"We began with an idea, eight people and no customers. Today, we're 250 people strong."

Donnelly's beginnings date back to a small one-story building on a snow-covered field in Minnesota. On the outside, the cinderblock's flaking and peeling paint showed the structure's twenty-year age; inside, the smell of automotive paints and thinners was a nose-cracking presence. Splattered remnants of the defunct auto body business spackled the floors and walls in splotchy rainbows of colors. The building was empty: It was the winter of 1984.

A new company began. With an idea, eight people, and no customers; the building was cleaned, new equipment was installed, and Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company opened its doors for business.

Today, the organization is 250 people strong, embracing best-in-practice technology, quality systems and training programs; it utilizes state-of-the-art equipment, information methodology, and unrelenting manufacturing performance diagnostics. Even the governor of Minnesota formally issued a decree declaring a Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company Day!

And what of those original eight employees? Two have retired, and four of the remaining six are still cheerfully on the job!

The tale to describe the journey from 1984 to today is punctuated with stories that range from the horrendous to the hilarious. Certainly, our success has not followed a straight line, nor (we fully expect) will it follow a straight line in the future. But two things remain constant bedrocks.

First, terrific, hard-working people populate Donnelly. But more than that, they are learners. This learning is essentially twofold: it's learning about our customers and their business challenges; and it's learning about our business and what we can do to continually streamline and improve what we do.

Second, Donnelly is a company that has produced its own luck. Yes, we've gotten some good breaks. But as a famous athlete once said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." And at Donnelly, we work hard to continually improve our products and services and how we deliver them to our customers.

In the end, Donnelly's story is not told best by a rote listing of facts and accomplishments. Rather it's best summed up by a simple statement. Our company and its people are not protected by copyrights or patents. Our job security rests on performance alone. Every day. Therefore, our word that is given to our customers must be gold. It is, in fact, our only treasure.