The ESOP Association Annual Awards for Communications Excellence * 2012 AACE Judges Comments *

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1 The ESOP Association Annual Awards for Communications Excellence * 2012 AACE Judges Comments * The ESOP Association sponsors the AACE Program in order to foster ever-improving employee owner communications by way of sharing among association members. One good innovation sparks many more. Be sure to see the AACE Display early during the 2012 Annual Conference, and start collecting your own materials to enter in Our honored judges this year are: Mr. Steve Earle, Mid South Building Supply, Inc., Springfield, VA., Mr. Paul Horn, AACE Chair, WorkPlace Consultants, LLC, Bethesda, MD., Mr. David Kelly, Acadian Ambulance Services, Inc, Lafayette, LA., Ms. Missy McManigle, Walman Optical Co., Minneapolis, MN., and Mr. Rod Reinertson, Van Meter, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA. Click on the AACE obelisk at for pictures. This paper prepared by Pat Barnes, AACE Program Manager.

2 AACE 2012 And the Winner is Category 1-A, Total Communications Program, 100 or Fewer Employees Winner: The Onyx Group Alexandria, VA Natalie Nawroz The Onyx Group has come up with an idea we ve not seen before, a different approach, very personal and up to date, in a clear, well organized presentation. Their Onyx Group: Class of 2011 Yearbook features employee owners (including class designations) and activities during the year. It contains an explanation of the ESOP Advisory Committee and its duties. Included is their history. Also included are the Onyx time lines, examples of fund raising events such as the Army 10 Miler Race and other activities, even happy hour in the office. Cheers, Onyx! Runner Up: Priority Sign (also Runner Up 7-A, Special Events & Promotions, Series) Sheboygan, WI Lance McTrusty Priority Sign evidently has the advantage of having especially creative people as employee owners. They provide monthly (plus!) events throughout the year, that include a picnic, golf, food drives, a cook off, Halloween costumes, bowling, a stock price guessing game, a boat race, and a poster contest. There are learning games such as Jeopardy and Deal or No Deal. Included in their program is an Owner Spotlight in the newsletter, showing interest in communicating about and with the employee owners. Such consistent attention enriches the ownership experience, and keeps the ESOP as a Priority.

3 Category 1-B, Total Communications Program, Employees Winner: Van Meter Inc. (also Runner Up 5-B, ESOP Adv./Ownership Mktg. Web Sites) Waterloo, IA Tim Manternach Van Meter is all over ownership. Just look at their video of many employee owners talking about ownership and the company. There is a consistent theme and appearance in these materials that suggests forethought, planning and execution. There are fact sheets, ESOP Cash, a committee binder, many Employee Ownership Month activities, an extensive intranet, and a great web site with a large section on employee ownership. There is stock value learning and a Guess the Stock Value activity as well as a Stock Value Presentation, a CEO Program (Certified Employee Owner), an ESOP glossary of terms, Year at a Glance, and a poster contest. There are monthly newsletters, monthly Celebration Meetings, and the Five Ps People, Place, continued improvement, Provider and Profit. Ownership marketing is certainly included, as their delivery trucks proclaim, definitely an owners up message. At Van Meter, ownership and ESOP are ETF- easy to find! Runner Up: Mid South Building Supply Inc. (also Runner Up 3- A, Printed Materials, & Top Winner, 5-A, ESOP Adv./Ownership Mktg., General) Springfield, VA Steve Earle (Please see comments under Category 5-A)

4 Category 1-C, Total Communications Program, 501 1,000 Employees Winner: Woodward Communications, Inc. Dubuque, IA Dan Marcue Wooodward Communications chooses a Keep on Track race car theme for ESOP learning, developing the theme with games to earn parts of a race car, wheel guessing games, and even a race to cure hunger. Various promotional items are included, such as playing cards, cozies, and shirts. Providing a strong, consistent theme. There is a good history/esop (EOCC) Time Line, Keeping Your ESOP on Track. There is an ESOP Poster Contest, the In Focus newsletter, a beautiful annual report which includes ownership information providing a good ESOP foundation, and a great October ESOP month. Woodward Communications takes out an ESOP advertisement in its papers for over 170,000 readers. There is participatory management, making vesting pins/pens/cards more meaningful. Employee Owned is printed on their materials. There is much great ownership communication throughout Woodward Communication s entry. Runner Up: Hot Dog on a Stick (also Winner 3-B, Printed Material, & Runner Up 5-A, ESOP Adv./Ownership Mktg, General Carlsbad, CA Midori Cronky (Please see comments under Category 3- B)

5 Category 1-D, Total Communications Program, Over 1,000 Employees Winner: SRC Holdings Corporation Springfield, MO Amanda Kuda Picture this: your company s annual shareholder meeting is at the ballpark, and Jack Stack is the main speaker. SRC has adopted the rules from his book The Great Game of Business. He speaks about the Value: who among you best embodies the characteristics of ownership in their job? He speaks of building a better business, the path to ownership, those mad accountants, open book management, ROI, and those other crazy ESOP terms. All around you are employee owners who are financially educated, who wear Own It! shirts, and just may be on the It Squad. SRC Holdings has adopted a new Own It logo to convey the message of employee ownership. They have also created the It Squad for employee owner recognition. The Ownership Rules Campaign is another winning element in their communications program, as well as the Training Schedule/Agenda. There are milestone presentations, an introduction to employee owners, and financial literacy programs, all to encourage ownership behavior. To develop these ideas, there are the Owner s Voice interviews with long time owners, shareholders meetings, Guess the Stock Price Challenge, and Ownership Rule posters. Employee Ownership Month becomes ESOPtober. There is no shortage of employee ownership awareness at SRC. Runner Up: Burns & McDonnell (also Winner 5-B, ESOP Adv./Ownership Mktg.) Kansas City, MO Lindsay Blohn (Please see comments under Category 5-B)

6 Category 2-A, Video, 250 or Fewer Employees Winner: Unique Home Solutions Indianapolis, IN Lindsey Richardt This video from a smaller company, titled Welcome to Unique is very well done. It starts with an executive greeting, then moves quickly to the employee owner peers. This film is directly related to the ESOP, and everyone speaks about ownership. This is a succinct and clear explanation of the importance of ownership culture to the employee owners, especially to the new ones. Welcome to Unique is easy to understand, with good technical quality, visuals, editing and sound. Runner Up: Sonnax Industries Bellows Falls, VT Jamie Scott This is the first ESOP year for Sonnax. As a new ESOP, they have put together a video clip using topical humor, (rapping zombies), writing their own version of lyrics. (If you were a zombie, what would you say about ESOP)? This effort involved a number of employee owners with courage, a sense of humor and bad makeup. Backing up this effort were I Own the Company t-shirts, a holiday party with a company update, an ESOP Breakfast, Name the Newsletter, Employee Shout Out, a food drive, a Halloween celebration, and a promotional give-away. Importantly, there is now a Communications Committee Charter to give purpose and direction to ownership communication in this brand new ESOP. Category 2-B, Video, Over 250 Employees Winner: The Cianbro Companies Pittsfield, ME Lauren Dow Cianbro can be very proud of their video, which is a clear and compelling message on their company and ownership, with well-edited clips from the founders as well as the employee owners. There are numerous testimonials which get across a strong ESOP message relaying that every employee owner contributes and has a responsibility to their fellow owners. It is easy to related to this video on a personal level. Good visuals, technical quality, editing, sound and content. Runner Up: Acadian Companies (also Top Winner 6-B Special Events & Promotions, 1 Ev.) Lafayette, LA Chance Louviere (Please see comments under Category 6-B)

7 Category 3-A, Printed Materials, 250 or Fewer Employees Winner: Cal-Tex Protective Coatings Scherz, TX Jenifer Anderson Cal-Tex has produced a book version of their ESOP Family Story, resembling a paperback bestseller, which contains everything one needs to know about its special ESOP culture, with the Constitution with ESOP (Preamble), the ESOP Mission Statement, a list of events, culture and external marketing. At 1/11/11 11:11 am there was an Annual Vesting Ceremony in which 42 employee owners became fully vested for this new ESOP. ESOP Training 101 was and is an important part of Cal-Tex communications. There are also quarterly posters, outstanding printed materials for trustees, ESOP promotion and advertising. Also see Our Legacy Statement and the Purpose of Value Mission. These printed materials are, of course, backed up with many events, celebrations and training games, such as Chips of ESOP Information, Family Feud, Texas Hold Em, Jeopardy and a poster contest, all with ESOP tie-ins. Runner Up: Mid South Building Supply Inc. (also Runner Up 1-B, Total Program, & Top Winner 5-A, ESOP Adv./Ownership Mktg. General) Springfield, VA Steve Earle (Please see comments under Category 5-A)

8 Category 3-B, Printed Materials, Over 250 Employees Winner: Hot Dog on a Stick (also Runner Up 1-C Total Program & Runner Up 5-A, ESOP Adv./Mktg., General) Carlsbad, CA Midori Cronky This company produces colorful and fun printed materials, in keeping with their employee owners and clientele. Hot Dog on a Stick produces The Ops newsletter with ESOP information. Project 13 is a learning experience about the history of the company, based on the founder s birthdate. They produce a great calendar, via contests, and there are charts and displays about vesting and operations. They also promote an ESOP bulletin board contest and a poster contest. Promotional items include ownership pens, stationary, luggage tags, lemonade cups, and stadium cups. Each store displays a picture of the founder, and a brief history of how this company was started with employee ownership. Runner Up: Forsythe Technology, Inc. Skokie, IL Kelly Williams Forsythe provides extensive information and educational content via a webinar, such as how to read an ESOP statement, ESOP 101, Power Points, bottom line basics, Q&A, and many other topics. There are employee owner examples with demographic statistics, such as years with the company, their ESOP balance along with their 401K. Legislative issues are addressed, which involve the employee owners in letter writing. There are great diagrams to present the share valuation. Background information and history are covered, as are tie-ins to personal ownership responsibility, along with information on weekly activities. There are also Fun Facts...Did You Know s that ask questions such as What is an ESOP, and What is an S Corp? These things are backed up with good videos (with much employee owner participation) and other activities, such as anniversary parties in April.

9 Category 4-A, Intranet, 250 or Fewer Employees Winner: Foldcraft Co. Kenyon MN Christine Soltau Foldcraft s intranet enables this company to respond to employee ownership needs, with an employee survey online and individual interviews. The Picture An ESOP Account shows individual performance (quite an undertaking). There is employee owner self-service. The intranet explains about self-directed work teams, as well as the Training/Planning/Discovery/ Implementation presentation. Events and projects are also noted, such as Eggs & ESOP, ESOP-Own It, Why Should I Care, Ask a Question, and an opportunity for suggestions. There are such events as Brunch for Lunch, Bingo & Pie, pumpkin carving and costume contests. This is an extensive intranet, especially for such a young ESOP company.

10 Category 4-B, Intranet, Over 250 Employees Winner: DCS Corporation Lexington Park, MD Karla Langhus DCS Corporation s intranet boasts clear, easy navigation, as well as extensive links to informative and historic documents such as shareholders meeting minutes, ESOP Communications Committee Minutes, and ERISA required documents. There is an ESOP Committee Homepage, an ESOP Benefits page, a comprehensive committee meeting blog, listings of current events such as the summer picnic, Lunch n Learn, the ESOP Awareness Challenge, the pie contest, pumpkin carving, and poster contest. There s even an AACE Award page. Runner Up: Holden Industries, Inc. Deerfield, IL Barbara Barkley The intranet at Holden Industries provides very comprehensive information. They define the ESOP, identify the Advisory Committee, provide history, guidelines, and owner recognition. Benefits are discussed, as well as wellness, the E Store, company policies, and importantly, the Value Drivers. All this information comes with easy navigation. is also used to communicate employee owner recognition, acquisitions, press coverage on employee ownership and culture, wellness challenges, company recognition and condolences. Also backing up the intranet in this extensive entry are the newsletter, an Orientation Checklist, an Owner s Manual, an Eligibility Welcome Pack, a Communications Advisory Members Guide, a web site, a Power Point Presentation of the Annual Road Show, and the Employee Ownership Month Green Initiative events.

11 Category 5-A, ESOP Advertising Ownership Marketing General Winner: Mid South Building Supply Inc. (also Runner Up in 1-B, Total Program, & Runner Up 3 A, Printed Materials) Springfield, VA Steve Earle Mid South advertises ownership everywhere; trucks, brochures, cards, newsletters, logos, promotions, a poster contest, their application and their handbook. Their statement and tag line, 100% Owned, Customer Committed sums up their attitude of balanced ownership and service. This is used on social media as well, such as Facebook and Linked In. All this ownership advertising is backed up by good over all communications, in good times and even in times of economic downturn. Ownership advertising is also internal, with open book management and sales reports to EOs every day. Many ESOP events include the annual meeting, a picnic, a share price contest, an Easter egg/scavenger Hunt, Golf Day, a chili cook off, a Support the Troops Program, Owner s Give, a Town Hall Meeting, an Open House, an Arthritis Walk, and the Share the Responsibility of Ownership Program. Runner Up: Hot Dog on a Stick (also Runner Up in 1-C, Total Program, & Top winner in 3-B, Printed Materials) Carlsbad, CA Midori Cronky (Please see comments under Category 3- B)

12 Category 5B, ESOP Advertising Ownership Marketing Web Sites Winner: Burns & McDonnell (also Runner Up in 1-D, Total Communications Program) Kansas City, MO Lindsay Blohn The web site for Burns & McDonnell is a strong recruiting tool using employee ownership. From the home page, there is a link to videos of many employee owners talking about ownership, discussing the ESOP, and the company. Good use is made of this being their 25 th ESOP Anniversary. Burns & McDonnell s web site is the face of a much broader communications program, including videos (with lots of employee owner involvement), a newsletter, an excellent, easy to understand intranet which features history (there is also a History Museum), FAQs, How It Works, a benefits portal, blogs and social media. There are various newspaper articles, promotional materials, an ESOP brochure, and the Year in Review. Employee ownership is front and center as they are named one of the Fortune 500 Best Companies to Work For (#26). Events are many (over 16), such as the Anniversary of Our ESOP, which 3,000 employee owners attended, a Founders Day, a Bi-Annual Meeting, the annual picnic, wellness program, Diversity Week, Giving Back, New Owner Lunch, Evening of Opportunity, and Schmooze & Blues. Runner Up: Van Meter Inc. (also Top Winner 1-B, Total Program) Waterloo, IA Tim Manternach (Please see comments under Category 1-B)

13 Category 6-A, Special Events & Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, 250 or Fewer Empl. Winner: Vermeer Equipment of Texas Irving, TX Develda Birkert Vermeer s Cruise to Success ESOP event was well defined, and involved a year-long Passport Program, requiring 15 stamps on a passport to enter a drawing (stamps are earned by participation in ESOP learning activities). Games involved were the ESOP Price is Right (at multiple locations), an ESOP Test, ESOP Supports the Troops, a Halloween contest, and Most Valuable Owner (MVO t-shirts were used here). Best Practices were encouraged. The prize for the 2011 Cruise to Success? An all expense paid cruise in April of Inquiring judges want to know where did they go? Runner Up: ComSonics, Inc. Harrisonburg, VA Markita Madden-Puckett ComSonics has many special events, but one that stands out is Making Our Voices Heard on Capitol Hill, a very special event/promotion, providing a valuable guide for other ESOP companies. The employee owners are educated and brought together to write to Congress. The emphasis is first on education; there is ESOP information on the internet, a monthly meeting with the CEO, ESOP information is in the common areas, there are financial postings, a quarterly financial update, an owner s manual (tied in with the Back on Track theme), Lunch n Learn sessions, CEO lunches, bulletin boards, committees, and Everything I Ever Learned About ESOPS participants meetings. After much preparation, there is a Congressional letter writing campaign dealing with the Department of Labor, with 90% participation. Included were employee owner training sessions on the responses. ComSonics, Inc. is definitely a model for legislative communications.

14 Category 6-B, Special Events & Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, Over 250 Empl, Winner: Acadian Companies (also Runner Up in 2-B, Video) Lafayette, LA Chance Louviere Whose ESOP Is It Anyway? was the question asked by Acadian (Ambulance) Companies at the annual ESOP participant meeting, involving the state of the company and the ESOP performance. There were games, skits, food, drink, and videos, all encompassing, fun and exciting events. Employee recognition held a big part, and the Employee Owner of the Year was announced. The videos used a theme of Soul Train, talking (among other things) about the growth of the ESOP and the value of the shares. The entertaining spoof of the theme of That 70 s Show demonstrated how the founders realized the dream of employee ownership via an ESOP. J. Michael Keeling, President of The ESOP Association was a special guest to announce Acadian s winning of The ESOP Association Poster Contest. At the end of this event a drawing was held, the grand prize being a 2011 Chevy Cruz. Runner Up: Sleep Train Rocklin, CA Tracy Jackson Sleep Train rolled out a new ESOP (25%) in 2011 with a very simple, but creative presentation. At the rollout event, employees were given a small black gift box, not to be opened until the end, after the announcement and explanation of the ESOP. Then, in the box was a small mirror, labeled New Owner. A memorable, dramatic, personal and cost effective way for employees to see themselves differently.

15 Category 7-A, Special Events, Promotions, Series, 250 or Fewer Employees Winner: Apache Hose & Belting Co., Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA Marty Gorkow Quite a number of events covered the calendar at Apache Hose & Belting, including a poster contest ($75 prize), a barbeque, a picnic, the Big Brother/Big Sister Pep Rally, a golf outing, a potluck, Wii Bowl for Education, Wii Halt a Hog, Lunch n Learn, fundraising, a football toss, the Chipshot Lunch Challenge, a chili/dessert cook off, a baseball game, a Guess the Value Contest, an ESOP Certificate, a lunch/taco bar, and an ESOP crossword puzzle. During October alone there were seven events celebrating ESOP. Apache is definitely keeping ownership up front and center. Runner Up: Priority Sign (also Runner Up in 1-A, Total Program) Sheboygan, WI Lance McTrusty In this category, the judges particularly liked the Ping Pong Challenge that tested the employee owners ESOP knowledge, as well as the poster contest. There was also a 50/50 Raffle for the Employee Ownership Foundation, evidencing a real belief in employee ownership. Again, Priority Sign shows creativity in these and many other activities.

16 Category 7-B, Special Events, Promotions, Series, Over 250 Employees Winner: Dakota Supply Group Aberdeen, SD Craig Major Dakota Supply Group has used a Back on Track theme, with miniature car races, on through a grand prix oval, with head starts based on answering ESOP questions over a several month period. The track was marked with turns and signs that illustrated ESOP concerns such as the ESOP Debt Corner. Each office competed in this program, which then culminated in the final race at a hotel meeting site. The winner goes to The ESOP Association National Conference in May. The Back on Track program involved all employees, with different levels of recognition, and different ESOP lessons to be learned. Tied in with this was the CEO appearing on You Tube, legislative visits (home and Hill), letter writing, a quarterly financial meeting, newsletters and Employee Ownership Month. Runner Up: Glatfelter Insurance Group York, PA Sara Spangler The activities just don t stop at Glatfelter Insurance Group. They start out by calling employee owners associates. There are ongoing fun and informational ESOP events all during the year. The Power of An ESOP, a superhero theme, was used as the United Way Kickoff, with hero sandwiches, super hero popsicles, games, Stars and employee owner recognition. Along the charitable way, there were the Office Olympics fundraiser, the Joplin Tornado Assistance/United Way fundraiser, food drives, holiday collections, caroling and a softball game fundraiser with other ESOP companies. There was a Memorial Day picnic, with a free lunch, ESOP cupcakes and the ESOP Committee dressed in the Memorial Day fashion. Let the Good Times Roll was the theme of Mardi Gras, with beaded necklaces, a ticket for prizes and a Mardi Gras lunch. For Employee Ownership Month there was Buddy Week, an ESOP Scarecrow contest, GIG s Got Fashion, Fashion Do s and Don ts, Best Dressed Associates, and Team of the Year. There was a New Year Toast, with the special guest being the president/ceo. There was a Thanksgiving Feast (the Committee served lunch), the Ghostly Greeting (ESOP tie-in treat bags, with healthy treats). The outgoing committee members welcomed the new members in the sky box at a baseball game, a special place for another very special event.