@prefix schema: . @prefix xsd: . a schema:Article ; schema:abstract "Details PJWS's employee retention strategies as an Evergreen® company" ; schema:author ; schema:datePublished "2025-05-20"^^schema:Date ; schema:description "Details PJWS's employee retention strategies as an Evergreen® company" ; schema:headline "The Data + Human-Centric Approach that Dramatically Improved Retention for P.J. Wallbank Springs, Inc." ; schema:isPartOf ; schema:name "The Data + Human-Centric Approach that Dramatically Improved Retention for P.J. Wallbank Springs, Inc." ; schema:publisher ; schema:url . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 900 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 1600 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 768 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 768 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 675 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 1024 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 675 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 1024 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 1200 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 1200 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 512 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 512 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 720 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 1280 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 768 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 805 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:encodingFormat "image/webp" ; schema:height 441 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 660 . a schema:VideoObject ; schema:additionalType "YouTube" ; schema:creator ; schema:description """Chris Wallbank is the CEO of PJ Wallbank Springs, a world-class manufacturing organization. He is known for his commitment to fostering a culture of employee engagement. In this episode: Embracing learning over winning by viewing failures as opportunities for growth and adaptation. Aligning business purpose with profitability while staying true to core values for sustainable success. Balancing long-term goals with short-term performance while focusing on developing the right team. Recognizing the importance of external support and managing realistic expectations in leadership.""" ; schema:duration "27:35" ; schema:embedUrl ; schema:name "Embracing Learning Over Winning - Chris Wallbank" ; schema:thumbnailUrl ; schema:uploadDate "2024-08-30"^^schema:Date ; schema:url . a schema:AboutPage ; schema:about ; schema:breadcrumb ; schema:dateModified "2026-05-13"^^schema:Date ; schema:description "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation. After succeeding his father close to a decade ago, Chris maintained the foundation his father built and grew the business from $15M to $50M in revenue. He started in the organization on the factory floor during high school and later took on responsibility for sales, traveling extensively internationally to win new business. Chris learned on the job, which often came in the form of hard lessons. Through a strong team, effort, and the willingness to iterate on what was learned, the business tripled over the course of a few years. His experience as a business owner and steward of his own family's business helped him to understand the importance and necessity of prioritizing the long term health of the business. For business owners who are looking to sell and care about the legacy of their business, there are limited options available that will enable the current business's continued success given most buyer's orientation to the upcoming quarters and not the upcoming decade. How a business is run looks much different when your measuring stick is decades and not the next quarter, or when the company will be sold again in a few years. Chris wants to offer an alternative option to other business owners who are seeking the right steward for their company." ; schema:encoding , , , , , , , , ; schema:image , , , , , , , , , ; schema:inLanguage "en" ; schema:isPartOf ; schema:mainEntity ; schema:name "About Chris Wallbank" ; schema:publisher ; schema:url . a schema:FAQPage ; schema:about ; schema:inLanguage "en" ; schema:isPartOf ; schema:mainEntity , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ; schema:url . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Yes, Chris Wallbank participated in the European MBA Summer Institute at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany in 2010 during his MBA studies." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank worked on the factory floor over summers and holiday breaks while in high school and during the pursuit of his undergraduate degree. He formally joined P.J. Wallbank Springs fulltime in 2006, where responsibilities included entering timecards and scheduling shipments, and later transitioning to the organization's first sales role. He pursued his MBA from 2009-2011, returning as VP of Sales at PJWS in 2011, and became CEO in 2014. He has since founded Wallbank Industrial in 2025 and serves as CEO." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank frames it as: 'If you don't win, it doesn't mean you lose. True failure is the inability to learn.' This philosophy permeates company culture and hiring decisions." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "No, Chris Wallbank has not authored any books. His thought leadership is primarily communicated through podcast appearances, company content, LinkedIn posts, and a 2025 article in the Tugboat Institute Evergreen Journal." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "The P.J. Wallbank Springs Inc. Engineering STEAM Lab is a 20,000 sq ft facility at Port Huron Northern High School and Port Huron High School. Chris Wallbank provided a $150,000 commitment ($25,000/year for six years) to fund the curriculum used in the Lab." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank authored 'The Data + Human-Centric Approach that Dramatically Improved Retention for P.J. Wallbank Springs, Inc.' for the Tugboat Institute Evergreen Journal (May 2025) and contributed to the PJWS blog, including '7 Leadership Lessons from Chris Wallbank.'" . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank has appeared on 'Building Better with Brandon Bartneck' (Episode #200, March 2024), 'Encouraging Leaders' podcast (August 2024), and 'Capital Light Assembly with Edison' (Episode 8)." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank's leadership philosophy is built around six core leader traits: (1) Care About People, (2) Think Like An Owner, (3) Continuously Learn & Grow, (4) Drive For Results, (5) Passion For Impact, and (6) Lead With Intention." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank has discussed the Wallbank Industrial Vision, the billion lives goal, lessons from Reed Hastings and Netflix, building intentional company culture, employee engagement, aligning purpose with profitability, balancing long-term goals with short-term performance, and the importance of external support in leadership." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "The Blue Water Area Robotics Center is 6,000 sq ft of building space donated by Chris Wallbank to support local FIRST Robotics teams in the Port Huron area. U.S. Representative Paul Mitchell attended the grand opening and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also has toured the facility." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "An Evergreen company is a private, purpose-driven business committed to the long-term. P.J. Wallbank Springs is recognized as an Evergreen company and Chris Wallbank is a member of the Tugboat Institute, which serves Evergreen company leaders." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank has successfully navigated tripling company size, competing against global manufacturing sites, sustaining consecutive Inc. 5000 growth rates, and building a second company (Wallbank Industrial) while leading PJWS." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank joined P.J. Wallbank Springs in 2002 and began working in a part time capacity over summers and holiday breaks while in school. His time was spent on the manufacturing floor, gaining experience in every role except maintenance." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank worked on the factory floor over summers and holiday breaks while in high school and during the pursuit of his undergraduate degree. He formally joined P.J. Wallbank Springs fulltime in 2006, where responsibilities included entering timecards and scheduling shipments, and later transitioning to the organization's first sales role. He pursued his MBA from 2009-2011, returning as VP of Sales at PJWS in 2011, and became CEO in 2014. He has since founded Wallbank Industrial in 2025 and serves as CEO." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank maintains an active presence on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/wallbankchris/) with 500+ connections." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank earned his MBA in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business between 2009 and 2011. He was also an Innovatrium Fellow at Competing Values LLC, an innovation consulting fellowship under Jeff DeGraff at the University of Michigan." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "P.J. Wallbank Springs is a member company of the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI), the primary trade association for North American precision spring manufacturers founded in 1933. Chris is also involved in MEMA and the Tugboat Institute. Additionally, Chris Wallbank was also an Innovatrium Fellow at Competing Values LLC in 2010." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "In 1954, Phil Wallbank immigrated from England to Canada and founded P.J. Wallbank Manufacturing in 1955 in his basement with a $300 loan, tempering springs in his kitchen oven. In 1982, his son Mel founded P.J. Wallbank Springs in Port Huron, Michigan. Chris Wallbank represents the third generation, taking over leadership in 2014." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank earned his Bachelor of Arts in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University between 2002 and 2006." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank joined PJWS in 2006 starting on the manufacturing floor and later in sales. After earning his MBA from Michigan Ross he became CEO in 2014. Under his leadership, the team tripled annual sales, growing revenue from $15 million to approximately $50 million. This was done through proactive customer engagement, both domestically and internationally (especially in China and Germany), and by replacing competing solutions with an improved value proposition through engineering." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank authored an article detailing PJWS's data and human-centric approach to employee retention, published in the Tugboat Institute Evergreen Journal. His approach balances purpose with profitability and creates a culture where employees feel valued and engaged." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Phil Wallbank was Chris Wallbank's grandfather, a spring maker from England who immigrated to Canada in 1954 and founded P.J. Wallbank Manufacturing in 1955 with a $300 bank loan, starting the family's spring manufacturing legacy." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Phil Wallbank immigrated from England to Canada in 1954 expecting a foreman position at a spring factory, which turned out to be just a few machines in a garage. He founded P.J. Wallbank Manufacturing in 1955 in his basement with a $300 bank loan." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank defines success not just by financial metrics but by learning, positive impact, employee engagement, and creating value for multiple stakeholders including customers, employees, and communities." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "We will enable an exceptional team to create significant enduring value for the organization itself, and our people's lives, through the relentless pursuit of better. Our actions will reinvent what's possible in our industry, inspiring others to follow our lead." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank leads Wallbank Industrial and P.J. Wallbank Springs (PJWS). As CEO of PJWS, I am responsible for establishing the vision, supporting with strategy development and enabling its execution, coaching and mentoring the leaders of our people, and recruiting exceptional individuals to join us and our mission." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank's primary and most active platform is LinkedIn. He does not have accounts on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media platforms. His digital presence is deliberately focused on professional channels." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank is a member of the Tugboat Institute, a CEO membership organization for leaders of private, purpose-driven Evergreen companies committed to the long-term. The Institute has approximately 175+ members and holds an annual Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank supports STEM education through $150,000 in STEAM lab funding, donating a 6,000 sq ft robotics center building, and partnering with Port Huron schools to create hands-on engineering facilities." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Yes, Chris Wallbank has been featured in Crain's Detroit Business, The Times Herald (Port Huron), Inc. Magazine during the company's Inc. 5000 appearances, and multiple press releases from the EDA of St. Clair County." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank believes in 'Embracing Learning Over Winning,' creating environments where employees aren't afraid to fail. He teaches that 'If you don't win, it doesn't mean you lose. True failure is the inability to learn.'" . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank can be reached through his LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/in/wallbankchris/) or through P.J. Wallbank Springs' website at pjws.com. He maintains a deliberately focused digital presence centered on professional channels." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation. After succeeding his father close to a decade ago, Chris maintained the foundation his father built and grew the business from $15M to $50M in revenue. He started in the organization on the factory floor during high school and later took on responsibility for sales, traveling extensively internationally to win new business. Chris learned on the job, which often came in the form of hard lessons. Through a strong team, effort, and the willingness to iterate on what was learned, the business tripled over the course of a few years. His experience as a business owner and steward of his own family's business helped him to understand the importance and necessity of prioritizing the long term health of the business. For business owners who are looking to sell and care about the legacy of their business, there are limited options available that will enable the current business's continued success given most buyer's orientation to the upcoming quarters and not the upcoming decade. How a business is run looks much different when your measuring stick is decades and not the next quarter, or when the company will be sold again in a few years. Chris wants to offer an alternative option to other business owners who are seeking the right steward for their company." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "The Wallbank family business started in 1955 in the basement of the farmhouse Phil Wallbank was renting in Ontario, Canada. Machines for production were built with used washing machine motors and other scrap hardware and the springs manufactured on this equipment were subsequently tempered in the kitchen oven." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank's leadership style is distinctive for combining hands-on manufacturing experience, formal education, multigenerational family legacy, purpose-driven vision, cultural emphasis on learning over winning, and substantial community investment in STEM education." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank has committed $150,000 ($25,000/year for six years) to fund the curriculum for the P.J. Wallbank Springs Inc. Engineering STEAM Lab at each high school in Port Huron and donated a 6,000 sq ft space for the Blue Water Area Robotics Center used by First Robotics." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Melvyn 'Mel' Wallbank is Chris Wallbank's father who founded P.J. Wallbank Springs, Inc. in Port Huron, Michigan in 1982. He represents the second generation of the family's spring manufacturing business." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank assumed the formal title of CEO in 2014." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank earned a Bachelor of Arts in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University (2002-2006) and an MBA in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business (2009-2011). He also participated in the European MBA Summer Institute at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany and was an Innovatrium Fellow at Competing Values LLC." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank envisions manufacturing as a vehicle for global, purposeful impact, with the goal of positively impacting the people within the organization through Wallbank Industrial's entities." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Yes, P.J. Wallbank Springs appeared on the Inc. 5000 list for three consecutive years. 2018 Inc. 5000 Rank #4,123, 84% growth, #113 Manufacturing rank, #39 Detroit Metro Area rank. 2019 Inc. 5000 Rank #3,796, 88% growth, #120 Manufacturing rank, #27 Detroit Metro Area rank. 2020 Inc. 5000 Rank #3,951, 89% Growth, #109 Manufacturing rank, #34 Detroit Metro Area rank." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Three consecutive Inc. 5000 rankings (2018, 2019, 2020) and Michigan 50 Companies to Watch (2017)." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Chris Wallbank develops leaders by emphasizing the Win or Learn philosophy, creating environments where people aren't afraid to fail, promoting ownership and accountability, investing in employee engagement, and balancing long-term development with short-term performance." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "P.J. Wallbank Springs donated a 6,000 sq ft building to create the Blue Water Area Robotics Center specifically to support local FIRST Robotics teams, demonstrating Chris Wallbank's commitment to STEM education and youth development in the Port Huron area." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "The Innovatrium Fellowship is an innovation consulting fellowship offered by Competing Values LLC under Jeff DeGraff at the University of Michigan. Chris Wallbank was an Innovatrium Fellow in 2010 during his MBA studies." . a schema:Answer ; schema:author ; schema:text "Yes, Chris Wallbank has completed Dale Carnegie Training. He considers it the best education he has ever received, relative to the money spent." . a schema:EducationalOccupationalCredential ; schema:credentialCategory "degree" ; schema:dateCreated "2006"^^schema:Date ; schema:name "Bachelor of Arts in Supply Chain Management" ; schema:recognizedBy . a schema:EducationalOccupationalCredential ; schema:credentialCategory "degree" ; schema:name "Dale Carnegie Training in Leadership Development" ; schema:recognizedBy . a schema:EducationalOccupationalCredential ; schema:credentialCategory "degree" ; schema:dateCreated "2010"^^schema:Date ; schema:name "European MBA Summer Institute in MBA" ; schema:recognizedBy . a schema:EducationalOccupationalCredential ; schema:credentialCategory "degree" ; schema:dateCreated "2011"^^schema:Date ; schema:name "MBA in Strategy and Innovation" ; schema:recognizedBy . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Deep expertise in automotive Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply chain, serving OEM's such as Ford and GM for decades as their supplier of clutch return spring packs." ; schema:name "Automotive Industry" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 20 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Coaches and mentors the leadership team at PJWS with a Win or Learn philosophy, creating an environment where people are not afraid to fail and where growth is treated as both a personal and organizational imperative." ; schema:name "Coaching and Mentoring" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Built and led PJWS's commercial function from the ground up as the organization's first sales leader, traveling extensively internationally to win new business and grow key accounts including Ford and GM." ; schema:name "Commercial Management" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 18 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Core Values: (1) Hungry (2) Humble (3) Smart" ; schema:inDefinedTermSet ; schema:name "Core Values" ; schema:termCode "used extensively, 2014" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Drove more than 300% revenue growth at PJWS over a decade through disciplined team-building, international sales expansion, and a relentless commitment to iterating on what was learned." ; schema:name "Growth" ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "We believe the growth of our people starts with their desire to relentlessly pursue being the best they can possibly be and is accelerated through intentional development and coaching. This approach not only enables growth and subsequent future opportunities for our people, it strengthens our teams and ultimately our organization. We believe that highly engaged employees who relentlessly pursue better, will deliver impressive results that grow/widen our competitive advantage(s)." ; schema:inDefinedTermSet ; schema:name "Impact through People" ; schema:termCode "used extensively, 2014" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Developed distinctive leadership philosophy built around four core values and Win or Learn culture. Completed Dale Carnegie Training." ; schema:name "Leadership Development" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 20 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Shaped the structure, culture, and values of PJWS to support sustained growth, establishing core values and a leadership model built around people, ownership, and continuous learning." ; schema:name "Organizational Design" ; schema:sameAs , ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Developed and executed multi-year organizational plans that tripled PJWS from $15M to $50M in revenue, translating long-term vision into structured, actionable roadmaps across every function of the business." ; schema:name "Organizational Planning" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Leads recruiting for leaders at PJWS and Wallbank Industrial, where performance expectations are abnormally high, but the quality of the person is even higher.  Hire and fire based on alignment with core values to ensure the right people are in place to sustain long-term organizational health." ; schema:name "Recruiting" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Successfully scaled PJWS through consecutive years of Inc. 5000 growth while preserving the culture and long-term orientation that make an organization worth scaling in the first place." ; schema:name "Scaling Organizations Through Growth" ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "MBA specialization in Strategy and Innovation from University of Michigan Ross School of Business, with Innovatrium fellowship under Jeff DeGraff" ; schema:name "Strategy and Innovation" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 16 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Bachelor of Arts degree in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, applied throughout career in manufacturing leadership" ; schema:name "Supply Chain Management" ; schema:sameAs , , ; schema:termCode "expert, 20 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "Developed the Wallbank Industrial Vision.  This was originally an aspiration to have an impact on a billion lives, and has since transitioned to significantly impacting the lives of the people within our 4 walls.  This Vision translates purpose into a north star that guides hiring, strategy, and daily decisions." ; schema:name "Vision Development" ; schema:termCode "expert, 12 years" . a schema:DefinedTerm ; schema:description "'If you don't win, it doesn't mean you lose. True failure is the inability to learn.' This philosophy permeates company culture and hiring decisions." ; schema:inDefinedTermSet ; schema:name "Win or Learn" ; schema:termCode "used extensively, 2014" . a schema:OrganizationRole ; schema:alumniOf ; schema:endDate "2006"^^schema:Date ; schema:roleName "Bachelor of Arts, Supply Chain Management" . a schema:OrganizationRole ; schema:alumniOf ; schema:endDate "2011"^^schema:Date ; schema:roleName "MBA, Strategy and Innovation" . a schema:OrganizationRole ; schema:alumniOf ; schema:endDate "2010"^^schema:Date ; schema:roleName "European MBA Summer Institute, MBA" . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:about ; schema:alternateName "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:caption "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation." ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:copyrightHolder "Chris Wallbank" ; schema:copyrightNotice "All rights reserved." ; schema:copyrightYear "2026" ; schema:creator "Big House Enterprise" ; schema:description "Chris Wallbank is a manufacturing leader scaling family business while building legacy and a purpose-driven evergreen enterprise model" ; schema:height 355 ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank Visionary Executive Headshot" ; schema:thumbnail ; schema:url ; schema:width 355 . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:ImageObject ; schema:contentUrl . a schema:Occupation ; schema:description "3rd-generation CEO of the P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:name "CEO" ; schema:occupationLocation . a schema:Place ; schema:name "Port Huron, MI, USA" . a schema:Role ; schema:hasOccupation ; schema:roleName "CEO at P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:startDate "2014"^^schema:Date . a schema:Occupation ; schema:description "Chris Wallbank joined P.J. Wallbank Springs in 2002 and began working in a part time capacity over summers and holiday breaks while in school. His time was spent on the manufacturing floor, gaining experience in every role except maintenance." ; schema:name "Part-Time" ; schema:occupationLocation . a schema:Place ; schema:name "Port Huron, MI, USA" . a schema:Role ; schema:endDate "2006"^^schema:Date ; schema:hasOccupation ; schema:roleName "Part-Time at P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:startDate "2002"^^schema:Date . a schema:Occupation ; schema:description "Formally joined P.J. Wallbank Springs fulltime where responsibilities included entering timecards and schedule shipments, later transitioning to the organization's first sales role." ; schema:name "Sales" ; schema:occupationLocation . a schema:Place ; schema:name "Port Huron, MI, USA" . a schema:Role ; schema:endDate "2009"^^schema:Date ; schema:hasOccupation ; schema:roleName "Sales at P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:startDate "2006"^^schema:Date . a schema:Occupation ; schema:description "Returned to PJWS after completing MBA at Michigan Ross as VP of Sales and CEO" ; schema:name "Vice President of Sales" ; schema:occupationLocation . a schema:Place ; schema:name "Port Huron, MI, USA" . a schema:Role ; schema:endDate "2014"^^schema:Date ; schema:hasOccupation ; schema:roleName "Vice President of Sales at P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:startDate "2011"^^schema:Date . a schema:Occupation ; schema:description "Founder and CEO of Wallbank Industrial, permanent capital compounder acquiring manufacturing businesses to hold in perpetuity with values-aligned ownership." ; schema:name "Founder & CEO" ; schema:occupationLocation . a schema:Place ; schema:name "Port Huron, MI, USA" . a schema:Role ; schema:hasOccupation ; schema:roleName "Founder & CEO at Wallbank Industrial" ; schema:startDate "2025"^^schema:Date . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank" . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "Innovatrium / Competing Values LLC" . a schema:OrganizationRole ; schema:affiliation ; schema:description "Innovatrium fellowship under Jeff DeGraff at the University of Michigan during MBA program" ; schema:roleName "fellow" . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "MEMA" ; schema:url . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "P.J. Wallbank Springs" ; schema:url . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI)" ; schema:url . a schema:Organization ; schema:name "Tugboat Institute" ; schema:url . a schema:OrganizationRole ; schema:description "Member of this CEO membership organization (~175+ members) for leaders of private, purpose-driven Evergreen® companies committed to long-term growth without planned exits. The Institute holds an annual Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho." ; schema:memberOf ; schema:roleName "Member" . a schema:Person ; schema:description "Wife of Phil Wallbank, immigrated with him from England to Canada in 1954" ; schema:name "Betty Wallbank" . a schema:Person ; schema:description "Faculty mentor at University of Michigan for Innovatrium fellowship during Chris's MBA program (2010)" ; schema:name "Jeff DeGraff" . a schema:Person ; schema:description "Chris and Joe are peers and collaborators from days at University of Michigan." ; schema:name "Joseph Byrum" ; schema:sameAs ; schema:url . a schema:Person ; schema:description "Father and founder of P.J. Wallbank Springs, Inc. in 1982. Founded the Port Huron, Michigan operation to meet automakers' need for a better alternative to loose, single springs in transmission clutches." ; schema:name "Melvyn 'Mel' Wallbank" . a schema:Person ; schema:description "Grandfather who immigrated from England to Canada in 1954 and founded P.J. Wallbank Manufacturing in 1955 in the basement of the farmhouse he was renting with a $300 bank loan. Machines for production were built with used washing machine motors and other scrap hardware and the springs manufactured on this equipment were subsequently tempered in the kitchen oven." ; schema:name "Phil Wallbank" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Did Chris Wallbank study abroad?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's career progression?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What does Win or Learn mean?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Has Chris Wallbank written any books?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is the P.J. Wallbank Springs STEAM Lab?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What has Chris Wallbank written?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What podcasts has Chris Wallbank appeared on?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's leadership philosophy?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What topics has Chris Wallbank discussed in podcasts?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is the Blue Water Area Robotics Center?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is an Evergreen company?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What business challenges has Chris Wallbank overcome?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "When did Chris Wallbank join P.J. Wallbank Springs?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How did Chris Wallbank become CEO of P.J. Wallbank Springs?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Where can I find Chris Wallbank online?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's connection to University of Michigan?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What industry associations is Chris Wallbank involved with?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is the history of the Wallbank family business?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's connection to Michigan State University?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How did Chris Wallbank grow P.J. Wallbank Springs?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's approach to employee retention?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Who is Phil Wallbank?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What was the origin of P.J. Wallbank Manufacturing?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How does Chris Wallbank define success?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is the Wallbank Industrial Vision?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What does Chris Wallbank do?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Is Chris Wallbank on social media?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's connection to the Tugboat Institute?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How does Chris Wallbank support STEM education?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Has Chris Wallbank been featured in the media?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's philosophy on learning vs winning?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How can I contact Chris Wallbank?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Who is Chris Wallbank?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Where did the Wallbank family business start?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What makes Chris Wallbank's leadership style distinctive?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What community investments has Chris Wallbank made?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Who is Mel Wallbank?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How long has Chris Wallbank been CEO?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's educational background?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's vision for manufacturing?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Has Chris Wallbank's company been on the Inc. 5000 list?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What awards has the company won under his leadership?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "How does Chris Wallbank develop leaders?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is Chris Wallbank's relationship with FIRST Robotics?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "What is the Innovatrium Fellowship?" . a schema:Question ; schema:acceptedAnswer ; schema:author ; schema:name "Has Chris Wallbank completed Dale Carnegie Training?" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/ld+json" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "text/n3" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/n-quads" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/n-triples" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/rdf+xml" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/rdf+json" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/trig" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "application/xml" . a schema:MediaObject ; schema:contentUrl ; schema:encodingFormat "text/turtle" . a schema:BreadcrumbList ; schema:itemListElement , . a schema:ListItem ; schema:item "https://wallbankindustrial.com" ; schema:name "Home" ; schema:position 1 . a schema:ListItem ; schema:item "https://wallbankindustrial.com/about/chris-wallbank" ; schema:name "About Chris Wallbank" ; schema:position 2 . a schema:CollegeOrUniversity ; schema:name "Dale Carnegie Training" ; schema:sameAs ; schema:url . a schema:CollegeOrUniversity ; schema:name "Michigan State University" ; schema:sameAs ; schema:url . a schema:CollegeOrUniversity ; schema:name "University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business" ; schema:sameAs ; schema:url . a schema:CollegeOrUniversity ; schema:name "WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management" ; schema:sameAs ; schema:url . a schema:WebSite ; schema:description "Wallbank Industrial is a permanent capital compounder acquiring manufacturing businesses to hold in perpetuity with values-aligned ownership." ; schema:inLanguage "en" ; schema:name "Wallbank Industrial" ; schema:publisher ; schema:url . a schema:DefinedTermSet ; schema:author ; schema:hasDefinedTerm , , ; schema:name "Glossary" . a schema:Person ; schema:affiliation ; schema:alumniOf , , , ; schema:award "Inc. 5000 - Rank #3,796 (Inc. Magazine, 2019)", "Inc. 5000 - Rank #3,951 (Inc. Magazine, 2020)", "Inc. 5000 - Rank #4,123 (Inc. Magazine, 2018)", "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch (Michigan Celebrates Small Business)", "Michigan Business Development Grant - $350,000 (State of Michigan, 2016)", "Port Huron Spirit of Economic Progress Award", "United Way Outstanding Community Service Award (United Way)" ; schema:description "Chris Wallbank founded Wallbank Industrial and is CEO of his family's manufacturer, PJWS, which he grew by more than 300% by building on a 30+ year foundation. After succeeding his father close to a decade ago, Chris maintained the foundation his father built and grew the business from $15M to $50M in revenue. He started in the organization on the factory floor during high school and later took on responsibility for sales, traveling extensively internationally to win new business. Chris learned on the job, which often came in the form of hard lessons. Through a strong team, effort, and the willingness to iterate on what was learned, the business tripled over the course of a few years. His experience as a business owner and steward of his own family's business helped him to understand the importance and necessity of prioritizing the long term health of the business. For business owners who are looking to sell and care about the legacy of their business, there are limited options available that will enable the current business's continued success given most buyer's orientation to the upcoming quarters and not the upcoming decade. How a business is run looks much different when your measuring stick is decades and not the next quarter, or when the company will be sold again in a few years. Chris wants to offer an alternative option to other business owners who are seeking the right steward for their company." ; schema:familyName "Wallbank" ; schema:givenName "Chris" ; schema:hasCredential , , , ; schema:hasOccupation , , , , ; schema:image ; schema:jobTitle "CEO" ; schema:knows , , , , ; schema:knowsAbout , , , , , , , , , , , , ; schema:memberOf , , ; schema:name "Chris Wallbank" ; schema:sameAs , , , , , , , , ; schema:url ; schema:worksFor . [] a schema:PodcastEpisode ; schema:associatedMedia [ a schema:AudioObject ; schema:duration "57:56" ; schema:url ] ; schema:contributor [ a schema:PerformanceRole ; schema:performer ; schema:roleName "guest" ] ; schema:datePublished "2024-05-24"^^schema:Date ; schema:description "Chris Wallbank is President and Chief Executive Officer of P.J. Wallbank Springs Inc., and CEO of Wallbank Industrial. Chris joins this milestone episode to discuss the Wallbank Industrial Vision, and the goal to have a significant positive impact on a billion lives. Takeaways: (1) The Wallbank Industrial Vision is driven by the importance of people and the intentional actions taken to enable the vision. (2) Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping the culture and values of an organization. (3) Continuous learning and improvement are essential for personal and organizational growth. (4) Building an intentional culture requires hiring and firing based on values and finding alignment with the team. (5) Systems and communication are key to enabling the vision and creating scalability and sustainability." ; schema:name "#200 - Chris Wallbank | Wallbank Industrial - Impact through Manufacturing & Pursuing a Clear Vision" . [] a schema:PodcastEpisode ; schema:associatedMedia [ a schema:AudioObject ; schema:duration "27:35" ; schema:url ] ; schema:contributor [ a schema:PerformanceRole ; schema:performer ; schema:roleName "guest" ] ; schema:datePublished "2024-08-30"^^schema:Date ; schema:description """Chris Wallbank is the CEO of PJ Wallbank Springs, a world-class manufacturing organization. He is known for his commitment to fostering a culture of employee engagement. In this episode: Embracing learning over winning by viewing failures as opportunities for growth and adaptation. Aligning business purpose with profitability while staying true to core values for sustainable success. Balancing long-term goals with short-term performance while focusing on developing the right team. Recognizing the importance of external support and managing realistic expectations in leadership.""" ; schema:name "Embracing Learning Over Winning - Chris Wallbank" . [] a schema:PodcastEpisode ; schema:associatedMedia [ a schema:AudioObject ; schema:duration "15:52" ; schema:url ] ; schema:contributor ; schema:datePublished "2023-05-27"^^schema:Date ; schema:description "Join us in a conversation with Chris Wallbank, the visionary CEO of Edison and our sister company PJ Wallbank Springs, as he delves into the origins of Edison, its sister company PJ Wallbank Springs, and how both companies are creating a positive impact. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from a leader who has successfully built two thriving organizations!" ; schema:name "CLA Episode 8: PJ Wallbank Springs & Edison's Background with Chris Wallbank" .