Momentum Group

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
2016 Award Recipient, Small Business

Highest-Ranking Official*
Roger Arciniega
CEO and President

Public Affairs Contact

*At time of award

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For more information
Momentum Group
17811 Fitch
Irvine, California 92614
(949) 833-8886 x688
momentumbaldrige [at] momtex.com (momentumbaldrige[at]momtex[dot]com)
http://www.memosamples.com

Momentum Group, headquartered in Irvine, California, started in 1994 as one of the smallest contract textile distributors in the United States. Today, the company is a recognized leader in the commercial interiors industry, creating exclusive, design-focused fabrics for customers that include architectural and design firms, and commercial furniture manufacturers. In just over two decades, Momentum Group’s sales have grown more than 400 percent and have outperformed the industry for 19 years out of the 22 that the firm has been in business. Momentum Group employs a workforce of 150 at its corporate offices in Irvine; design center and warehouse in North Carolina; warehouses in Michigan and California; showrooms in Illinois, New York, and Texas; and individual sales and remote employee offices across the nation.

Highlights

• In support of its core value of “bettering the world around us,” Momentum Group was the first in its industry to offer a full textile product line of reduced environmental impact fabrics.
• In just over two decades, Momentum Group's sales have grown more than 400 percent and outperformed the industry for 19 years out of the 22 that the firm has been in business.
• Momentum Group has invested in process upgrades that have reduced sample production time by 50 percent and improved sample yield per yard by 20 percent.
• High levels of leadership trust and respect support a “no-blame” philosophy that allows employees at all levels to take supported intelligent risks. Strong communications and transparency drive the mission, vision, and values, as well as a focus on action throughout the organization.

Superior Products, Sustained Environment

• In support of its core value of “bettering the world around us,” Momentum Group was the first in its industry to offer a full textile product line of reduced environmental impact fabrics.
• Momentum Group has been a forerunner in the research, testing, and introduction of innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly materials in coated fabrics such as two unique products, Naked Nylon®, the first recycled and recyclable nylon textile, and Silica, a revolutionary sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl with no polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• Momentum Group integrates consideration of societal well-being and sustainability into its strategic planning process and operations. The company uses solar panels for energy at its headquarters, maintains a green car policy for its remote sales work group, and provides green car incentives to its entire workforce
• In other eco-conscious measures, Momentum Group reclaims and reuses nearly 100 percent of the cardboard tubes used for shipping textiles, requests that customers return unneeded fabric samples, and has offset its carbon footprint through the Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program by planting more than 4,200 trees in Louisiana.

Process Management: Quality Up and Costs Down

• Momentum Group set the foundation for its Quality Process Improvement System through initiatives such as forming a quality leadership team, developing problem solving groups, providing all employees with quality training, and benchmarking and implementing a best-in-class recognition program.
• Momentum Group has invested in process upgrades that have reduced sample production time by 50 percent and improved sample yield per yard by 20 percent.
• Momentum Group works closely with suppliers to avoid misinterpretation or errors in manufacturing. Other quality measures include random inspections, high-intensity lighting to inspect piece-dyed products on incoming supply materials, and an automated system that prevents an incorrect product or color to be shipped out.
• An annual Baldrige-based self-assessment process is used by all 11 core and support workgroups. Following a prescribed format used for the past 16 years, Momentum Group has each assessment externally reviewed.

No Loose Stitches with Loyal Employees

• Integrated learning and development, from hire through senior leadership succession, lead to employee longevity and retention at Momentum Group. Coordinated reward and recognition programs, which include annual profit-sharing, encourage high performance and help build loyalty.
• Momentum Group has been named a “Best Place to Work” by both California’s Orange County Business Journal and Business North Carolina. The company also has been recognized by the Orange County Register as one of its “Top Workplaces.”
• Because of its open and transparent culture, Momentum Group has many long-tenured employees, with the average tenure being more than 10 years. Succession planning and job rotations have led to 73 percent of current managers being promoted from within.

Management Cut from the Cloth of Success

• Momentum Group uses a seven-step strategic planning process, engaging all senior leaders and coaches in balancing the organization’s Five Categories of Focus and addressing the short- and long-term planning horizons. The process is integrated with a senior leader forecast; customer and employee surveys; financial and operational performance data; analyses of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and coach resource responses from each of the company’s core and support processes.
• Management at Momentum Group deploys action plans to the workforce by cascading objectives and performance measures from the strategic planning process. Critical process measures are integrated into each individual employee's performance goals and learning plans.
• High levels of leadership trust and respect support a “no-blame” philosophy that allows employees at all levels to take supported intelligent risks. Strong communications and transparency drive the mission, vision, and values, as well as a focus on action throughout the organization.
• Senior leaders designed and led the strategy to move to sustainable products. Listening to the industry and customers, senior leaders saw an opportunity for sustainability not only in their product lines but also through their operations. Sustainability is now a factor in many leadership-driven decisions made across the organization.

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