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Hear insights from leaders of the successful small businesses we've honored at a discounted price. Get the audio, including questions from the attendee audience and speakers' responses, along with the session slides.
RECORDING: Engaging Fresh, Young Talent in the Workplace Live Session Date: October 20, 2009 |
Even in a down economy, savvy business leaders understand they must pay close attention to generational differences among their employees. It has been said that the younger generations care less for tradition and place a higher value on individuality, personal freedom and flexibility. In the media today we often hear employers complain about the difficulties of working with the younger generation. However, the flip side to this is that once the hidden talents of young people are unleashed, they can provide unprecedented value and creative thinking.
In this webinar, you will hear from two pros at Top Small Workplace honoree firms that have a long and successful track record of bringing out the best in young people at work.
Why this webinar is worth 60 minutes of your time:
Presenters:
Dave Schmitz, General Manager, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
In 1976, Steppenwolf Theatre Company was launched by a group of smart, irreverent young people whose lofty aim was to change the way the world thinks about acting. Now over 40 years later and with 80 full-time staff members and 340 part-time, seasonal or artistic staff, Steppenwolf has evolved from a struggling storefront theatre to an internationally recognized company that attracts world-class actors delivering unparalleled performances. The company relies heavily on the energy and commitment of young people which is why they have established a wide array of programming and activities exclusively for this population. As General Manager, Dave oversees many of these initiatives and has learned a great deal on how to motivate and engage young people.
Tom Walter, CEO, Tasty Catering
Founded in 1989 by three brothers, Tasty Catering remains family owned and operated, offering catering and event planning to Chicago area corporations. The quickly growing company has a loyal employee base with average tenure of more than five years and fills most job openings by promoting current employees. Leadership believes its success is due in large part to its ability to attract and retain the best and the brightest young people. Self-described as a "serial entrepreneur," CEO Tom Walter's passion involves mentoring young employees, turning them into entrepreneurs and even helping them launch their own businesses.
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RECORDING: King Arthur Flour Company: Mixing Tradition with New Inventions Live Session Date: September 23, 2009 |
A brand familiar to generations of Americans, King Arthur Flour Company represents the nation's oldest flour company and the single largest educator of home bakers in the world. Founded in Boston in 1790, impressive growth has accompanied the company's transformation from a small, fifth generation operation with a half dozen employees in 1990, to a 100% employee-owned business today, now with nearly 200 associates.
Their success is attributed both to the quality of its products and to the company culture, which treats employee-owners with respect and allows them to meaningfully contribute to the future direction of the company.
Why this webinar is worth 60 minutes of your time:
Presenter:
Steve Voigt, CEO, King Arthur Flour Company
Steve
Voigt, CEO of King Arthur Flour since 1999, has been
determined to continue to grow the company, while preserving
its unique culture. Not an easy challenge.
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RECORDING: America's Community Banks - Too Small to Fail Live Session Date: July 29, 2009 |
Easily overlooked amid the crisis surrounding large banks is the fact that there are thousands of small community banks that are holding their own and doing just fine. While their overall numbers have decreased due to consolidation, community banks still represent nearly 94% of all banks in the nation.
In this webinar you will hear from the CEOs of two highly-regarded and well-managed community banks, one in Kentucky, the other in Illinois. These leaders have experienced their success by taking the long view approach, aggressively focusing on their customers' needs, and investing the necessary resources to develop a top-notch workforce.
Why this webinar is worth 60 minutes of your time:
Presenters:
Jim Lynch, CEO, Leaders Bank
Leaders Bank in Oak Brook, IL, provides commercial banking services to meet the financial needs of privately held businesses, owners and entrepreneurs. Since its founding in 2000, Leaders has set itself apart as an innovative employer of choice, growing 85% in revenue over the last three years and going from nine to 73 employees in the last eight years. As the name implies, the bank fosters individual, organizational and industry success by treating employees and customers as leaders, identifying the strengths and professional competencies that will most energize productivity, while empowering employees to challenge their limits, take risks and make autonomous decisions.
Joe Framptom, CEO, The Paducah Bank & Trust Company
Despite 2007 being one of the worst years in the history of the banking industry, with many public banks losing 20% to 40% of their stock value, Paducah Bank's stock value increased in 2007 by 8.2%, and earnings were up 24% in 2008, making it a record year for the bank. Credited with transforming the city of Paducah, KY, through their progressive revitalization program and support for local entrepreneurs with low-interest, minimal down-payment financing, The Paducah Bank provides remarkable results from its investment in the future of its associates and community.
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RECORDING: Radio Flyer - The Story of Transforming an American Icon Live Session Date: June 17, 2009 |
Since its inception in 1917, Radio Flyer, the maker of those little red wagons that adults adore and kids covet, has been one of the world's most loved children's brandS. An icon of childhood play, its Classic Red Wagon has been in continuous production for over 70 years - an American toy industry record. In 2004, in response to a shift in consumer preferences, the company made significant operational changes: U.S. manufacturing operations were dismantled and moved to China and nearly 66 percent of the employees were retired. Today the company is in the process of moving from a sleepy manufacturing business to a reinvigorated brand management and product design company. Employing 55 people at their Chicago-based headquarters, they have been aggressively working to create a different kind of values-driven, engaged workplace characterized by innovation and continuous learning.
Presenter:
Robert F. Pasin, President and CEO, Radio Flyer
Robert F. Pasin is President and CEO of Radio Flyer Inc, the third-generation leader of this company. He took over leadership from his father, Mario, who was chairman. The company was founded by Mario's father, Antonio Pasin, who emigrated from Venice, Italy, in 1914.
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RECORDING: Two Perspectives on Succession Live Session Date: May 27, 2009 |
Successfully transitioning long-term leadership in small business is always complex and often difficult. Learn from the experiences of two leaders of successful firms (both 2007 Top Small Workplaces) who have managed this process, one a founder who passed the mantle to his successor, and one a successor to the founder who has taken his company to the next level.
Presenters:
Paul Silvis, Founder and former Head Coach, Restek Corporation
Paul Silvis is the CEO, Coach, Inventor, and Founder of Restek Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer of innovative chromatography products. Restek was one of the 2007 Top Small Workplaces, made the Top 50 List of Pennsylvania's Best Companies To Work For three times in 2000, 2001, & 2006, and appeared twice in Inc. Magazine's list of 500 Fastest Growing Companies (1992 & 1993).
Paul will turn over the reins of Restek's chromatography business to the employees through an ESOP stock purchase at the end of 2008 and will focus on growing a new technology company called SilcoTek. SilcoTek applies a Chemical Vapor Deposition to metal parts to enhance the material's physical properties thus creating a surface that similar to an ultra high temperature Teflon.
Michael Foley, President & CEO, Reflexite Corporation
Michael Foley is President & CEO of Reflexite Corporation, a multi-national, employee-owned company that manufactures optical components and films. Since its founding in 1970, the Connecticut-based company has expanded significantly. Today it employs over 500 people, has four locations in the US and eighteen throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Reflexite had experienced one orderly transition of leadership in the 1980s when the founders stepped down. The company's leaders planned carefully to insure a second successful transition would occur, knowing the criticality of success and the risks of failure. They engaged all key stakeholders from outside board members to employees. In 2006, after executing a 5 year transition process, Michael was elected CEO. Reflexite thrives today: it has doubled in size to almost $100MM, has made considerable investments in equipment and people, and continues to open new markets around the world.
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RECORDING: Exiting Gracefully - Options for Transitioning Ownership Live Session Date: April 15, 2009 |
A record number of baby boomers will retire over the next few years after they have worked tirelessly to build successful privately-held businesses that have great work cultures.
As these leaders think about transitioning, many express concern as to what will happen to their employees and unique workplace practices. In this workshop you will learn about the options for transitioning and pros and cons of each.
Presenter:
Corey Rosen, Co-Founder and Executive Director, National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
Corey Rosen is the executive director and cofounder of the NCEO. He received a Ph.D. in politics from Cornell University in 1973, taught politics at Ripon College, and worked as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate, where he helped draft some of the legislation governing employee ownership.
Mr. Rosen cofounded the NCEO in 1981. He has coauthored five books on employee ownership and written over 100 articles on the subject for business, professional, and trade publications. He has spoken at meetings all over the U.S., as well as in Europe, Asia, and South America.
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RECORDING: Five Powerful Strategies to Develop and Retain Top Notch Technical Talent Live Session Date: March 24, 2009 |
In today's world, savvy leaders know that they cannot count on "buying" outside technical talent, they must grow staff from within. This demands a strong commitment from leadership, wise investments and a supportive work culture that sets high standards and continually fosters learning opportunities, innovation and risk taking. This is especially true in engineering where talent is in short supply.
Join us to hear from leaders of two engineering firms that have discovered how to build and retain "the best and the brightest" talent. Both firms were recipients of the 2008 Top Small Workplaces award.
Presenters:
Tamsin Jolley, President, Decagon Devices
Tamsin Jolley, chief executive of Decagon Devices, is the eldest daughter among nine children of company founder and former Washington State University soil scientist Gaylon Campbell. Decagon's 73 employees invent, design, manufacture and market precision scientific instruments and sensors for food quality testing and environmental monitoring and research. One of their products has even been sent to Mars as part of NASA's Phoenix Lander.
Decagon's success rests in the great faith it has in its associates to be resourceful and continually learning. Staff are boldly challenged, encouraged to take risks and learn by doing, thus developing their true capacity over their tenure and embodying the company motto, "Think like scientists, work like farmers, dream like children."
Jeff Young, Chairman & General Manager, ATA Engineering
Jeff Young is Chairman & General Manager of ATA Engineering. Founded in 2000 and 100% employee owned, this engineering consulting firm now has 84 employees and has been described as incomparably egalitarian.
Employee development is central to the business model: a co-op program is the key recruiting tool, every employee has an individual development plan, and junior engineers can be given project leadership on appropriate assignments. Decisions are made on a consensus basis, which is time intensive but encourages employee-owners to participate and stay abreast of company matters. These practices have resulted in an average employee turnover rate of less than 4%, contributing to average company revenue growth rate of 36% between 2005 and 2007.
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RECORDING: 'Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy' Live Session Date: February 17, 2009 |
In this illuminating book, top business strategist Dev Patnaik, Managing Associate of Jump Associates (2008 Top Small Workplaces recipient), tells the story of how organizations of all kinds prosper when they tap into a power each of us already has: empathy, the ability to reach outside of ourselves and connect with other people. When people inside a company develop a shared sense of what's going on in the world, they see new opportunities faster than their competitors, have the courage to take on greater risks and develop gut-level certitude to stick with an idea that doesn't take off right away.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point, says that Wired to Care "will convince you that businesses succeed with their hearts as much as their heads. Dev Patnaik has given us just what we need for the lean years ahead."
Jump Associates, based in San Mateo, CA, specializes in growing businesses through innovative strategy and design.
Presenter:
Dev Patnaik, Managing Associate, Jump Associates
Dev Patnaik is a principal of Jump Associates, a design strategy and product planning firm based in San Mateo, CA that helps visionary companies create lasting product directions to improve people’s lives. Patnaik is a designer and strategic planner with experience in engineering, art design, and business theory. He has worked with Fortune 500 firms and fledgling startups in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Australia.
An assistant faculty member at Stanford University, Patnaik teaches design research methods to undergraduate and graduate students. He also speaks frequently at leading industry forums on product development, marketing, and innovation.
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RECORDING: Sustainable Workplaces - The Workplace of the Future Live Session Date: January 28, 2009 |
Major corporations and government agencies are beginning to discover the strategic value of their workplaces as tools for maintaining a competitive edge and achieving strategic goals. However, many small organizations have long known that by building a "sustainable workplace," they can more effectively meet business, environmental and socioeconomic goals.
Hear how these two organizations – one a 70-year-old organic rice farming operation, the other an international non-profit conservation group (both 2008 Top Small Workplace recipients) – define and have intentionally created humane, sustainable workplaces where passion for mission is always front and center.
Presenters:
Tensie Whelan, President, Rainforest Alliance
Tensie Whelan serves as the
president of the Rainforest Alliance. She has been involved with the
Rainforest Alliance since 1990, first as a board member, and then later
as a consultant, becoming the executive director in 2000.
Whelan has been working in the environmental field for more than 25 years, during which time she served as the vice president of conservation information at the National Audubon Society and executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters. Whelan also worked as a journalist and environmental communications consultant in Costa Rica, and was the managing editor of Ambio – an international environmental journal based in Stockholm. Prior to joining the Rainforest Alliance as its executive director, Whelan worked as a management consultant to nonprofit organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund.
Tim Schultz, VP of Administration, Lundberg Family Farms
Tim Schultz is VP of
Administration for Lundberg Family Farms. Now run by a third generation
of family owners, Lundberg has expanded upon the brand established in
the 1960s and flourished by nurturing the unique value that each
individual brings to the whole.
Recognizing that you only get out what you put in, Lundberg takes great care to see that its 195 employees get everything they need to be their best. An on-site wellness committee organizes fitness events and free, fresh produce is available on a daily basis. Tuition for staff is supplemented by the company, and they even reward the good grades of their employees' children.
Lundberg has recently developed a formal strategic planning program to transfer ownership and the company culture to future generations of family members, intent on preserving these timeless values for many more years to come.
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RECORDING: Maintaining a Stable Workplace in an Unstable Economy Live Session Date: December 10, 2008 |
So who benefits from a stable workplace? From, cleaning firms, law firms and non-profits to Wall Street investment bankers and manufacturers.
Any organization for which developing and maintaining customer (or donor) relationships is critical to long term success of the firm.
A stable workplace + stable workforce = good customer relations.
Why, then, do companies sometimes act as if customer relationships are
relatively unimportant?
Good question! Get this recording to learn why and how to build a stable workplace – and what NOT to do.
Presenters:
Bill Brett, President, Barclay Water Management
Bill is President of Barclay Water Management, an 89-employee water treatment firm based in Watertown, MA.
Barclay Water Management is the largest employee-owned firm in the water treatment industry, employing the single largest team of female engineers, boasting the lowest associate turnover rate among major firms, and maintaining a pool of clients which have stayed loyal for decades. Associates applaud Barclay's upbeat environment and family-firm tmosphere, where the phonebook is organized by first name and employees swear that the president knows every one of them. An old-line company with timeless values, Barclay continues to impress clients with their solid culture of involved employee-owners.
Liza Fraser, Manager, Mid-Atlantic States, Barclay Water Management
Liza is Manager for the Mid-Atlantic States of Barclay Water Management. A native of England and a graduate of The University of Southern Florida, Liza Fraser is currently a resident of New York City where she serves as Barclay’s Regional Manager for the Mid-Atlantic States. Liza began her career in the laboratory as a microbiologist and has spent the past 17 years in the field as a water treatment specialist. Liza Fraser has developed an intuitive approach to management that has resulted in a cohesive, stable, and, above all, successful team of 14 sales and service engineers providing water treatment programs to Barclay clients throughout a seven state region.
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RECORDING: Exemplary Business Practices of the 2008 Top Small Workplaces Live Session Date: November 12, 2008 |
Small businesses, 25 million strong in the United States, remain the backbone of our nation's economy. They account for 50 percent of the country's private gross national product, create 60-80 percent of the net new jobs and are 14 times more innovative per employee than large firms. Yet, too often, small organizations are overlooked and under-reported.
For the past two years, Winning Workplaces and The Wall Street Journal have collaborated to honor successful small firms that have intentionally built highly engaged and innovative workplaces.
In this webinar, Winning Workplace staff showcase the themes and exemplary practices of the 2008 Top Small Workplace winners, as announced in The Wall Street Journal on October 13.
These Top Small Workplaces are steadily growing their revenues, guided by strong missions and values, and consistently deliver unmatched value to their clients. Join us to hear how they do it.
Presenters:
Diane Stoneman, Director of Consulting & Training, Winning Workplaces
Diane leads Winning Workplaces' consulting and training practice and
has extensive experience in the fields of workforce and organizational development.
She is an experienced facilitator, marketer and consultant in human resource
strategies to increase workplace effectiveness. During her career, she has
worked as a workforce learning consultant at the Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning (CAEL), a program director at the Chicago Manufacturing Institute,
and a director of a major urban community development organization. Diane
has a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University and holds
a master’s degree in social service administration from the University
of Chicago.
Mary Corbitt Clark, Executive Director, Winning Workplaces
Maximizing organizational and individual performance is a thread that is woven through Mary's career. She has held senior management positions in human resources and organizational consulting firms, specializing in small to midsize companies, and has established human resources functions for entrepreneurial ventures. She also spent 14 years in career, management and organizational development consulting with Jannotta, Bray & Associates; Right Associates; and People Tech Consulting. Early in her career, she served as Director of Admissions at Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is on the faculty of the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
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RECORDING: Open Book Management is NOT Just About Financial Transparency Live Session Date: October 28, 2008 |
93% of the 2008 Top Small Workplace winners have successfully implemented open book management.
Opening up the books, teaching employees how the business makes money and offering them a financial stake can be powerful ways to ignite greater engagement from the workforce.
Learn from the people that wrote the book on OBM:
Presenter:
Richard Armstrong, President, The Great Game of Business, Inc.
Rich has over 18 years of experience in improving business performance through employee involvement, business literacy, open-book management and employee ownership. The Great Game of Business management practice is the most celebrated approach to Open-Book Management. The Great Game of Business has helped thousands of companies in a wide range of industries to achieve breakthrough growth and financial performance by coaching a simple, yet powerful belief: "When employees think, act & feel like owners… everybody wins." Mr. Armstrong is also a member of the board of directors of the National Center for Employee Ownership.
The Great Game of Business, Inc. provides affordable training and coaching services on the best practices of High Involvement workplaces and Open-Book Management. They offer publications, products, tools, and sponsor a national conference and recognition program to identify and celebrate exceptional Open-Book organizations. The Great Game's chief visionary, Jack Stack, is the coauthor of two best-selling books; The Great Game of Business (Currency/Doubleday, 1994) and A Stake in the Outcome (Doubleday, 2002). The Great Game of Business book is in its 23rd printing and has been cited in over 100 best-selling business books.
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RECORDING: Maintaining Community in a Virtual Workplace Live Session Date: September 25, 2008 |
In the current economy we are all looking for a productivity edge to differentiate our firms. You can look to many things, but none are more effective than the engaged employee.
In this one-hour session learn about some of the high-tech, low-tech and soft skill ways these inspiring leaders – which Winning Workplaces has honored for creating exemplary work environments – have managed to sustain a supportive, engaged community in their companies where many employees work virtually and are spread across the country or are just across town.
Presenters:
Michael Lacey, CEO/President, Digineer
Michael is CEO/President of Digineer, Inc., an 89-employee technology consulting firm based in Plymouth, MN.
Because employees spend most of their time at the client's location, Michael realized he needed to build a sense of team, allegiance and belonging among his dispersed workforce. To achieve this, Digineer dedicates more than $100,000 a year for education, training and social events for its employees. For example, "Digi-U" is a virtual university providing computer training and technology certification as well as classes in time management, health and wellness and other non-tech topics.
Timothy P. Keenan, President & Founder, HPTi
Timothy is President & Founder of High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTi), a 325-employee information technology firm based in Reston, VA.
Founded in 1991, HPTi provides a full range of information technology services, primarily for the federal government. In 2003, when a tragic plane crash killed HPTi's chief executive officer, its general counsel and its accountant, Tim Keenan – then chief operating officer – moved quickly to hold the firm together. With a workforce spread from California to New Jersey to Florida, HPTi utilizes many techniques to ensure the full engagement of its people. These techniques include a combination of process, technology and education to meet the needs of the HPTi people.
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RECORDING: Fostering Trust Within the Workplace Live Session Date: July 29, 2008 |
As a wise CEO recently said, "As leaders you should not spend time trusting your employees, but spend time getting your employees to trust you."
One of the most important elements of a harmonious, productive workplace is trust. Without trust, employees have little interest in being creative, taking risks and collaborating – leading inevitably to more errors, inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
In today's world, leaders must excel at cultivating trust throughout the workplace. However, too often their actions destroy the trust of employees.
In this one-hour webinar to hear how two exceptional business leaders have intentionally created a culture of trust and respect in their workplace and how it has paid off in the success of their business.
Presenters:
Paul Silvis, Founder, Restek Corporation
Founded in 1985, Restek designs, develops, manufactures and services products for the analytical science industries, specifically gas and liquid chromatography, and has achieved revenue growth triple the industry average in recent years.
Arguing that their corporate success is directly related to employee motivation and job satisfaction, managers are taught to view themselves as personal and professional coaches to their team. They adhere to the principles of servant leadership and are strongly proactive in helping their staff to construct individual growth plans and further their career. The company's founder, Paul Silvis, says, "It's just a happy fest if the environment doesn't lead to results," and clients do indeed stand by Restek's superior product and beyond-excellent customer service.
Paal Gisholt, CEO, SmartPak
During the last two years, Paal Gisholt has observed that while demand is steady, growth has been slow in the horse supplies and equine supplements industry. However, his company, SmartPak Equine, which he founded in 1999, has been a tremendous performer.
Incentives like an employee stock ownership, open-book management and a quarterly recognition program by and for employees has kept SmartPak's workforce motivated and focused on the company's core values. The organization uses continuous improvement measures such as weekly "errors meetings" to simplify tasks or to automate manual processes that are prone to error. Rapid growth has led Gisholt to state, "I have become a believer in letting our culture serve as the primary mechanism to generate alignment of goals within the organization, an 'invisible hand' of sorts."
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RECORDING: Designing Strategy from the Bottom Up Live Session Date: June 25, 2008 |
The more employees are engaged in developing their company's business strategy, the more they are committed to its success. But how do you engage them in a meaningful, productive manner? In this one-hour session, hear how these two leaders of a small and midsized firm accomplish just that and the impact it has had on their business.
Presenters:
Amy Bermar, Founder and President, Corporate Ink
Specializing in quickly-growing tech businesses, Corporate Ink is a public relations firm made "boutique by design" – intimate, focused, agile and distinctive. Founded in 1989 in Newton, MA, Bermar has maintained a strong dedication to staff development and engagement which has ensured that they remain one of the hottest PR teams in the Boston area. In a period of downturn when many PR companies were cutting staff size by half, each of their 12 employees were retained, involved even further in company vitals and expected to identify new options for acquiring skills and experience in terms of winning new business.
Every year, the entire team of employees identifies strategic goals for moving the company forward. Bermar has found this to instill a much greater sense of ownership and accountability where employees control their own success and failures.
William Petty, Chairman and CEO, Exactech
Exactech has grown a lot since it was founded in 1985 in a single warehouse for the production of orthopaedic implant devices. The company went public in 1997 and now operates with 260 employees inside its own Gainesville, FL, facility, with global sales and rising revenues. The company continues to respond quickly to customers and remains nimble in the market even with their rapid growth. Great care is given to preserve this quality of service and their people-first, non-hierarchical culture.
Essential to this culture is employee engagement. There is a high expectation that employees will be involved in all important aspects of the business, from compensation planning to strategy development. Consequently, the employees are committed to achieving the shared strategic goals that will propel the company to market leadership.
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RECORDING: Building an Ownership Mentality Among Employees Live Session Date: May 21, 2008 |
There is an abundance of compelling research and decades of experience that shows that when employees think and act more like owners it gives the business an enormous competitive advantage. Building a culture characterized by a mentality of employee ownership is not accomplished by a formulaic approach and does not happen overnight. Still, there are clear best practices that make up all these environments.
Tune in to this one-hour webinar to hear about these practices and how two successful leaders have sustained work cultures that are both highly participative and productive.
Presenters:
Mike Foley, CEO, Reflexite Corporation
At Reflexite, a global manufacturer of optical components and films, employees own a major share of the company stock. With 500 employees spread across the world, effective communication is crucial to maintaining an open and participatory workplace where employees think and act like owners. Its leadership continually educates, shares critical business information and intentionally structures opportunities for employees to problem solve and take on new risks.
Bill Marshall, CEO, Phelps County Bank
Founded in 1963, this establishment is now one of only two banks in the country which are completely employee owned. Before cash machines, online checking and global outsourcing, your bank was as familiar as the local grocery, and your banker knew you and your family like an old friend. Walking into Phelps County Bank today, you're going to understand what quality banking can still represent.
Ownership is at the core here, and it is this which has grown the bank despite new competition and lean times. Clients and employees relish the comfortable atmosphere and pervasive attention to quality work.
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RECORDING: Developing a Fantastic Customer Service Culture Live Session Date: April 23, 2008 |
Savvy business leaders know they must have a motivated and engaged workforce in order to retain a loyal customer base. In this one-hour session, hear from two leaders who will share their experience and practical advice on facilitating this connection in your business.
Presenters:
Mike Faith, Founder and CEO, Headsets.com
Headsets.com, an Internet and catalog specialist retailer of telephone headsets, has been led by Mike Faith since he founded the company in 1997. With more and more call centers moving offshore, companies like Headsets.com have risen to dominate distribution of telephone headsets to small and midsize offices.
While maintaining a successful enterprise is what drives Faith daily, he knows in order to be a success you have to treat both employees and customers with respect and understanding. The culture of Headsets.com can be summed up as 50 people working towards a common goal – delivering world-class customer service. Faith's philosophy for ensuring camaraderie is to constantly show his employees how crucial their role is within the organization.
Mark Wilson, CEO, Ryla, Inc.
Based north of Atlanta, Ryla, Inc. provides customer contact solutions for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and non-profits nationwide. It's tough work, and the company's 377 employees are often on call at all hours, able to provide assistance in a variety of languages.
With benefits far above the industry standard and professional and personal development seminars enriching even entry-level positions, Ryla is making sure its team sticks around, resulting in a turnover rate around one-third the industry average. A high level of caring and diversity saturates this organization, and their uniquely positive attitude is perhaps no more apparent than in the employee-crafted cheers presented at monthly "Ryla Huddles," highlighting the accomplishments of the team and talents of each individual.
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RECORDING: Growing Leaders from Within Live Session Date: March 19, 2008 |
With 80 percent of all business coming from repeat clients, Gentle Giant Moving Company Founder Larry O'Toole reasons the core of such success rests with the emphasis upon developing leaders and nourishing respect and compassion in the culture.
At Healthwise, management intentionally reinforces the company's motto, "Lead from any position," rewarding individuals for taking initiative in solving problems, thinking strategically, and accepting personal ownership.
These leaders share their successes, challenges and lessons learned as they work to develop leaders.
Presenters:
Larry O'Toole, Founder and President, Gentle Giant Moving Co.
It began in 1980 with an ad in the Boston Phoenix, a borrowed truck and healthy dose of gusto. With much dust and sweat, a lot of laughs and more than a few precarious stairwells to follow, Gentle Giant Moving is now one of the premier moving and storage companies on the East Coast, conducting over 12,000 moves each year with 250 employees.
With 25 percent in new revenues between 2004 and 2007, one can indeed infer that Gentle Giant's formula works. Staff are expected to make billing decisions even at the lower levels, all with the end goal of minimalizing the trauma of moving. Employees enjoy a solid benefits package, including a formal mentoring program and a generous 401K plan, and most participate in events organized through the company's own community development foundation.
Don Kemper, Chairman and CEO, Healthwise
Conceived in 1975, Healthwise was one of the first companies to lead the consumer health movement. With its mission to "help people make better health decisions," this nonprofit has grown to 215 employees, all of the top three disease management companies, hundreds of hospitals, and most of the large web portals.
A shift from paper to Net-based documents and phenomenal growth in both revenue and staff numbers have resulted in rethinking work processes to create cross-functional teams, thus avoiding a siloed dynamic. The organization has institutionalized its culture "The Healthwise Way" around the pillars of respect, teamwork and "do the right thing." The company consistently attracts top talent and transplants to its Boise office.
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RECORDING: Family-Friendly Workplace Practices Live Session Date: February 20, 2008 |
According to Take Back Your Time (timeday.org), we work 9 weeks longer each year than our European peers, while we average about 2 weeks per year for vacations compared to Europeans' 5-6 weeks. Is it any wonder, then, that a recent Hudson Index found that nearly a third of U.S. workers now consider work-life balance and flexibility to be the most important factor in considering job offers?
In this session, learn how two exceptional leaders help employees balance the demands of work and family, and the big payoff it has had on their businesses. Includes:
Presenters:
Frank Guerra, CEO and Partner, Guerra DeBerry Coody
Frank Guerra is founder and CEO of Guerra DeBerry Coody, a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations firm based in San Antonio, Texas. Now in its twelfth year, GDC offers general market as well as Hispanic capabilities for regional and national clients.
Most recently Frank served on the national Bush/Cheney re-election team, working on general market as well as Hispanic advertising. In the 2002 election cycle, GDC served as the Hispanic agency of record for the Jeb Bush for Governor Campaign in Florida and the Rick Perry for Governor Campaign in Texas, garnering record-setting votes for both candidates.
GDC now applies these methodologies and tactics honed in the political arena to the corporate sector, helping clients win business, achieve sales goals, and build successful corporate community initiatives at regional and national levels.
Family culture is at the very core here, and its 61 employees consider their on-site, parent-driven and partner-supported childcare program fundamental to the nature of the organization as a whole. With 100 percent paid maternity and paternity leave, transportation reimbursement and emergency employee loans, team members "go home happy and come in to work happy."
James Tippmann, CEO, FRCH Design Worldwide
As Chief Executive Officer at FRCH Design Worldwide, Jim Tippmann is responsible for setting the company's strategic direction, guiding the business and directing its planned global expansion and diversification. He leads both the firm's Executive and Management Committees. Prior to assuming the position of CEO in 2002, Jim had been Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at FRCH. He served on the firm's Executive Committee and helped plan and implement firm initiatives nationally and internationally. Under his leadership as CEO the firm has doubled in size over the past 4 years.
Jim started with FRCH in 1988 in business operations after having begun his career in the Entrepreneurial Practices Division of Arthur Andersen. During that period he gained experience as a business consultant to a variety of small businesses. Immediately prior to joining FRCH, Jim worked in an executive position with several commercial and residential real estate developers structuring acquisition transactions and financing arrangements.
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RECORDING: Making the Flexible Workplace Work Live Session Date: October 30, 2007 |
Over 50% of the Top Small Workplaces finalists offer some type of flexible work arrangement for their employees. Studies have shown that small employers are significantly more likely to offer flexibility to their employees. More leaders are recognizing that providing flexible options for their employees is a smart, strategic decision as it allows them to effectively recruit and retain top talent. Evidence shows that employees that are allowed greater flexibility are more engaged in their jobs, have higher job satisfaction rates and are more productive.
Presenters
Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace Corp, Watertown, MA
Communispace is one of the fastest growing social networking companies in the country. Diane leads over 175 employees in managing the more than 275 private online customer communities the company has created to help Fortune 500 companies deeply engage with, and listen to, customers – organizations such as Kraft, Unilever, Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, Meredith, and GlaxoSmithKline.
The company has been honored with numerous awards for innovation and workplace best practices including being named a Winning Workplaces/Fortune Small Business' Best Boss. Hear how this leader has implemented innovative flex arrangements for employees, how these arrangements have set the tone for the company culture, changed internal management practices, and have had a direct impact on her business.
Karen Oman, Founder, Certes Financial Pros, St. Louis Park, MN
Karen Oman founded Certes Financial Pros in 1994, a firm specializing in placing high level financial professionals in contract, temp to perm, and permanent placement positions. The company was honored as one of Minnesota's Best Places to Work.
As a work/life balance leader, Certes gives their financial contractors input into the kind of work they do, location preferences, and how much they want to be paid for that work. In an industry where 60+ hour work weeks are the norm, Certes offers overtime pay for every hour worked over 40, plus provides such unique benefits as summers off, sabbaticals without losing benefits, and free access to five vacation homes around the country.
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RECORDING: Open Book Management: 10 Ways Business Succeeds When Employees Have Skin in the Game Live Session Date: September 25, 2007 |
Nearly 80% of the 2007 Top Small Workplaces finalists practice open book management. These are the same firms that average a 20% annual growth rate. Opening up the company books, teaching employees how the business makes money and instituting profit sharing plans can ignite greater commitment from the workforce. Increasingly, business leaders are implementing open book management to motivate their employees to act more like owners in order to grow their business.
Hear what two successful small business owners have learned from opening up their financial books and the impact it has had on their business.
You will learn about:
Presenters
Jeff Jeffery, President and CEO, IRMCO, Evanston, IL
IRMCO is an 89 year-old manufacturer of water-based lubricants for the metal-stamping industry. Jeff was instrumental in developing the first deep-drawing synthetic lubricants more than 20 years ago and is still very much involved with driving environmental responsibility and improvement in the same market. IRMCO has been recognized by Loyola University as one of Illinois' top family businesses on three separate occasions and is the current sponsor of the metal stamping industry's only environmental award. At IRMCO, with a staff of 25 employees, Jeff implemented open book management nine years ago when he noticed that the old profit sharing plan was too arbitrary and gain sharing bonuses too hard to quantify. When employees are treated like owners, Jeff has found that they act more like owners helping to control costs, staff appropriately and improve efficiencies.
Chris Turley, President/CEO of Turley Architects, Evanston, IL
Chris Turley is the President, Founder, and Lead Designer of Turley Architects, a firm that believes passionate clients are the best clients. Chris has worked on projects ranging from single-family homes, high-rises and historic structures, to hospitals, railway stations, theaters, offices, and commercial spaces. In addition to being a licensed architect in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, Mr. Turley holds licenses as a residential builder, energy professional, and kitchen and bath designer. He has taught Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and gives seminars for groups including the American Institute of Architects, the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association, and the Chicago Center for Green Technology. Chris was inspired to start implementing open book management at Turley Architects as a result of his own past experiences as a frustrated employee at previous firms. The open book management system was implemented at Turley Architects in 2003 as an important way to give employees ownership of their work, thereby encouraging their full commitment to the long-term wellbeing of the firm.
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