Scaling Internal & External Training: An A.Y. McDonald Case Study

Challenge  

A.Y. McDonald, a multi-brand manufacturer, needed to preserve legacy knowledge, support internal and external learners, and scale training across acquisitions. 

Solution

By creating multiple BlueVolt-powered universities, A.Y. McDonald built a scalable training ecosystem that consolidates expertise, as well as differentiating their brand through education. 

The Story

Founded in 1856, A.Y. McDonald is one of America’s oldest family-owned manufacturers. It operates multiple brands, including A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co., Cambridge Brass, Chicago Fittings, McDonald Plastic Molding, Val-Matic, and JCM Industries. 

A.Y. McDonald fosters a strong culture, where employees are called “co-workers;” consequently, many stay for decades, or even generations, holding a wealth of legacy knowledge. 

Justin Mills, Director of Marketing, recalled a product manager with 40+ years’ experience. 

“He was a walking encyclopedia of 500 pages of our waterworks catalog—you could quote anything in that catalog, and he knew it,” Mills said. “How could we replicate that knowledge and pass it on?” 

After it was suggested at a customer Innovation Summit, they shortly launched A.Y. McDonald University, which allows the company to consolidate and maintain tenured knowledge.  

“We made sure that before that 44-year person retired, we pulled a lot of knowledge out of him and built the core courses that are used today in AYU,” Mills added.  

The platform educates both internal co-workers and the industry as a whole, leading to the unique need to scale with multiple universities centered at different audiences. Then, in 2022, A.Y. McDonald adopted BlueVolt to reach more channel partners.  

Amanda Ellinor, Education & Content Specialist, explained that while they already had a learner base of thousands of customers, the Sharing Center offered even more exposure. 

Today, A.Y. McDonald operates four universities through BlueVolt—AYU, AYU Internal Training, CBU, and JCMU—with Val-Matic University launching soon.  These Universities presently support 26 partners and help customers access product knowledge quickly. 

These training programs are important in customer loyalty. One of A.Y. McDonald’s mottos is “the customer is the boss”—they can fire you at any time, so stand-out service and added value are key. When the boss trusts you, they’ll promote you with more business. 

“At A.Y. McDonald, we pride ourselves on doing that better than others,” Mills said. “The educational component is huge in differentiating us.” 

Mills says it’s easy to see the impact of external training with customers. One customer, for example, annually polls their employees on who they like doing business with. 

“A.Y. McDonald has been in the top running the past three years for their vendor of the year,” Mills said. “We hear it over and over… AYU comes up a lot.” 

The impact is also clear from the data, with steady engagement across external universities and an average 81% completion rate for completed calendar years. 

 

 

Looking Forward

A.Y. McDonald has experienced many changes over the years, including acquisitions: “We wanted to control our own destiny,” Mills explained. 

By expanding, they’re able to supply parts for every stage in the waterworks chain between A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co., Cambridge Brass, Val-Matic, and JCM Industries. Additionally, Chicago Fittings’ offerings align well with A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co.’s plumbing and natural gas product lines. Lastly, McDonald Plastic Molding provides select plastic components to nearly all A.Y. McDonald Industries subsidiaries. 

While they continue to grow, they’ll be able to keep expanding their training offerings to reflect their new brands and product lines, as with the upcoming Val-Matic University. 

“We’re a 170-year-old company that doesn’t act like a 170-year-old company. We try to be very nimble, even on the innovation side,” Mills said. “We’re pretty aggressive at trying to grow and keep growing.” 

Conclusion

A.Y. McDonald’s training strategy, powered by BlueVolt, preserves legacy knowledge, supports growth, strengthens relationships, and differentiates in a competitive market. 

“It’s a continued partnership where both parties are operating with the same goal: fully maximize what BlueVolt has to offer,” Ellinor said.

 

Ready to scale your training like A.Y. McDonald? Request a Live Demo today and see how BlueVolt can transform your learning strategy.