Boris Miksic

If there were such a thing as an American Dream Award, Boris Miksic would be a prime candidate to win it. He came to America from Croatia with $37 and a pregnant wife, then managed to start his own company from scratch and build it into a $25 million enterprise. It was a gamble to say the least, but things ended up working out extraordinarily well. Miksic grew Cortec Corporation into a corrosion- control company with some big-name clients, such as Ford Motor Company, Motorola, and the United States Navy. Established in 1977, Cortec has earned steady and stable growth under Miksic's guidance. Yet Miksic has kept the company nimble enough to work individually with customers on their specific needs. Cortec engineers regularly develop prototypes in partnership with clients until a product suits their needs. "What's the purpose of a small company if you can't react quickly?" Miksic says. "The way we can outgun the competition is to be closer to our customer and have fewer committees." Miksic began working toward his American dream after a friend in New York helped him land a job with a Minnesota chemical engineering company. He spent four years learning the ropes, but he grew disenchanted during a period of company instability. But he also was brimming with ideas, and he wasn't getting the chance to try them out. So he left to start his own business. For three months, Miksic and his wife operated the company on a farm in Hugo, Minnesota. They manufactured products in the kitchen sink, processing chemicals with a coffee grinder. The odds were against him, but with persistence and a dedication to customer service, Miksic's company flourished. He set a goal to sell $100,000 in product the first year and met it, then managed to increase sales 20 percent each year. While Cortec is now a thriving company, it wasn't always smooth sailing. In 1983, Cortec struggled through serious cash-flow problems, and Miksic decided to sell. Sealed Air, a multinational company, agreed to keep Miksic as vice president of the company's Cortec Division. But two months later, he was forced out. Miksic took time off and watched in horror as his company stumbled further. "It was tearing my heart out," Miksic recalls. "It was my company, my people. They ran the company into the ground." Miksic bought back Cortec in 1988 and turned things around quickly. He adopted as Cortec's mission his 20-20-20 rule: 20 percent growth, 20 percent new products, and 20 percent cost reduction every year. "We stuck to narrow niches in the huge corrosion industry and stayed away from big companies that dominated the market," says Miksic. "We didn't want to step on their toes too soon. Now we go after them big-time." Cortec has been branching out by developing valueadded products, including systems that extend the life of concrete and biodegradable packaging. "We've been lucky and fortunate—we've made money every month," Miksic says. "We always stayed with one principle: customer service. We took care of the customer whether it was in Des Moines or Tokyo. They got the same service, the same price. We treated everyone equally. We still do."

HR prijevod:

Kad bi postojala nagrada za “Ostvarenje američkog sna” Boris Mikšić bi zasigurno bio glavni kandidat za dodjelu. U Ameriku je došao iz Hrvatske, s 37 $ i trudnom suprugom. Uspio je od ničega stvoriti vlastitu kompaniju i razviti je u 25 milijuna dolara vrijednu korporaciju. U najmanju ruku, bila je to kocka, ali se sve okončalo iznimno dobro. Mikšićeva Cortec Corporation postala je kompanija za zaštitu od korozije s poznatim kupcima poput Ford Motor Company, Motorole i Mornarice SAD-a.

Utemeljen 1977, Cortec je pod Mikšićevim vodstvom postojano i sigurno rastao. Ipak, on je uspio očuvati fleksibilnost koja je omogućavala da se klijentima udovolji u posebnim traženjima. U suradnji s klijentima, Cortecovi inženjeri redovito razvijaju prototipove dok proizvod ne zadovolji potrebe kupaca. “Koja je svrha malog poduzeća ako ne može brzo reagirati?” kaže Mikšić. “Jedini način na koji možemo nadjačati konkurenciju je biti bliže našim kupcima i gubiti manje vremena na sastancima.”

Mikšićev američki san počeo je kada mu je prijatelj iz New Yorka pomogao osigurati posao kemijskog inženjera u Minnesoti. Mikšić je 4 godine proveo učeći struku, ali se razočarao za vrijeme previranja u kompaniji. Prepun novih ideja, jednostavno nije dobivao priliku da ih iskuša. Zbog toga daje otkaz i osniva vlastitu kompaniju. Prva tri mjeseca Mikšić i njegova supruga miješaju i pripremaju kemijske proizvode u kuhinjskom sudoperu i mlincu za kavu, na njihovoj farmi u Hugu, Minnesoti. Šanse za uspjeh bile su protiv njih, ali s upornošću i orijentiranosti prema potrebama kupaca, Mikšićeva kompanija je procvjetala. Cilj mu je bio dostići prodaju od $100000 u prvoj godini, i uspio je. Ne samo to, nego je svake godine uspio 20% povećati prodaju. Dok je Cortec danas uspješna kompanija, nije uvijek sve išlo glatko. 1983. Cortec se borio s likvidnosti i Mikšić je odlučio prodati kompaniju. Sealed Air, multinacionalna korporacija koja je kupila Cortec, pristala je zadržati Mikšića kao potpredsjednika. Ali samo da bi ga nakon dva mjeseca otpustili. Nakon toga Mikšić je s užasavanjem gledao daljnje propadanje svoje kompanije. “Srce mi je pucalo” sjeća se Mikšić. “Bila je to moja kompanija, moji ljudi. Oni su sve to vodili u propast.” Mikšić je 1988. uspio otkupiti natrag Cortec i brzo promijeniti stanje stvari. Nova krilatica razvoja postalo je 20-20-20 pravilo: svake godine 20%-tni porast, 20% novih proizvoda i 20%-tno smanjenje troškova. “Mi smo se ograničili na usko specijalizirano područje u ogromnoj industriji zaštite od korozije i držali smo se podalje od velikih kompanija koje su to vrijeme dominirale tržištem.”- kaže Mikšić. “ Nismo im se prerano htjeli zamjeriti. Danas im i te kako konkuriramo.”

Cortec se razgranava razvijajući proizvode s dodanom vrijednošću, sisteme koji produžuju vijek trajanja betona i biorazgradive proizvode za pakiranje. “Sretni smo jer smo svaki mjesec poslovali pozitivno i zaradili novce. I uvijek smo se držali jednog principa: uslužnost prema kupcima. Mi smo se pobrinuli za naše kupce bili oni u Des Moineu ili Tokyiu. Dobili su istu uslugu, istu cijenu. Sve kupce smo ravnopravno tretirali. I još i danas tako radimo.”- kaže Mikšić.

2000 Entrepreneurs of the Year: Boris Mikši?, Cortec Corporation