A Symbol of Our Mission and Values: The HMFC Challenge Coin
In ancient Rome, if a soldier performed admirably in battle, he received his normal pay plus an additional coin. This one was unique, though. It was minted with the insignia of the Legion from which it came. Most soldiers kept these unique coins, rather than spend them, as a special reminder of their service and membership in the force they were part of.
Today, these “challenge coins” continue to be minted, given to those who are part of unique, mission-minded teams, and coveted as a reminder of participation in noble endeavors.
When he served as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates handed them out in a handshake to those soldiers he served with. During the Korean conflict, Colonel “Buffalo Bill” Quinn, of the 17th Infantry Regiment made sure each of his men carried theirs. On one side was a buffalo, on the other was the Regiment’s insignia. If you ask your peers who have served in our military, they will likely tell you of the challenge coins they have and covet.
At Hiller Measurements, we hold our country’s servicemen and servicewomen in the highest of regard. We convey our pride in their service in the value we deliver in our work to support them. And, like our fellow citizens which we serve, Hiller Measurements shares our Challenge Coin with our employees, partners, and customers. Here’s what our Hiller Measurements Flow Control Challenge Coin represents.
The Truth Succeeds on its Own Merit
On one side of the coin is our logo, surrounded by “Veritas Procedo in sui Merito,” the Latin words for “The Truth Succeeds on its Own Merit.” This sentence conveys the heart of what we do and who we are.
Objective truth is not relative. However, what is true is often obscured by our assumptions, perspective, and experience. Regardless, what is true will reveal itself in time. Therefore, our culture is one where challenging assumptions and perspective is invited. Continuous pursuit of what is objectively true is the fertile ground from which we innovate and add value.
Continuous pursuit of what is objectively true is the fertile ground from which we innovate and add value.
At the heart of Hiller’s mission, is the identification of objective truth in terms of functionality, quality, and usefulness of our client’s products through test. By testing to prove what is true, our clients know if their products are ready to be put into service. Without knowing what is true through rigorous testing, truth will only be recognized in service. Often, that is too late. Thus, the test capability we provide protects our clients and the people they serve.
Our mission is a noble one.
Quality at Speed through Flow Control
On the other side of the coin is “Flumen Imperium Qualitus ad Velocitas,” Latin for “Quality at Speed through Flow Control.” This is how we deliver on our mission to deliver differentiated quality in everything we produce, at a speed our peers cannot match. Our primary vehicle to achieve this is through the Flow Control set of strategies we use at Hiller.
The Grapevine
In the center of this face is a single grapevine, which tells the Hiller story.
Hiller’s founders share a common faith, often described as a grapevine (see John 15). This shared faith continues to be relied upon in the stewardship of Hiller Measurements as it is led today.
The grapevine has another meaning as well. You’ll notice the vine is trained to a wire, as found in a vineyard. The vine is not growing wild. Rather, through training, cultivation, and pruning the highest quality fruit results. This is the metaphor from which we describe our vision for the future of our company.
At the root and main trunk of the vine is the culture and purpose that remains and is deemed timeless. Everything we describe on the other side of the coin is represented in the roots and trunk of the vine.
At the top of the vine are truths and practices which are always being pruned, trained, and cultivated. At Hiller, good fruit is described by the value we deliver. Truth in test, speed of delivery, and a differentiated customer experience all ensuring our clientele’s products are sound.
Funny thing about cultivating grapes: the fruit only grows from cane in its second year of existence. After that, the cane produces no fruit. Knowing this, the vinedresser does three things after harvest. First, he/she identifies the set of new shoots from which new fruit will grow in two years’ time. These he leaves, and the rest are pruned away. Second, the cane which most recently produced fruit is pruned away as well. And last, the shoots reserved the year before, are trained to the wire to prepare for the next season’s harvest.
As we innovate, we identify the “new shoots” in process, capability, talent, and opportunity to develop with the expectation to grow fruit within two years.
At Hiller, we follow a similar process. As we innovate, we identify the “new shoots” in process, capability, talent, and opportunity to develop with the expectation to grow fruit within two years. Similarly, we recognize what has worked in the past may not bear fruit in the future, and we prune that away. Finally, we persist in the initiatives from a year past, training them to our business plans to bear fruit in the year ahead. With this culture in place, we have the foundation from which we can grow vineyards of value across multiple industries.
Our Legion
The employees and team members at Hiller Measurements guard our mission, enhance it, and contribute to our future growth. As a reminder of their important role, every employee is given a single coin to keep. Only one coin. Many will keep their coin on their person each day. Some will stow it for safe keeping.
Additionally, select suppliers who show discriminating work in supporting Hiller’s Flow Control strategies, are presented the same coin in honor of their commitment in supporting Hiller’s success.
Our Commitment to You
At the conclusion of each new design delivered, it’s an honor for us to present the same coin to you, our client, in respect of the trust they have given us in contributing to their own corporate mission. When presented, we ask a single question of the customer: “Has Hiller Measurements lived up to our mission, purpose, and value in supporting our customer?” In this way, we hold ourselves accountable to our clientele by our performance.
Curious if Flow Control is right for your next test project?