Company Culture can be devastating or agreeable to employees and customers. When I work with small business owners,
I help them to understand the importance of building a thriving culture that is sustainable and lasting.
When I talk to employees of companies that get culture right, I’m always impressed by their overall job satisfaction and sense of well-being. The top cultures all, in some form or fashion, promote autonomy, life-long learning, decision-making based on core values and emphasize employees as the bedrock of the business.
Here are my top 5 local company culture stars, in no particular order:
1.Ruby Receptionist (callruby.com). Lives and breathes their core values. They have placed number one in the “Best Company to Work For” three years in a row. They emphasize employee happiness and connectivity, and they have internal coaches for their leaders.
2.Wilco (wilco.coop). Wilco Farm Coop supports agri-business in Oregon and beyond. When you step into a Wilco store, you’ll see the culture is hard-working and team-oriented. The culture has a rural feel to it. The employees are helpful and empowered to make customer service decisions. The staff in Prineville is just as friendly as they are in Oregon City.
3.Burgerville (burgerville.com). Fresh.Local.Sustainable. Burgerville continues to thrive by committing to Northwest farmers and ranchers. They encourage employee involvement in sustainability leadership, and they support employee’s developing their strengths. They are a treasure.
4.Dave’s Killer Bread (daveskillerbread.com). This is an example of authentic leadership from the heart. DKB is committed to sustainability of the environment and of their employees. They provide real livable wages, free meals while on duty, and great medical benefits. They use 100% wind power and donate imperfect bread to shelters.
5.Albertina Kerr (albertinakerr.org). Albertina Kerr is built on respect. From the top down, it’s an organization that truly embraces community, internally and externally. They are smart, savvy and successful and provide terrific benefits for their employees.
I invite you to send me your top 5 company cultures. In the meantime, if you want a little help developing your small business culture, contact me. I would love to hear about your successes and challenges.