TOP MIDSIZE COMPANIES (In alphabetical order)
(PPAI 244847)
Top Executive: Dave Gehris
Headquarters: Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Founded: 1981
Employees: 31
What employees say: “It’s a family atmosphere. There is always someone who will lighten your spirit, help you with a new project or help you when it is difficult to meet a deadline.”
Dave Gehris, COO, on what it takes to create a great workplace: A great workplace is not created by one person, rather a group of individuals who buy into the same philosophy and culture. Our culture revolves around being a company that cares. We care about each other and, as a result, we care about our customers and their satisfaction understanding that without them, we don’t exist. It’s important for each of my teammates to know that they have a role in our success, and their role is equally important as is their fellow teammate’s role—no matter how long they’ve been here or what they do.
A workplace should be a place where one enjoys what they do and who they do it with. Open communication and new ideas are encouraged. We have fun with daily interaction and in weekly/monthly meetings but, ultimately, we all have a mutual respect for one another. When you combine that with a sense of caring, great things can and do happen on a daily basis. I have been with this company for over 25 years and I can honestly say that I have never had a bad day because I love the people I work with.
Axis Promotions
(PPAI 159158)
Top Executive: Larry Cohen
Headquarters: New York, New York
Founded: 1992
Employees: 67
What employees say: “Axis is a very creative collaborative environment, with amazing talent and leadership.”
Larry Cohen, president, on what it takes to create a great workplace: At Axis, one of the key ingredients is empowerment. As the owner of the company, I recognize that I am really good at certain things and not so good at others. As a result, I’ve empowered others at every level to provide guidance, insight and leadership to help make Axis the best it can be. For example, we have a culture committee that has its own budget and is empowered to create events and “surprise and delight” for everyone at Axis. I love getting surprised at all the things they do.
Additionally, we have a President’s Advisory Council that is comprised of team members from multiple offices and various levels of seniority. They are tasked and encouraged to help us develop policies that impact all aspects of how we work at Axis. One of the keys to the success of this group is that no one on the senior leadership team is in these meetings so that the members are free to discuss things openly. The goal is to empower this group to develop policies that can be pushed up to the senior leadership team as opposed to the senior leadership team pushing things down. We work hard to eliminate the vacuum that can develop between leadership and the rest of the members.
(PPAI 103877)
Top Executive: Mike Bowen
Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
Founded: 1970
Employees: 49
What employees say: “It’s a team environment that challenges you to take ownership and lead others. This is a great place to work, with endless possibilities for growing and learning. It also has a great family environment.”
Club Colors Buyer, LLC
(PPAI 135725)
Top Executive: Jeff Baumet
Headquarters: Schaumburg, Illinois
Founded: 1993
Employees: 64
What employees say: “Club Colors cares about its employees. They do the little things that don’t cost much but go a mile in the eyes of those who work for them.”
F&E Sportswear
(PPAI 280239)
Top Executive: Richard Patino
Headquarters: Montgomery, Alabama
Founded: 1979
Employees: 45
What employees say: “F&E Sportswear is my home. It’s a family-run business and they treat everyone like family. The owner treats everyone the same.”
(PPAI 114031)
Top Executive: Howard Cubberly
Headquarters: San Diego, California
Founded: 1970
Employees: 26
What employees say: “I get the flexibility to work from home when I need to and the autonomy to make decisions that directly impact my job. Hands down, best job I have ever had.”
Greater China Industries, Inc.
(PPAI 191353)
Top Executive: Ben Zhang
Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington
Founded: 1995
Employees: 28
What employees say: “You get the support you need from upper management. You have the ability to earn a lot of money in this business and this company will help you to achieve your goals.”
Ben Zhang, president and CEO, on how to create a great workplace: I would say that to create a great workplace has not been easy. Greater China has worked hard for two-plus decades to make the top 60 list. As CEO, I have done my best to make our employees’ career success my No. 1 priority. The following are just some of the actions Greater China has taken to achieve top 60 success:
- Hire “A” players for “A” positions throughout the company so that we are effective in what we do and responsive to our clients
- Make the workplace fun and exciting through bi-monthly ice cream socials, annual company retreats, a summer golf tournament, an annual holiday party, periodic team building events such as golf outings, bowling or company lunch and a Chinese New Year celebration
- Human resource support to address employee concerns and needs
- Provide job training and career growth opportunities and advancement
- Provide tuition reimbursement for ongoing job-related education
- Support family financial needs by providing interest free advances or short-term loans
HandStands
(PPAI 111285)
Top Executive: Rodd Steuart
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded: 1983
Employees: 45
What employees say: “I work with a good group of people. We do some pretty cool things and I feel like I make a difference. I also think that we do good work.”
Jason Fogg, general manager, what it takes to create a great workplace: We try very hard to make our employees the top business priority. We believe that if we take good care of our employees, our employees will take good care of our customers and our customers will take good care of the business. One of the ways we do this is through our core values. These core values provide a daily reminder to our team members how important they are to our business.
Hirsch Gift, Inc.
(PPAI 221823)
Top Executive: Peter Hirsch
Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Founded: 1999
Employees: 75
What employees say: “The atmosphere at Hirsch Gift is one of cooperation and support, which I think is rare in today’s workplaces.”
Peter Hirsch, president, on what it takes to create a great workplace: ‘Kaizan’—continuous improvement—and we add to that ‘teamwork.’ It’s how we run the business and continuously look at promoting within, even considering personnel trained in one division for a completely different job opportunity. Building a great workplace is about making people enjoy coming to work each day. I think we achieve this by having a new, modern, comfortable and bright workspace as well as taking care of staff needs and listening to their ideas or concerns.
Image Source, Inc.
(PPAI 195953)
Top Executives: Tom Goos, MAS, and Brian Haner
Headquarters: Kirkland, Washington
Founded: 1998
Employees: 42
What employees say: “Image Source has developed a culture where people care about each other with a family atmosphere but also deliver on a performance-based environment. It is a great place to work and is much more than a job.”
Goldstar
(PPAI 114031)
Top Executive: Howard Cubberly
Headquarters: San Diego, California
Founded: 1970
Employees: 26
What employees say: “I get the flexibility to work from home when I need to and the autonomy to make decisions that directly impact my job. Hands down, best job I have ever had.”
I-Mark
(PPAI 111307)
Top Executive: Jay Irby
Headquarters: Arlington, Texas
Founded: 1984
Employees: 33
What employees say: “It is a relaxed work environment that operates at a fast pace that is both challenging and rewarding. We are able to communicate and be involved in major decisions for the company.”
Pacesetter Awards Co.
(PPAI 112642)
Top Executive: Roy Newton
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Founded: 1982
Employees: 62
What employees say: “Not a lot of places will work around personal schedules, but they do this frequently for me and others. I’ve worked with all areas of this company and have never worked anywhere else where everyone chips in to get the job done and make the customer happy, regardless of what department you work in. There is a real sense of teamwork here from the top to the bottom. We share the challenges and we share the success.”
Roy Newton, president and owner, on what it takes to create a great workplace: As an owner of a company you quickly realize that to be successful you need to acknowledge and encourage the efforts of all members of your team. The old saying “You are only as good as your weakest link” holds true to every organization no matter of its size. During the interview process you need to look not only for talent, but fit. Will this person work and be supportive to our clients and also to their co-workers? Once they’re a member of the team, it is important to give them constant feedback on their progress. Providing praise and constant interaction with the individual, will allow them to express their ideas while assisting them to grow into their position. Many studies indicate that one of the greatest motivators is publicly acknowledging your team’s efforts and successes. Building a sense of family is also crucial. When people know that you are truly concerned about them and their family’s well-being, then you are on the right track.
I also believe that providing my team a sense of purpose in their job along with a road map to improvement helps them to understand and strive to be better. My personal desire has been to be able to compensate my team 10-percent more than similar positions in our industry and providing them an excellent benefit package as well. As a company, we share a large percentage of our profits to all members of our staff via yearly bonuses. This pulls both management and employees together with a common goal—sales. One thing I am proud of was during the economic down turn, we reduced both owner and management compensation in order to be able to retain our workforce. We also collectively reduced everyone’s hours which allowed us to keep all of our staff.
I am proud to say that half of our employees have been with us for over five years and a quarter of those have been with us between 15 and 45 years. When you achieve a “sense of family” within your organization you have little turnover, high morale and a lifetime of collective memories.
Pinnacle Designs
(PPAI 112704)
Top Executive: David Messe
Headquarters: San Fernando, California
Founded: 1983
Employees: 54
What employees say: “The owners of my company truly believe their people are their greatest resource. They care about people and it shows in the way they do business. It is rare to see a company that values people and believes in doing the right thing—even over profit. I believe this is one of the reasons we have beat the odds and have been in business for almost 35 years.”
Talbot Marketing
(PPAI 100789)
Top Executive: Steve Levschuk
Headquarters: London, Ontario
Founded: 1886
Employees: 75
What employees say: “The owner really cares about his employees and reps … he is a family person with very high morals. I am proud to say I work for this company.”
Tangerine Promotions
(PPAI 439779)
Top Executive: Steve Friedman
Headquarters: Northbrook, Illinois
Founded: 2002
Employees: 33
What employees say: “The management takes care of their employees with great benefits and work-life balance policies. When employers take care of the employees, it shows in how clients are serviced.”
(PPAI 516677)
Top Executive: Todd Gabel
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Founded: 2010
Employees: 26
What employees say: “The amount of time we get for training is amazing. I can be totally creative, and they welcome my ideas and suggestions. This makes me do the best work that I can for our customers.”
Todd Gabel, CEO, on what it takes to create a great workplace: A great workplace starts with what matters—a workplace where employees are challenged, appreciated and satisfied with what they do. I foster a fun, open and supportive working environment where everyone is invested in one goal and are empowered to reach that goal. I encourage communication. We talk about new products, design ideas, marketing and sales initiatives as a team.
Team communication enables us to keep improving and accomplishing bigger and better things. I ensure that the employees feel appreciated. We are a lean company, so we are not able to provide the “premium perks” like a gym membership or catered lunch on a daily basis, but our fridge is always stocked and coffee is always fresh. I make sure to say hello to each employee every morning. When a job is well done, the whole office celebrates. We have a great company culture, amazing products, and the best and hardest working people you can find.
