What's Up At Work?

Austin Merk (President, Universal Oil): Taking Big Swings, Defining Culture & Chili Cookoffs

Episode Notes

Meet Austin Merk, President of Universal Oil, a nearly 150-year-old, 100% employee-owned organization. Universal Oil is a distributor of fuels and industrial lubricants serving customers across construction, manufacturing, and transportation, right here in Cleveland.

In this episode, Austin shares what it looks like when a new leader takes the helm of a long-standing company and starts shaping its culture for the future. His story shows that building a great workplace doesn’t have to be complicated; small, intentional steps that bring people together and make work enjoyable can spark real lasting change.

He joins host Sam Clyde Schroeder to talk about how an ownership mindset drives employee engagement, why food is the great equalizer (yes, that includes company cook-offs!), and how bold moves, from tattoos to grand proposals, reflect a culture of trust and taking risks.

Tune in to hear how Austin is helping Universal Oil keep its roots strong while fueling a new era of leadership and culture.

Timestamps

• 01:00 Introductions
• 01:30 Austin’s background and original life path
• 03:00 Proposing at a Cleveland Guardians game
• 05:00 The benefits and consequences of risk-taking
• 06:00 Advocating for yourself, “Closed mouths don’t get fed”
• 07:00 Leading a 150-year-old company, and ‘We’ve always done it this way”
• 09:30 People-first culture and ESOP definition and benefits
• 12:30 Bringing people together and creating culture
• 13:40 Using food as a culture builder and equalizer, company cookoffs and employee engagement
• 16:30 Making small, intentional changes and listening to employees
• 19:20 Growing in confidence as a young leader, being patient
• 21:00 The ability to ask dumb questions, wear it on your sleeve
• 23:00 I didn’t come this far to only come this far, the job is never done
• 24:30 Being a first-time NorthCoast 99 Top Workplace winner 
• 27:30 Building out HR and engaging within the company 
• 30:00 HR Hot Seat: Big Blue Nation, tattoos, bread pudding

ERC: yourerc.com

Universal Oil: universaloil.com