7th Annual Best Places to Work

2008 honorees demonstrate "family" doesn't have to be squeezed out of larger firms

Story by Sean Fitzgerald

As a small, first generation family owned business grows in scope and scale across generations, who says that it needs to abandon its tight-knit family environment in favor of a myopic focus on the bottom line?

The tie that binds the three winners of the 2008 New North B2B Best Places to Work honors is the prevalent family atmosphere and unencumbered access to ownership that exists in mid- to large-size multi-generational firms. Among J. F. Ahern Co. of Fond du Lac, Miron Construction Co. Inc. of Menasha and Sadoff & Rudoy Industries of Fond du Lac, the latter has been around the shortest period of time – 61 years and three generations of ownership – while Miron has been operating for nine decades and J. F. Ahern has been around since President Rutherford B. Hayes oversaw the nation’s affairs from the White House in 1880.

All three employers remain family-owned, and even though each has added hundreds of employees in just the past few decades, each of our three 2008 award winners has managed to keep the family atmosphere central to its daily operations.

As with our past award winners, we’ve sat down with company leadership and with employees to learn what makes each firm a great place to work. We hope their unique workplace perks – particularly those bearing little to no expense – spark some ideas of how to make your business a workplace of choice.

Sadoff & Rudoy Industries
When life throws you a curve, it’s reassuring to have an employer that doesn’t make tough situations even tougher.
For Ricky Bell, a machine operator and 19-year employee of Sadoff & Rudoy, and his wife, Joanie, another former employee of the company, life met its greatest challenge when Joanie was diagnosed with cancer. In the midst of an arduous and financially exhausting treatment regiment, the couple – who met while working for Sadoff & Rudoy – ran into the million-dollar cap for coverage on their health insurance policy. Then the situation became worse – Joanie’s diagnosis was changed to terminal.

The company’s HR staff did some research to identify a new insurance option that would continue to assist with Joanie’s care. Fellow employees held a benefit for the Bells and raised more than $10,000. And Bell has been given the time he needs to spend with his wife as the cancer continues to take its toll.

“I can work here, with my wife being terminal with cancer, and they tell me ‘let us know what we can do for you.’ This is emotional for me,” said Bell, whose grandfather and uncle have also worked for Sadoff & Rudoy.

And while Bell’s story may be among the most personal of those from the 250-employee company, it’s of little surprise to the rest of the staff. The scrap metal recycling firm pays roughly 90 percent of the premium on its group health insurance premiums.

The company also has an extended track record of placing a premium on wellness, giving it the same attention and prominence as its well-established safety programs.

In addition to a relatively mature wellness program, Sadoff & Rudoy provides a $500 wellness benefit to every person – that’s employee, spouse and children – on the company health insurance plan. That wellness benefit can be used toward expenses for preventative care such as routine physicals, mammographies or colonoscopies.

“When (the company wellness committee) talks about our programs, we talk about extending them out as far as we can to the family of employees,” said Colleen Kollmann, logistics manager and a 24-year employee of Sadoff & Rudoy.

This past summer the company initiated a voluntary stretching program at the beginning of each shift, an effort toward allowing workers in the yard and office staff to limber up and minimize risk for injury on the job. While initially met with a morsel of hokie skepticism, employees have accepted and even embraced the morning routine.

Ricky Bell, who’s also the union steward at the company, was one of those doubters on the first day of stretching.
“It’s fantastic. It gets the blood going. I use it,” he said.

Recognizing the power of its personnel has become one of three core competencies the company has recognized for itself, said Jason Lasky, vice president and one of the third generation owners of Sadoff & Rudoy. It’s a philosophy that’s always existed, but more recently had been placed in writing along with accountability and customer confidence.

“We believe there are benefits we can provide our employees, that regardless of their return, make this a great place to work,” Lasky said.

Another benefit providing a direct return on investment is the tuition reimbursement program. Kollmann has been working toward her bachelor’s degree in supply chain operations management, and has nearly all of it paid by the company. The company has no maximum level to its tuition reimbursement, but rather reimburses a set percent of the tuition to the employee based upon their performance in each class. Kollmann said management has been accommodating of her coursework, allowing her to modify her work schedule in order to take the classes she needs.

The company also supports a variety or employee interests outside of work. Sadoff & Rudoy sets a budget each year to support employee requests to donate to a favorite charitable event, or support a child’s sports team. One employee who plays quarterback for the semi-pro Kettle Moraine Titans football team asked the company to help purchase some equipment. Another employee requested a sponsorship for a car he had in a demolition derby.

“I can’t think of many requests that we’ve ever turned down,” Lasky said.

Less costly benefits, such as the company’s At-a-Boy (or At-a-Girl) program, spontaneously reward employees at any given time with small gift certificates and a note of appreciation.

 Miron Construction
Even though Menasha-based Miron Construction Co. boasts roughly 1,100 across its entire firm, employees say the family atmosphere and open access to ownership still rivals that of many smaller companies.

Various employee appreciation events during the course of the year, such as a summer picnic at one of the owner’s homes on Lake Poygan, allow employees and their families the chance to mingle on a personal level. Back at the office, barriers between staff and ownership don’t seem less surmountable, as evidenced by the open day lighting of its atrium and the firm’s cubicle environment at its corporate headquarters. Those who do have individual offices keep their doors open and only separated from the rest of the staff by a wall of glass.

“The two owners of the company are very active with you on a day to day basis,” said Tim Andrew, a project manager with the company who said he appreciates having the owners come to groundbreaking events for the clients he works directly alongside.

A 46,000-sq. ft. expansion project currently underway at Miron’s headquarters will allow staff even more room to spread out, as well as a larger training facility for staff. The additional space is intended to foster collaboration among employees, said Dean Basten, CPA, secretary/treasurer for Miron.

Miron is one of few employers remaining that still provide employees and their families a fully paid health insurance plan, complete with dental and vision benefits. The 90-year-old company has also supported an aggressive wellness program, and recently added a part time wellness coach to its staff. An on-site fitness center – which will triple in size when the company wraps up its expansion project in early 2009 – is available to employees and their spouses to keep in shape. The larger fitness area will also allow instructional space for exercise programs like Yoga or Pilates, and include larger locker rooms in which employees can shower and change clothes before heading back to their desk.

“We’ve always prided ourselves as a family company,” Basten said. “It’s always been important to our owners to take care of all of our employees’ entire family so that they don’t have to be concerned about health care costs (as an example).”

The growth of Miron’s business – even during challenging economic times – has created opportunities for employees and allowed the peace of mind that jobs with the firm remain safe. Basten said Miron is anticipating nearly 30 percent growth this year, a prognosis that’s driving the building expansion.

With four offices across Wisconsin and Iowa and many of its skilled employees out in the field on project sites, Miron officials work hard to include and communicate to employees outside of the Fox Cities. The Miron School of Construction – an in-house training program established at each of its office locations – provides employees with special training opportunities on topics like safety or trends in environmental design. Employees who attend receive a dinner and a company gift, such as a Miron golf shirt.

In addition to discretionary summer and holiday bonuses based on the company’s financial performance, Miron also supports a separate profit sharing program and provides a percentage match on an employee’s contribution to a 401(k) fund.

Employees cited Miron’s high visibility and level of support for community events as a particular point of pride when out and about with family and friends in the Fox Cities. The company’s lead support for events like Quarry Quest and the Fox Cities Marathon not only embolden that pride, but create opportunities for employees to get involved volunteering in the community.

“A lot of people know that Miron is involved in the community,” said Andrew, who has been with the company nearly three years. “It’s a good feeling to know the company is so highly thought of.”

J. F. Ahern Co.
J. F. Ahern Co. of Fond du Lac becomes only the second firm to win B2B’s Best Places to Work Award on multiple occasions, following in the footsteps of 4imprint in Oshkosh, which has garnered the honor in three separate years.
When a previous winner submits a nomination in subsequent years, we evaluate not only the full scope of benefits, workplace amenities and environment the employer offers, but also what steps the company has made to improve upon the workplace climate since last receiving our award. Ahern met the challenge since winning the Best Places to Work honor in 2006, expanding upon an already impressive menu of opportunities for staff to improve themselves.

With the advent of a three-story, 55,000-sq. ft. addition to its corporate offices in 2007, the company was able to expand its workspaces for employees, increase the size of its on-site fitness area by more than three times its previous size, and improve the day lighting, openness and “greening” of its workspace.

Outside of its physical structure, the mechanical contractor recently launched its online Ahern Academy, an educational resource where the company’s 1,000 employees can log in and receive training for a skill directly related to their job, or for a skill that might allow them to expand their horizons in other areas. Training courses available through the Ahern Academy include opportunities to brush up on Microsoft Word or Excel skills, or improve business writing technique.

It’s a unique complement to Ahern’s already strong personal development program, which grants each employee up to $200 a year for use toward classes on topics of interest to them such as cooking, golf, quilting or speed reading. A few employees have used this benefit toward their SCUBA certification, while another used it to learn to ride horseback.

“It’s always been our philosophy to have our employees develop themselves outside of work as well as while they’re at work,” said Dan Haave, director of human resources at J. F. Ahern Co.

Ahern’s newly expanded fitness facility is also open to spouses of employees and any children aged 12 to 18. Family members are encouraged to come in to use the nearly 2,000-sq. ft. facility day or night, Haave said, an amenity that recognizes an entire healthy family can help the employee remain on task and contribute toward keeping group health care costs low.

“We recognize that a large portion of the population that is getting unhealthy is the spouses and the children of the employees,” Haave said.

Ryan Van Thiel, manager of technical services at Ahern and a six-year employee of the company, classified it as a “top-class fitness facility,” even though he admits to not using it as much as he should. Busy working toward his MBA degree through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh –of which Ahern contributes $4,000 a year toward the cost of the tuition – Van Thiel said he’s been pleased with his employer’s effort to develop well-rounded staff.

“If someone takes the time to develop themselves, the company will recognize that and create (career) opportunities for employees,” Van Thiel said.

J. F. Ahern pays about 85 percent of its employees’ health insurance premiums, and offers an additional $300 wellness benefit to its employees located outside of Fond du Lac to use toward fitness club memberships or classes. The company’s relatively young wellness program includes on-site annual flu vaccinations at no cost to the employee, and a no cost annual health risk assessment.

Believing its current employees are the best recruiting tool to identifying potential new employees, J. F. Ahern has long offered an employee referral program which provides incentives if a current staff member refers a job candidate. For those job seekers who are hired and become a good fit with the company after six months, both the new hire and the referring employee can earn as much as $2,000 through the program. That was increased just a few months ago from a maximum of $800. Haave said it still beats some of the exorbitant costs that can go into employee recruitment.

Lastly, Ahern extends about 40 percent of its annual profits back to employees in the form of its profit sharing program, 401(k) plan, and periodic bonuses. The company provides a 50 percent match on all employee contributions made to a 401(k) fund up to the first $5,000 each year.