The Foundation of Success: Doug Hartzheim on Business, Innovation, and Reviving a Family Legacy

Doug Hartzheim’s life embodies hard work, family values, and serendipitous encounters. Raised in Orange, California, he was raised working in his father’s business, Aztec Concrete Products. From a young age, he cultivated a love for business by reading the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Hartzheim created TheRationalTruth.com, a website dedicated to faith and business. He lives his faith through the organization Shepherd’s Heart Ministries. Today, he leads Inland Concrete Products, Inc. and is a visionary leader in the concrete industry.

What circumstances led you to start Inland Concrete Products, Inc.?

I grew up in manufacturing in the concrete products industry. It was years later when we got into injection molding as we saw the need for plastic products in our industry. 

I had sold the family company, Aztec Concrete Products, but still owned the real estate when I got an offer to repurchase the business. When we restarted, we invested heavily in automation, and the latest equipment for efficiency reasons, and to give us a leg up on our competition. 

By honoring the legacy of my father’s past business and letting new innovations inform our path forward, we’ve created a leader in the concrete products space.

What has been the highlight of the last five years of your career?

Because of longstanding relationships in the industry, we had old friends ask us to get back into the plastics business. These relationships have been rewarding, as they are built on trust and an expectation that we will deliver an excellent product in a timely fashion.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from your experience as an entrepreneur?

I like to say that the three-legged stool of business includes vendors, customers, and employees. Of these three categories, our employees are the most important part of the equation. If they are not well cared for and feel valued, the customers and vendors will be caught in the crossfire and the overall culture will suffer. So, we start with our own people and work outward from there, making sure they are valued and feel a part of the team.

Recruiting top talent is one of the most important priorities for us. Our ability to compete is based primarily on the level of talent we recruit and retain.

What is one of your greatest achievements in business?

There is no substitute and no way to make up for weak team members. I've always observed our competition and the players on the team and felt grateful for the team we've assembled and our ability to play the game well. Experience, talent, and a solid work ethic, coupled with good moral values make for a culture that everyone can feel proud of. All of this starts with the quality of the makeup of the team members.

What advice would you give someone in the process of starting their own business?

Innovation and margin go hand in hand. Where the margins are thinnest, the opportunity for margin may be weak. We have been fortunate to find products and services where the margin is healthy enough to finance growth. We continually look to make improvements to our product line and introduce new concepts to the industry. Often, it seems that the next best thing is elusive, but then we'll find something that can be improved, and it makes a difference.

What is a strategy that helped you expand your business?

Treat people right. Develop trust. Don't let your actions or inaction damage your reputation. Your vendors, employees, and customers want to partner with someone they can trust. Pay your bills on time. Take care of your employees. Go the extra mile for your customers. 

Trust really is earned, and the slightest inconsistency could damage a vital relationship for years to come. So, we keep our commitments and know that our partners on all sides expect us to be consistently faithful to the relationship. It's basic blocking and tackling. We all have a job to do, and we try to do it with a level of commitment that builds an expectation of a solid performance.