Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/100667
UP FRONT Regional Roundup �� 12 n Face Time �� 17 n Connections �� 20 ���The ownership transition has been seamless and employees know we value them and their ambitions. We are a great place to work and that shows in our low turnover rate.��� ��� Miles Girouard, president of Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction By Mar y B eth Mat zek Honoring excellence Transitions can always be tough for businesses, but the best companies know the right steps to get through and come out better on the other side. That quality unites the four businesses selected to receive the 2012 New North Workplaces of the Year, which is sponsored by Right Management, says Al Hartman, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh professor and one of the contest judges. This year���s winners include Bassett Mechanical of Kaukauna; Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction Inc. of Appleton; J.J. Keller & Associates of Neenah; and Nicolet Plastics of Mountain in Oconto County. Some transitions are obvious, such as new leadership, which both Bassett Mechanical and Hoffman went through in recent years. Others, such as coming up with a better process for recruiting and retaining sales staff like J.J. Keller did, are more subtle. ���Whatever challenge facing the business, these four used employee talent and expertise to solve the problems,��� Hartman says. ���Employee involvement is essential as is having a strong culture. All four of these companies had just that.��� Nicolet Plastics The plastic injection molding company struggled with finding a skilled workforce as business grew so owner 10 | Insight ��� J a n u a r y 2 013 Photographs by Jackie Boyd New North singles out top workplaces for strong employee involvement New North Co-Chair Kathy Seifert interviews innovation panelists Dan Ariens of Ariens Co. and Melanie Holmes of ManpowerGroup during the New North Summit on Dec. 7. Christine Mau of Kimberly Clark (not pictured) also was a panelist. About 800 people attended the ninth annual event, held in Appleton at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. Bob McIntosh decided to strengthen his workforce from within by doing a lot of training in-house. ���We have a lot of skilled positions, but there���s a small pool of workers available so we���ve done a lot with training people for the jobs we need filled,��� he says. Hartman says Nicolet Plastics took multiple steps to become the employerof-choice in the region. The company employs 74. ���They came up with a change management plan that included compensation, communication and accountability that has resulted in a turnover rate of below 2.5 percent,��� which is outstanding, he says. At the same time, the company looked at ways to improve its turnaround time on projects. Nicolet worked with the UW Quick Response Learning Center for two years and came up with different processes and procedures. ���We were able to respond more quickly to our customers and our employees played a key role in helping w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m