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Who's Who: Mike Mayer

Groomed for the job since his teenage years, Mike Mayer is maintaining the family tradition as president of kiosk manufacturer Frank Mayer & Associates Inc.

March 7, 2004

At age 12, Mike Mayer began earning his place in the family business by sweeping office floors and cutting grass around the building that housed Frank Mayer & Associates Inc. in Milwaukee.

Mayer had ample opportunity to learn the finer points of running a business, starting at the ground level. He graduated from cleaning offices to working in the company's assembly and packing warehouses. But even though it was a family business, Mayer was neither encouraged nor forced to work there.

"It was extremely interesting to me," Mayer said. "I wasn't pressured by anyone to be involved in the business. It just happened naturally over a period of time."

Mike Mayer is continuing a 70-year-old family tradition as president of Frank Mayer & Associates Inc.

Today, the boy who mowed lawns and worked in the warehouse is president of the marketing firm, which has developed a niche in kiosk merchandising and point-of-purchase displays.

The Mayers have kept the business in the family from the company's launch in 1931, and Mike Mayer, 39, now has three children, a 14-year-old son and two daughters. Mayer's son, Michael, is already following his father's path, but he will not feel heat from dad to go into the business.

"He comes here on occasion to clean up the offices and that sort of thing," he said. "I haven't pressured him because, ultimately, it's his decision."

While attending college and high school, Mayer spent his summer vacations working for vendors that supplied the company's plastic molding, corrugation container material, and metal fabrication, gaining experience on the issues suppliers faced when filling orders.

Mayer returned to his family's company as an assembly packer in 1983, one year before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree in business administration. He was named production coordinator in 1984 and worked as plant manager, marketing manager, and executive vice president before being named president in 1997.

Allen Buchholz, Frank Mayer & Associates executive vice president of sales and marketing, has had the unique experience of working under all three Mayers - Mike Mayer, his father Frank W. Mayer, and his grandfather and company founder Frank G. Mayer. Buchholz said Mike Mayer never played the role of a stereotypical boss's son.

"He got along really well with everyone," Buchholz said. "He learned the ropes from the bottom up and earned people's respect wherever he went."

When he assumed the company's presidency, Mayer brought a new approach to managing the business, one influenced by his climb through the organization. Buchholz said he seeks employee input before making business decisions.

"He especially believes the 110 people in the company should know what's going on," he said of Mayer. "And he thinks it's important to call in other people, and he goes around and gets their input before making a decision about something."

Buchholz said the company's quarterly meeting is a good example of Mayer seeking input from within the company.

"He caters lunch and gives a presentation - a sort of state-of-the-union address on the company," he said. "The entire company is there, from the janitor right up to the executive vice president."

Frank W. Mayer, Frank Mayer & Associates chairman and chief executive officer, was president before his son. He said the transition process went smoothly despite differing management philosophies because he respects his son's knowledge of the business.

"As a leader, I tended to be more entrepreneurial," Frank Mayer said. "I was the type to operate more out of my head and save the analyzing for later. I would let everyone know the direction I was headed in and let them decide for themselves whether they wanted to jump on the bandwagon."

"Mike's very organized in his approach and very articulate in his thought process," Mayer added.

Mike Mayer admitted that he and his father have conflicts occasionally, but deal with them effectively.

"Communication is the key to dealing with it," he said. "Nobody has an ego about it so we're able to work through conflicts or issues pretty quickly."

Listening is a key component of Mike Mayer's management philosophy, from working with clients to evaluating employee feedback.

"I think as a leader, you have to listen to your clients - you have to make sure you're giving them exactly what you told them you would," he said.

"The people who work here play a huge part in the success of the company," Mayer added. "Employees should be treated with respect and as human beings, first and foremost."

Buchholz said Mayer's flexibility and ability to listen are important components to his management style.

"The kiosk business is changing more rapidly than other parts of the business. New clients are being born every day, and Mike knows and understands that," he said.

"He's aware that the size, shape and cost of technology are all in a continual state of change, and those factors will change what we do," Buchholz added.

Despite the nation's current economic slump, Mayer has confidence in the kiosk market's viability.

"We have definitely seen the effect in the kiosk industry," he said. "Companies are taking a closer look at how they spend their money and what the payoff is. But long term I believe the kiosk industry is on a high-growth track."

Frank Mayer & Associates began in 1931, springing from Frank G. Mayer's innovative enterprise as a graphic designer.

"He started out by going around to Milwaukee retailers and painting store specials in their windows," said Mike Mayer, who is Frank G. Mayer's grandson.

Added Frank W. Mayer: "One of his customers was an ice cream company. When the boss saw the sign he painted, he said, `This is fine, Frank, but we've got product in 25 stores.' So he needed a way to replicate 25 signs without having to hand paint every single one."

And that is how Frank Mayer & Associates ventured into the world of screen printing. Because four-color silk-screen printing was still a relatively new technology, Frank G. Mayer became a pioneer in perfecting the color separation process in the late 1930s and early `40s

The company continued to evolve over time, with the emphasis on temporary displays shifting to permanent displays and then to kiosks in the early 1980s when the company developed several education-oriented kiosks and launched a division called ePOP (electronic point of purchase).

"It was really just seeing the opportunities," Mike Mayer said. "(Kiosks) met a lot of our core strengths, such as project management, and taking the technology and putting in a unit that would work well."

"Research shows that 70 percent of all purchasing decisions are made in stores," he added. "A kiosk display can be a powerful means of influencing a customer's purchasing decision."

With Mike Mayer settled in as president of the company and Michael Mayer doing the occasional chore around the office, Buchholz realizes he might one day end up working for a fourth generation of Mayers. He is confident Mayer's children will be well prepared.

"If his son or one of his daughters chooses to go into the business, I might still be here," he said. "I would be proud to work for them because I know they would be trained well. This family has a tradition of making you earn your stripes."

But Mayer said that would only happen if one of them wants it and if there is a place in the company.

"There has to be a position open for them," he said.

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Frank Mayer and Associates

Kiosk Design | Manufacturer

Frank Mayer Kiosks and Displays specializes in large-scale rollouts of custom digital kiosks for enterprise and growth-oriented brands. With a relentless focus on premium design, customization, and end-to-end service, we manufacture self-service customer engagement solutions that expand market reach, boost sales, and enhance brand equity.

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