From there, was it a matter of on-the-job training to build Web expertise?
Within IT, it was a small group of three that enabled the technology. That group is where the Internet embryo started. They got proficient and built the internal skill sets and programming components that we needed to be linking back to the data. In 1999, the number jumped to 10 programmers who were trained internally, so we had a core competency inside Moen. We got buy-in from the executive team. The Web was viewed as an enabler for all other strategic initiatives. Q: In what ways? A: It would support our growth strategy, business improvements, and organizational excellence. For the growth strategy, we tend to think about the entire supply chain — how do we go to market and how do we deal with our suppliers? In large part, that’s where the Internet provides the biggest opportunity for Moen. In terms of business improvements, it starts with product development, taking the new product to market, marketing and selling those products, order management and fulfillment — which is a huge o
