The title at the top of Joel Williams’ LinkedIn page isn’t President and CEO of CARR Biosystems; it instead says, “Husband & Father.”
“Being a father, for me, is a big job,” said Joel. “And a couple of years ago, I reread this book called The Intentional Father, and it helped me level up how I think about not just leading my children but leading the people in my span of care at BW. And it's all about building experience and knowledge and skills in people that we hope to grow up and do great things. And whether they're my children or not, I think those principles apply.”
There’s an extraordinary power in caring for your people like family, but family doesn’t need to mean blood-related. For Barry-Wehmiller and its group of companies, family refers to an environment of unconditional care, regardless of shared DNA.
CARR Biosystems makes cell handling platforms for global manufacturers in the cell & gene therapy, monoclonal antibody, recombinant proteins, vaccine and cellular agriculture segments.
“We're working with customers today who are on the cusp of delivering therapeutic cures for type 1 diabetes, various cancers, kidney disease, lupus, autoimmune disorders, and it's really exciting to be a part of that,” said Joel. “As they grow these cells with edited DNA, we help them separate those cells into parts that are what they need for these therapies, and into parts that they need to extract and not have part of the therapy.”
CARR Biosystems’ mission and caring culture allow Joel to find fulfillment in his work, something he was unsure he would achieve when he started his professional journey and pursued his business degree.
“I wish I could remember learning more there of what I see valuable here, and I don't know that it was or wasn't taught, but what I know is I hadn't lived the experience in my work experience before going back to business school,” said Joel. “I hadn't lived the work experience that made me prize those lessons if they were taught.”
When a Barry-Wehmiller recruiter approached Joel, he was skeptical of what he heard about BW, as a culture of care seemed unrealistic compared to his experience and what he was taught in business school. He told the recruiter that he wasn’t looking for an opportunity at the time and wished him the best.
But as several months passed, he could not get the idea out of his mind: How could a multibillion-dollar company truly care for its people?
To do more research, Joel bought a copy of CEO Bob Chapman’s book, Everybody Matters, and a 2016 Harvard Business School case study about Barry-Wehmiller. After Joel received his MBA from HBS in 2009, the school wrote the case study about a business challenge at a BW company and how BW’s cultural values impacted a major company decision.
“I love that the case was written,” Joel said. “I think brilliant professors there saw value and see value in that. And I think that's a good first step.”
Impressed by his findings, Joel accepted an offer with CARR Biosystems in 2022.
“Since coming to Barry Wehmiller, I think one of the most powerful things I've learned is what happens when we trust our people and create a safe space for them,” Joel said. "The way that people can blossom and show up with their skills and creativity and bring their gifts to make great things happen is something that I don't think you get when we're micromanaging, when we're overstressing our team, right?
“I don't pretend that we need to have no amount of stress. Setting high expectations helps people rise to their potential. And I think we owe that to our teams, and I ask that of my leader. But there's a level of stress that in a lot of places exceeds healthy stress. There's a healthy stress that makes us become who we can become. And then there's a stress that burns people out and leads to major contributors to chronic disease and leads people feeling depleted and unable to lead and care for their families."
The chronic health issues that result from unhealthy stress, disengaging workplaces, poor leadership and people not feeling like they are valued is why Bob Chapman says, “The way we lead impacts the way people live,” something that has become a cornerstone of the way we think about leadership at Barry-Wehmiller.
Understanding the impact he has on the lives in his span of care – at home and at work – is something Joel seems to have figured out. He’s right at home in the Barry-Wehmiller family.
“At the end of the day. I think for a lot of my career, I've probably been looking for a place like BW,” Joel said, “and I didn't know where to find it or that it existed."