ERMCO has been named as one of central Indiana’s “2011 Top Places to Work” by the Indianapolis Star. The results of the competition were announced in the Sunday, April 17th special edition to the Star. Of all private companies in central Indiana, 101 were considered for the awards. From those, the groups were broken down into three categories- Large, Midsize and Small Companies, based on their number of employees. The research identified the top twenty-five companies in the midsize category in which ERMCO was included. Based on feedback from our employees in several different areas, ERMCO finished in 7th place in the competition.
Of the sixty-five companies who received top rankings, ERMCO was one of only three construction contractors and the only specialty trade contractor included. The other two contractors were both ERMCO customers, with Shiel Sexton finishing 4th in the Midsize category and Meyer-Najem finishing 1st in the Small Company category. Meyer-Najem noted in their profile that, because so many of a construction firm’s employees work off-site at construction sites, the management team must work harder to create a sense of community within the company. That is certainly true at ERMCO as well. We believe that events such as our Safety and Productivity Celebration event, our company picnic, our jobsite Safety Recognition luncheons and other employee centered events have helped us establish an excellent relationship with our employees and were important to our recognition as a Top Place to Work.
The companies included in the Indianapolis Star Top Workplaces list were selected from a survey of employees measuring qualities such as company leadership, career opportunities, workplace flexibility, compensation and benefits. The survey included questions concerning ethics, values and community involvement. As our past history proves, these are all areas of paramount importance to us. Our recognition in this competition validates that we are doing well in the areas that are most important to us and to our employees.
President, Darrell Gossett, stated; “We are both excited and humbled to be named a Top Place to Work. We certainly strive to do the right things to help make our employees motivated to excel and to make them proud to be part of the ERMCO team. To do so well in a competition of this type where we are being compared to virtually all companies in central Indiana is a testament to our people and the way they work together. We want everyone to want to come to work each day, to enjoy what they do and to be proud at the end of the day to go home and share what they accomplished.”
The research process involved all areas of the company including the office staff, field leadership team and the rank and file craftspersons. While the individual responses were kept confidential by the research firm, we were given feedback on how we did with each group. We were also given direct quotes from employees’ responses on many of the questions, without reference to which individuals made the comments. The comments were overwhelmingly positive and most all of them verified that our efforts are actually working and that we are meeting our goals in most every area. At the same time, there were several comments providing input, suggestions and constructive criticism that will be extremely helpful moving forward.
Greg Gossett, Vice President of Corporate Operation, said in response, “While we are proud of the results of the 2011 competition, our company has been built on the premise of constant improvement. We are never spoiled by success and are never content to stay where we’re at today. We will take this input seriously and will use it to make ourselves an even better company.”
We thank our employees for taking the time to participate in this program. The fact that they recognized its importance and were willing to provide their thoughts and opinions is testament that they truly feel they are and important part of the ERMCO family and can make a difference in the company’s future. We will continue to strive for perfection and will work hard to make them proud to say they work for ERMCO today, next year and for many years to come.