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Q & AFeaturebut everything in it. I don’t know what I’d doif I lost everything and found myself doingwithout. I guess our impulse was to try to helpfolks get through the period of time whiletheir insurance was being sorted out, and tohelp them (to some extent) cover the loss ontheir deductible for their house and for theircar, because those are large out-of-pockets forthe average person, which are usually verydifficult to absorb. So we thought we’d at leasttry to help on that front, in terms of helpingour employees. So I think, at the end of theday, we helped our employees and if they hadimmediate family who lost houses, we tried tohelp them as well.In terms of contributions to the community,TAMKO as a company has given to the RedCross, and I have personally to the SalvationArmy and some other groups. We did that tosome extent in Tuscaloosa, but on a much largerscale here in Joplin, because it’s our hometownand because we felt that immediately afterthe storm, it was important to immediatelymake some contributions and set an examplefor others in the area to do the same. I thinkwhen TAMKO gave a million dollars to theRed Cross, I think it set a very high bar locally,which was met by at least one other local companyand a couple of national companies thathad a presence. I think that it at least led theway for a significant amount of contributions.AW: What’s the most important thing thatyou look for when you hire somebody to joinTAMKO?DCH: I didn’t know what that was until afew years ago, when I was getting ready tohire a chief financial officer and I brought in asearch firm to help. We spent a day and a halftalking about the position and, at the end ofthe day, the representative said, “I know whatyou’re looking for.” I said, “Really? What’sthat?” And he said, “You’re looking for someoneyou can trust.” That probably sums upwhat I look for in people I hire myself or forthe company. I look for someone I can trust,which basically means I’m looking for someonewho is honest, who is humble, and whomI can depend on.AW: We also hear about the concept of “gettingthe right person on the bus.” What doesthat mean?DCH: It means hiring people you can trust,number one. You can hire talented people thatyou can’t trust, and then you have a bunchof people with a lot of talent, but you end upnot knowing whether you can get anythingdone. Hiring attitude over talent is extremelyimportant. You get the right people, the rightattitudes, presumably with the right skills, andyou get them to the right place where they canmake a difference.“Hiring attitude over talentis extremely important. Youget the right people, the rightattitudes, presumably withthe right skills, and you getthem to the right place wherethey can make a difference.”AW: What advice would you have for otherCEOs as they attempt to build a compliant andethical culture in their organizations?”DCH: Understand that any compliancefailure puts the organization at significantrisk (financial, operational, and reputation)such that 100% compliance, 100% of the timerequires an appreciation of that risk and leadershipfrom the top to establish a compliantand ethical culture.AW: Thank you, gentlemen. ✵Art Weiss is Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer for TAMKO BuildingProducts in Joplin, MO. He may be reached at art_weiss@tamko.com.Compliance & Ethics Professional March/April 2012+1 952 933 4977 or 888 277 4977 | www.corporatecompliance.org 19