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 KEITH
CHENE
treasurer & CFO,
3-Dimensional Services
By Debra Solomon Baker
Ask someone from Michigan exactly where he lives and he will likely
show you in that state’s customary way: he will hold up his right
hand and point to a spot on his palm or finger. If all goes according
to plan, however, some employees of 3-Dimensional Services will
soon be putting their palms down and heading for the Gateway to
the West.
This Rochester Hills, Mich.-based prototype manufacturer is seeking
to expand its operations and, in doing so, establish a presence
in the St. Louis region. As part of a diversification strategy,
the 12-year-old company is reaching out to different regions, with
the hope of creating operating facilities in St. Louis, as well
as one in a southern state, and another on the east coast.
The name 3-Dimensional Services might already sound familiar to
some. After all, they are a KMOX St. Louis Cardinals sponsor and
have “made an investment to be with them for a long time,” says
Keith Chene, the company’s treasurer and CFO. “We are using KMOX
and the folks in St. Louis to get our name out there, and then we
plan to follow up with a road show.”
Many of the company’s 1,000 customers are from the automobile, aerospace,
and telecommunications industries, as well as appliance manufacturers.
3-Dimensional, with its 260 employees, has produced a wide range
of innovative products, including the mechanism for the Herman Miller
Aeron Chair, and a high-strength plastic fuel nozzle for aircraft.
Twenty percent of 3-Dimensional Service’s business is outside the
U.S.
Chene considers the St. Louis region “geographically perfect.” He
hopes that part of the company’s aggressive growth track will include
tapping into The Boeing Co., Emerson, and a host of smaller St.
Louis-based firms that might rely on 3-Dimensional Services. “We
combine knowledge, service and good old-fashioned craftsmanship,”
Chene says. “We work as quickly as possible, but do not sacrifice
quality. [For that reason], we’re confident that once we’re working
with a customer, they are going to remain a customer for a very
long time.”
Chene expects that 3-Dimensional Services will be as active in the
community here as they are in Rochester Hills. Chene serves on the
board of directors for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and assists
with raising funds and awareness for other charities.
“We are a company with a heart,” he says. “We feel fortunate and
we’re not afraid to give back to the community. We would look for
lots of opportunities to do that in St. Louis.”
Debra Solomon Baker is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INSIGHTS
What one thing do you wish that more people knew about your company?
“In 2004, Breckenridge Companies is celebrating its 40-year anniversary.
We have reached a total of $300 million in development of owned
and developed projects, including 35 hotels, country clubs, industrial
parks, apartments, and restaurants. Our most recent development,
the Sheraton St. Louis City Center, has experienced the most successful
first two years of any of our hotels developed.”
DONALD BRECKENRIDGE
president,
D.E. Breckenridge Corporation
“Duke Realty, while known and well-respected as a developer, property
manager, and leasing agent for its own properties, is also very
distinguished for the design/build and construction services it
offers other companies. We perform extensive work for all types
of businesses, in the form of build-to-suit opportunities and third-party
construction. Our emerging expertise in medical and retail properties
complements our long-respected capabilities with office and industrial
product types.”
JERRY CRYLEN
senior vice president,
Duke Realty Corporation
“We'd like even more people to know that Express Scripts makes the
use of prescription drugs safer and more affordable for more than
50 million people every day.”
BARRETT TOAN
chairman and CEO,
Express Scripts Inc
For more information on the Leadership Circle, please contact John
Diefenbach, associate vice president-membership, (314)444-1184 or
jdief@stlrcga.org. |
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