It always surprises me how often an opportunity presents itself as a problem.

In 2018, Vortex moved to a new location with adjacent space we owned and that was built to be a preschool. We were merely the landlord and leased the space to a new tenant. However, it quickly became clear that the school had issues. Feedback from employees and the public highlighted significant operational challenges, and because the school was connected to Vortex, we knew we had to make a change.

Initially, we thought the best option was simply not to renew the lease. But upon reflection, we realized that having a preschool on site had real advantages. Our team trends young, and many have children. We realized it would be wonderful for them, and therefore for us as a business, to offer childcare services on site. Of course, we had zero expertise in running a preschool, so we knew there would be problems. The path forward wasn’t clear, but we committed ourselves to finding a way.

Today, the Little Buffalos Preschool is thriving. By providing subsidized, high-quality childcare, we’re saving parents on our team both money and time, while making it easy to keep the most important people in their lives close by.

Here’s how that preschool got its name, and in the bigger picture, the story of how Vortex does business today.

ONWARD, INTO THE STORM
Like many of you, I’m constantly searching for stories that challenge and inspire me as a leader. When I read Rory Vaden’s book Take the Stairs, I was struck by the metaphor of the buffalo.

In short, when storms approach herds of cows, the cows will turn away, moving with the storm to lessen the suffering they face in the moment. Buffalo, on the other hand, charge directly into the storm, facing it head on. In the short term, they face more intense pain than the cows. But in the long run, they get through the storm quicker and suffer less. This metaphor of facing challenges resonated deeply with me. When we undertook to rework our core values a few years ago, we decided that ‘Be the Buffalo’ captured the spirit we were trying to articulate the best; we adopted it as one of our Core Values.

In practice and at the most fundamental level, one of the most crucial applications of ‘Being the Buffalo’ is having difficult conversations. Engaging in difficult conversations is uncomfortable, but it is essential for growth and improvement. Most people, including myself, can be cows, avoiding problems and challenges. But effective leadership means facing these situations head-on.

With the development of Little Buffalos Preschool, we saw a problem and had to address it directly. That involved ending one preschool to start another, a long conversation that was far from easy. Further, as an optics company, we’d never done anything like opening a preschool. We had to learn new skills, hire the right people, and build the right facility. But together, our team not only faced the problem; we turned it into an opportunity. We chose to be the buffalo, so we gave the preschool that name.

THE BUFFALO IN OUR DNA
As a CEO, I benefit from the guidance of great leaders, including my father. In fact, under his guidance, I’ve realized that Vortex has been thinking like a buffalo for years.

Take our VIP Warranty, which promises to repair or replace any Vortex product free of charge. When we introduced this policy years ago, we didn’t yet have the data to back its financial viability; it was a huge risk.

We went ahead because we were a young, small company up against giant competitors who had a lot of advantages we simply did not, including far more experience in the field. The one thing we had was the ability to choose to do the right thing for our customers. Without knowing it, we decided to be the buffalo, and prepared ourselves for whatever challenges we might face to make our dream work.

If we dismantled the VIP Warranty now, our profitability would go up in the short term. But what we’d lose in terms of culture and customer loyalty would be significant, and those losses would start to show up in the long term. Like all businesses who are part of Tugboat Institute®, we’re not here for short-term gains. Even in 2024, the VIP Warranty is still one of the things our customers tell us they appreciate the most.

LITTLE BUFFALOS, BIG IMPACT
Every day, I have the pleasure of driving past Little Buffalos on my way to work. I get to watch my team dropping the most precious people in their lives at a preschool that is safe, caring, and completely dedicated to their happiness. In seeing the Little Buffalos’ name, I am reminded of the challenges we initially faced in getting the preschool up and running, which were painful in the short term. But, as with our VIP Warranty, the long-term benefits for the people we care about far outweigh the initial discomfort.

Today, Little Buffalos receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from our team and the public, and it’s now the top perk for our employees. We’re proud to say that at least in this one small way, our Little Buffalos are being cared for and nurtured in a place that encourages them to face the challenges in their lives head on, turning problems into the opportunities that will shape their futures.