At Trout Headwaters (THI) we have a “customer-first” philosophy. But considering our firm’s fortuitous beginnings, we really couldn’t have done it any other way. You see, THI first started with a customer.
For any business having a customer before it officially offered products or services would be unusual, but ours enjoyed such fortune. I remember the day in 1995 when I met with the new owner of a Montana ranch. I was just happy to be out in the field on a warm summer day; the kind of day every Montanan waits for after a long winter.
As the owner and I walked the property and examined the condition of Brackett Creek, I made a few notes on the pad I carried. This eroding stream had been a lounging place for cattle, and it showed, but I could feel its potential for cleaner water and trout.
”Well,” Mr. Enrico asked me, “what would you do with this stream if it were on your property?” I told him that I’d start by trying to figure out what he had, what was working, and what wasn’t. This process, called assessment, or “baseline-assessment”, would eventually become the backbone of THI’s turn-key approach to stream, river and wetland restoration and repair.
“So, you’ll send me a proposal?” he said. And without ceremony, Roger Enrico, the soon to be Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, would become my new firm’s first customer. Having a customer before we had a business has served Trout Headwaters well. We didn’t have a preconceived ideas of what we would do for our customer, which gave us special insight into the importance of the customer’s needs, wishes and dreams. From our first customer, our “customer-first” philosophy has directed our firm, products, and processes. From such a beginning, maintaining focus on our customers has remained our top priority.
Mr. Enrico was the first of many hundreds of customers who would help to teach our firm how to provide value. Trout Headwaters has listened to the men and women who have supported the company as customers. We’ve listened as well to employees and affiliates of the firm, allowing their combined vision to help guide our initiatives, products and services. We are grateful for the many years of successful operation and for all the friends we have gained along the way. Onward to the next quarter century.
