should feel seen and heard by executives, who should conduct regular and anonymous employee assessments, including interviews and surveys. Promoting innovation and collaboration is another effective strategy for enhancing company culture. Mentorship programs are often found at organizations with strong cultures. Lastly, a strong workplace is typically defined by clear expectations, mutual respect, and accountability.
The importance of developing a strong workplace culture cannot be overstated. Culture is critically important when it comes to hiring top talent: 35 percent of American employees would not accept an otherwise ideal job offer if the position did not align with their personal beliefs, while more than nine-in-10 employers view cultural fit as equally important as skill fit.
Research has also demonstrated how improved workplace culture contributes to increased productivity and success. Nearly 80 percent of American workers believe that a strong connection to workplace culture results in optimal efficiency and productivity. Lastly, the development of a positive company culture can reduce instances of employee burnout by nearly 60 percent; burnout is one of the leading causes of employee churn, which costs companies serious time, money, and continuity in replacing employees and hiring new workers.
About Dale Paron
Based in Clermont, Florida, Dale Paron leads Fairborn Equipment Co. Florida as president and CEO, overseeing sales, service, operations, and strategic direction for a team of more than 30. He has grown the company from a $10,000 start to roughly $10 million in revenue and champions technology such as an in-house ERP, AI-informed parts search, and improved inventory and expense systems. Earlier roles in Raleigh-Durham and Orlando covered project management, sales, and territory management. He is also developing Business Operating Management Service for advanced accounting and workflow.