Pro Towels/Superior Decorating/ Kanata Blanket
Pro Towels—which includes Superior Decorating and Kanata Blanket Co.—is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with additional facilities in Abbeville, South Carolina, Richmond, British Columbia and Camarillo, California.
Top Executive
Kevin Nord, Owner and President
Type of Company
Supplier
Location
Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with additional offices in Abbeville, South Carolina; Camarillo, California and Richmond, British Columbia.
Websites
www.protowels.com; www.superioridealine.com; www.kanatapromo.com
Year Founded
Towels Etc., founded in 2001, purchased Professional Towel Mills in 2006 and became Pro Towels. It acquired Superior Decorating in 2010 and Kanata Blanket in 2015.
Total Employees
275
Company Motto
“Our mission is to become your business partner and provide you with the solutions to best fit your promotional needs.”
Perks
Heathcare benefits
Paid holidays, personal and vacation days
Appreciation lunches and dinners
Monthly potluck
Dinner and gift cards at Christmas
Employee of the Month Award with t-shirt and $25 gift card for the winner
Monthly paid lunches for production team in California
Massages in California
Thanksgiving turkey in the U.S.
Subsidized fitness club membership in Canada
Basketball and volleyball leagues in South Carolina (games are held during work breaks)
English and computer lessons in South Carolina
WHAT EMPLOYEES SAY ABOUT PRO TOWELS, SUPERIOR DECORATING AND KANATA BLANKET: Twelve-year Kanata Blanket employee Bryson Rochelle, one of 43 employees who nominated the trio of companies for the honor, says the management-supported culture is what makes the companies a great place to work. “Ownership always takes the time to listen to all employees regardless of the department they work in. Everyone’s opinion is always welcome and people feel that they are part of moving the company forward—a true team effort.” His colleague and fellow nominator, Minne Tutor, works at the reception desk and has been at Kanata Blanket for five years. “The accounting department enhanced my skills and taught me invoicing, billing and collecting payments,” she says. The ability to learn new skills is also noted by nominator Edith Oropesa, an 11-year employee at Pro Towels, who says, “I love working at this company because it has given me the opportunity to use my knowledge and skills. My company recognizes, values and appreciates me and my work performance.” She adds, “There is also the feeling of belonging—being a part of the whole company rather than just being an employee.”
Nominator Sharon Griffith, a 15-year employee who is now vice president of marketing for the U.S. and Canada, was working for Kanata Blanket when it was acquired by Pro Towels in August 2015. “When Kanata Blanket became part of Pro Towels, I was concerned we’d lose our family feel and just become a corporate division and not listened to at all,” she says. “That absolutely has not happened. Kevin Nord, owner and president, communicates regularly with all locations and is willing to listen to suggestions, openly discuss issues and implement changes. It’s no easy task to ‘gel’ four locations and systems together but he makes Kanata feel part of the larger team and that our opinions and experience matters.”
HOW IT DIFFERENTIATES ITSELF AS AN EMPLOYER: The company’s mandate is to never miss a delivery date, says Griffith, and employees often go above and beyond to achieve this—even hiring a small plane or driving 12 hours themselves to make a delivery. “That makes it easy to give customers the confidence they need for our product and service. When Kanata joined Pro Towels last year, Pro Towels promoted from within to create a new position to ensure all employees were properly trained and came together as one. Nominator Stacey Fleming, a 17-year employee, says that during some of the hardest economic times, the owners and managers pinched every penny to keep from having to lay off people or shut the doors. “They are very aware of the needs of their employees and try their best to keep that in the forefront of their planning,” she says. “We have grown through the years and have added machinery and jobs which in turn has helped the economy in our small town. We mostly have long-term employees, which says a lot for our company. People want to work here.”
Connie Scott, a nominator and two-and-a-half-year employee, thinks her company is head-and-shoulders above others. “Instead of losing benefits, such as 401(k) and insurance, we seem to add benefits,” she says. “Our voices are heard here. Each time a new position becomes available it is offered to the employees to apply for before we go outside looking for someone. This allows anyone and everyone an opportunity to move up or simply to move to a different shift or position.”
THE EXTRAS THAT COUNT
Nominators across the board, from five-month employees to 17-year company veterans, cite the camaraderie that exists within Pro Towels/Superior Decorating/Kanata—not an easy feat for a company spread across four locations in the U.S. and Canada. Despite the miles and diversity of the team, team work is an intrinsic part of the company’s culture. “Every department is willing to help other departments when they are in need,” says nominator Leighanne Scott, a 10-year employee, adding that, during the busy season, the customer service team has come in on the weekends working in the printing plant to help relieve some of the stress on the other employees. “I believe these efforts to help another department’s day run a little more smoothly is what makes our company different,” she says.
