Klassen's Value Creators Podcast

Have you ever wondered why we make certain decisions at Klassen? Why some things get prioritized over others? Or how the work you do every day actually connects to where we're going as a company?

Here's the thing: You can't help build something great if you don't know what we're building.

That's why we have a One Page Plan.

It's our roadmap for where we're going, what matters most, and how we're going to get there. And it's not just for leadership—it's for every single person at Klassen.

Because when we all understand the destination, we can make better decisions, take ownership, and pull in the same direction.

In today's episode, we're breaking down our One Page Plan—why it exists, what's in it, and most importantly, what it means for you.

No Assholes. No Stowaways. No Thumbsuckers.

Yep, you heard that right. Those are our new values at Klassen.

They're bold, they're a little uncomfortable, and they're definitely not the kind of corporate values you'll find framed on the wall of most companies.

But that's exactly the point.

We don't want values that just sound good. We want values that actually mean something. Values that challenge us, hold us accountable, and define the kind of people we want to work alongside.

Because building a great company isn't just about what we accomplish. It's about how we treat each other, how we show up, and whether we're willing to carry our share of the load.

In today's episode, we're unpacking our three new values—what they really mean, why we chose them, and what they look like in everyday life at Klassen.

And maybe most importantly, we're asking a question worth thinking about: Are you living them?

The 4Ps of Value Creation

If Klassen exists to create value, the next question is simple: how do we actually do that?

In this episode of the Value Creators Podcast, Travis sits down with Chief Commercial Officer Greg Reese to explore the framework that guides how value is created across the company: the 4Ps of Value Creation.

The 4Ps describe the four core ways a business creates value over time:

Developing People – Every company is ultimately an assembly of people working together. At Klassen, developing people means recruiting, training, mentoring, and supporting each other so individuals and teams can grow. Culture, trust, and working alongside one another are just as important as formal training.

Increasing Productivity – Productivity is about doing more with the resources we have. This includes improving processes, investing wisely in equipment and systems, and constantly looking for better ways to work. Small improvements compound over time and allow the business to grow stronger each year.

Pricing by Value – Rather than simply marking up costs, Klassen focuses on understanding the real value delivered to customers. When products, service, and reliability improve, the market recognizes that value. The goal is to expand the overall value created—not just shift value from one party to another.

Generating New Profitable Business – Growth comes from three places: expanding existing business, launching new products or services, and acquiring other companies that strengthen the overall system. Many of the best ideas come directly from employees who work with customers every day.

Greg and Travis also discuss how these four actions work together. Developing great people leads to better productivity. Better productivity and innovation create new opportunities. Delivering more value to customers allows the company to price appropriately and grow sustainably.

When these efforts succeed, the result is K-Bucks—the profits that remain after value has been created across the system. At Klassen, those spoils are shared across the team.

Ultimately, the 4Ps are a reminder that value creation isn’t accidental. It comes from thousands of daily actions across the organization—people improving their work, serving customers better, and bringing new ideas forward.

Everyone in the company has a role to play.

A Structure to Create Value

As Klassen grows, one of the biggest challenges is keeping clarity and alignment across a growing team. What once worked through small groups and informal conversations becomes more complex as the company expands. Without structure, even the best strategy can get lost in the noise.

In this episode of Klassen’s Value Creators Podcast, Travis sits down with Greg Reese, Chief Commercial Officer, to talk about how Klassen organizes itself to support value creation across the company.

The conversation explores the balance every growing business must find between bureaucracy and anarchy. Too much structure leads to slow decisions and rigid processes. Too little structure leads to confusion about roles, ownership, and priorities. Klassen is working to build a structure that provides clarity without losing agility.

Greg walks through the framework Klassen uses to organize the business:

• Functional Teams such as Commercial, Operations, Finance, People, Integration, Innovation, and Corporate Development
• Value Streams, which focus on serving specific groups of customers from understanding their needs all the way through delivery and payment
• Cross-functional enablement teams that work side-by-side to improve processes and remove friction inside the organization
• Levels of responsibility that connect daily actions to long-term strategy—from operators to managers, directors, and officers

Together, these elements help the company align hundreds of daily decisions with a single mission: creating value for customers, employees, vendors, and shareholders.

The episode also highlights something employees repeatedly say in internal surveys—the best part of working at Klassen is the people. The structure isn’t about putting people into boxes. It’s about creating a framework where people can collaborate, understand their role, and contribute their strengths to something bigger.

Ultimately, the structure exists for one reason:
to help the team deliver the Klassen Promise—Create Value. Lead the Market. Act Consistently.

As Felix Oberholzer-Gee puts it, "The value stick is a simple but powerful tool. It reminds us that great strategy is about expanding the space between willingness to pay and willingness to sell—for everyone in the value chain."

We talk a lot at Klassen about creating value—but how do we actually measure it? One of the best tools we use to understand that is something called the Value Stick.

This tool helps us see both sides of the equation: what our customers are willing to pay, and what it costs us to deliver—our willingness to sell. The bigger the gap, the more value we’ve created.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Greg Reese, our Chief Commercial Officer, to dig into the math, mindset, and meaning behind the Value Stick—and how everyone at Klassen plays a role in expanding it.

References - More info about the Value Stick

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/value-based-strategy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVxDDHgNvn8

Travis Klassen and Greg Reese discuss the Klassen Promise, which encapsulates the company's mission, vision, and value proposition. The mission is to create value for customers, employees, vendors, and shareholders. The vision is to lead the market as North America's leading provider of farm and garden consumables. The value proposition emphasizes delivering consistent, reliable products and services that create more value than competitors. Create value, Lead the Market, Act Consistently.

"As Larry Senn once said, 'Every company has a culture—whether they've defined it or not. The question is whether that culture is happening by design or by default.'

In our last episode, we introduced the idea of value creation—why it matters and how it shows up at Klassen. But strategy alone doesn’t build great companies. What really shapes a business is how people behave—day in and day out.

It’s about how we treat each other. How we build trust. How we take ownership, grow through feedback, and show up for the team when it counts.

This four-part series is about the principles that guide those behaviors—the ones that hold us together when things are moving fast, and help us build something that lasts.

Today, I’m sitting down with our CEO, John-Mark Ferguson, as we take a deeper look into what we call: the Klassen Code."

We Own Our Freedom and Responsibility: Do what you say you will do.  
Freedom to act comes with the responsibility to own outcomes. We strive to understand what needs to be done and execute it with diligence and care. We communicate proactively when we face challenges. We are empowered to act—and accountable to learn. 

"As Larry Senn once said, 'Every company has a culture—whether they've defined it or not. The question is whether that culture is happening by design or by default.'

In our last episode, we introduced the idea of value creation—why it matters and how it shows up at Klassen. But strategy alone doesn’t build great companies. What really shapes a business is how people behave—day in and day out.

It’s about how we treat each other. How we build trust. How we take ownership, grow through feedback, and show up for the team when it counts.

This four-part series is about the principles that guide those behaviors—the ones that hold us together when things are moving fast, and help us build something that lasts.

Today, I’m sitting down with our CEO, John-Mark Ferguson, as we take a deeper look into what we call: the Klassen Code."

We Improve: No thumb-sucking.  
Take action, do the hard thing, and have the hard conversation. Show up in person. We gather data, analyze, design, implement, evaluate, and repeat. We pursue growth, spot opportunities, and take initiative. Progress doesn’t happen by accident—it’s a result of continuous learning and looping through the improvement process. 

"As Larry Senn once said, 'Every company has a culture—whether they've defined it or not. The question is whether that culture is happening by design or by default.'

In our last episode, we introduced the idea of value creation—why it matters and how it shows up at Klassen. But strategy alone doesn’t build great companies. What really shapes a business is how people behave—day in and day out.

It’s about how we treat each other. How we build trust. How we take ownership, grow through feedback, and show up for the team when it counts.

This four-part series is about the principles that guide those behaviors—the ones that hold us together when things are moving fast, and help us build something that lasts.

Today, I’m sitting down with our CEO, John-Mark Ferguson, as we take a deeper look into what we call: the Klassen Code."

We Are Honest: Don’t lie, cheat, or steal.  
We value open dialogue, truthful feedback, and candid conversations. We share ideas openly and let the best ideas win. We give and receive feedback with the goal of making ourselves and each other better. 

"As Larry Senn once said, 'Every company has a culture—whether they've defined it or not. The question is whether that culture is happening by design or by default.'

In our last episode, we introduced the idea of value creation—why it matters and how it shows up at Klassen. But strategy alone doesn’t build great companies. What really shapes a business is how people behave—day in and day out.

It’s about how we treat each other. How we build trust. How we take ownership, grow through feedback, and show up for the team when it counts.

This four-part series is about the principles that guide those behaviors—the ones that hold us together when things are moving fast, and help us build something that lasts.

Today, I’m sitting down with our CEO, John-Mark Ferguson, as we take a deeper look into what we call: the Klassen Code."

We Value People: Respect and value every human.  

We treat others the way we’d want to be treated and aspire to help each team member become a top performer. We make decisions with the team in mind, act with selflessness, and assume good intentions. We eliminate drama, avoid blame, and pursue solutions together. We work safely, supportively, and for the good of the team.