WELCOME
TO EARNEST
Earnest Core Values
It's how we start and end our day at Earnest.
We do what we say we will do.
We put the customer first in our decision making process.
We respect our customers, suppliers and one another.
We embrace change and continue to learn.
Who We Are
What makes us great at the core is our values and the people at Earnest who are working hard to live them every day. What makes us great is the attention and care that we give to what we do and to our relationships with one another and our customers. What makes us great is that we each work on ourselves as individuals and that we have chosen to do that work alongside one another.
Cleveland, 1948
Paul Ernest Zehnder joined his brothers in the family business: at the time, a small machine shop. Seizing an opportunity in the post-war construction boom, Paul purchased a box of war-surplus track bolts and sold them to Cleveland’s Caterpillar dealer. Contractors needed a reliable source of quality replacement parts, and by 1951, Earnest Machine supplied replacement parts to Caterpillar dealers across the country. Paul continued to grow Earnest as a purveyor of heavy-duty fasteners until he retired as the chairman in 1980.
Cleveland, 1967
John Zehnder returned from teaching in Chicago to work alongside his father Paul. Having worked at Earnest in his teens before going off to college, he already had enthusiasm for the industry. John became CEO in 1974 and continued to build on his father’s legacy for the following 40 years. His strong work-ethic, sense of fun, and dedication to his community left a palpable impact, still present in our company culture today. Like his father, John’s son Kirk eventually joined him at Earnest, and in 2011 Kirk became CEO in his stead.
Cleveland, 2001
Kirk Zehnder is the third-generation president of Earnest Machine, but his vision for our 77-year-old company is anything but antiquated. Inquisitive by nature, Kirk has always questioned the status quo. When he joined the ranks of Earnest in 2002, he was quickly enthralled with the systems, operations, and genuine kindness of the company culture. For the past 20 years, Kirk has focused on finding innovative ways for Earnest to reach its potential. He leads by example to foster an environment with open-mindedness, compassion, and mutual respect. By implementing modern business practices, Kirk continues to make Earnest Machine intentionally better.
Hugging the What?
Hugging the cactus. Creating a culture of ownership and responsibility.
