DOWAGIAC — To Dowagiac company Lyons Industries, employees are one of the most important parts of the business.

“It’s all about the people,” said President of Lyons Industries Lance Lyons. “If you don’t have the people, you don’t have a business.”

It was for this care for its employees that Lyons Industries was recently awarded a Michigan Works! Association impact award.

The business received the award for its work with Kinexus’ Business Resource Network. Lyons Industries was the first company to sign up to the with the network a year and a half ago, which is why the business received the award. Lyons Industries pays $5,000 per year to be involved with the program.

The Business Resource Network provides a success coach that works with the employees of Lyons Industries to help remove barriers to employment.

“The success coach works with any person here to help them overcome issues,” Lyons said. “If you have a daycare issue, a food issue, a housing issue, [the Business Resource Network] provides services to help with those issues.”

Though Lyons said he is honored to have received the award for his business, he said that felt the people with Kinexus’ Business Resource Network were the ones truly deserving on praise.

“[Lyons Industries] can’t help someone turn back on their utilities, we can’t help someone keep their car, but this group can,” Lyons said. “I feel like they should be getting the award, not us, because of all the good they have done for us. They have worked with over 80 our people. … They have helped remove 32 barriers from the 80 people they have seen, which means probably 26 people are still here that may not have been here because those barriers have been removed.”

Lyons called The Business Resource Network a “dream come true” for his company, as it is a small business with limited resources to help employees on its own.

“If there is an organization to help with those things, that is invaluable to us,” he said. “It not only helps the people, it helps us.”

The services provided through the network help Lyons Industries retain good employees, Lyons said.

“You’ve got to keep the people you’ve got, because they are good people,” he said. “They try really hard, but sometimes life rolls some rocks in your path and you need help getting over it. … We want to do what we can to keep them.”

Duane Berger, the director of business and innovation for Kinexus, has been working with Lyons Industries on the Business Resource Network. He said he has enjoyed working with Lyons Industries and said the company was deserving of the impact award it received.

“The Lyons clearly understand that people and staff  are important. He clearly wants to invest in them,” Berger said. “[Lyons] walks the walk.”

Berger said that other companies should follow Lyons Industries’ example and consider taking part in a program like the Business Resource Network.

“Many, many companies are struggling to retain workers. It costs the company to lose workers,” Berger said. “We are trying to help businesses succeed. We are trying to both help people get jobs and keep jobs.”

Lyons said that Lyons Industries will continue to work with the Business Resource Network, and will soon begin to work on hiring with the group.

“We are excited about this,” Lyons said. “It’s a great resource. … It’s great to work with them.”