AACE Awards 2009 And the Winner is

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1 AACE Awards 2009 And the Winner is Note: A company may not be a Top Winner more than once each year. They can be a Runner Up Winner & Top Winner or Runner Up Winner in several categories. They cannot win the same top award two years in a row. No such restrictions apply to Runner Up Winners. When a judge s company is in a category being judged, the judge is recused. Category 1-A, Total Communications Program, 100 or fewer employees Winner: Nobis Engineering Inc., Concord, NH Contact: Carl W. Thunberg cthunberg@nobisengineering.com Nobis Engineering starts at the top, with a signed commitment from management to develop the ESOP, an unmatched attitude for success. They follow through with an open book management approach. Peer recognition is an important part of their belief system (Nobis Noticed). There is a good New Employee Ownership Orientation Program which contains various slides on ESOP material, with a questionnaire to gauge understanding. There are ownership meetings, trustee introductions, statements, Q&A Fact Sheets, and a glossary of terms. Community involvement is a part of this outstanding company s activities, as they take their place in the ESOP world and the world around them. Runner Up: The Onyx Group, Alexandria, VA Contact: Georgia Meckes gmeckes@onyxgroup.com Hooked on Onyx is the name of the newsletter as well as the winning attitude of this company. Their Employee Ownership Month had a whole calendar of events, and someone to take photographs (and make a scrapbook) of everything. There is extensive employee participation, with organization sessions an especially good idea. There was the Guess the Shares game, the We Rock 4 ESOP Band, a Pose 4 ESOP contest (note the Yuppie Yodas, Going to Win, They Are ) Putting 4 ESOP, ESOP Bingo and voting for a slogan. There were many events to promote employee owner morale and social interaction, including Chat & Chew luncheon get-togethers to talk about ESOP. This company plans activities all year long to keep the enthusiasm rolling. (Also see Category 6-A, One Outstanding Special Event).

2 Category 1-B, Total Communications Program, employees Winner: Thomson-Shore, Inc., Dexter, MI Contact: Erin Walker When Thomson-Shore employee owners have a question, they can go to the intranet Equity Café, and get answers from the Barista. There is a 90 day ESOP Orientation to talk about ESOP, when Owners Manuals are received. On the first day, there is a half hour overview, followed by scheduled meetings to go over additional ESOP information. There is a yearly statement meeting where details such as release of shares, stock performance, valuation and vesting are covered. The stock certificate is animated to provide an explanation, followed by questions which are answered and distributed to all owners. There is also a yearly two day retreat held to plan the monthly meetings, quarterly meetings, ESOP events, educational forums and other events throughout the year. There is a good ESOP communications questionnaire. Fun educational games, such as ESOPology (a Monoply-type game), Lunch & Learn, a Carnival Costume Contest, Employee Owner of the Month and other activities are also a part of Thomson-Shore. They have a great web site, and internal internet portal. They also participate in the Green Press Initiative (endangered forest protection, recycling, etc.). There s always something happening at Thomson-Shore! Runner Up: Materials Transportation Company, Temple, TX Contact: Pat Beard p.beard@mtcworldwide.com MTC, aka Materials Transportation Company, goes Above & Beyond and aptly names their peer awards program as such. They have bi-weekly ESOP meetings. There is a Q&A session each month based on the season/holiday, which is distributed to the employees. There are annual ESOP meetings with breakout sessions which include games to keep the meetings interesting and fun. MTC employee owners are encouraged and informed not only by lots of activities during ESOP Appreciation Month, but a whole year s calendar of activities, such as Lunch with the CEO and Beat the Heat in August. They are community oriented, as evidenced by the Blood Drive, Relay for Life and other events. MTC employee owners are enlightened by an ESOP monthly facts poster. Don t miss the ESOP logo with the employee owners names written in it. This is truly an above & beyond company.

3 Category 1-C, Total Communications Program, 501 1,000 employees Winner: Douglas Machine Inc., Alexandria, MN Contact: Jessie Hjelle Hold on, there! Among other things, Douglas Machine has created a board game based on the Texas Hold em game. This is played with chips during company-wide meetings after new employee orientation. This game based on poker is a great way to convey a difficult topic, captivating and educational at the same time. Douglas Machine also presents a comprehensive binder. Their Employee Ownership Committee is very active, creative, and tuned in to the idea of employee ownership. Runner Up: Entertainment Partners, Burbank, CA Contact: Ron Cogan rcogan@entertainmentpartners.com Entertainment Partners starts off right, welcoming new hires with a Buddy Program, along with an Owner s Manual, which is very informative and interesting. Their newsletter is coast to coast, and augmented by a very good trivia contest designed by the ESOP Communications Committee, by a Battle of the Bands for teambuilding and a well-run poster contest. This entry evidences great overall involvement by the employee owners Category 1-D, Total Communications Program, 1,001 5,000 employees Winner: AMERICAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION, Chantilly, VA Contact: Mike Dolton mike.dolton@americansystems.com AMERICAN SYSTEMS employee owners say I can do that. I own the company, as well as I am American Systems. They believe in peer recognition, and give out award plaques with their strategic values as a company. Their newsletter, EEEC Speak is produced electronically. Their Review Magazine is a clever way to highlight the employee owners achievements as well as the company. The ESOP Countdown to Ownership Challenge is mailed to every employee owner and posted on the intranet. (See also Category 7-B, Special Events, Series, Over 250 Employees.) Runner Up: Hot Dog on a Stick, Carlsbad, CA Contact: Midori Cronky midoric@hotdononastick.com Hot Dog on a Stick deals with a very young employee base, in an industry where traditionally jobs are held for a short time. They do a very good job of touching all areas, difficult to do with a larger company with many locations. That said, they do a great job of ESOP communications. HDOS presents a young, hip, with-it image. The OPS Newsletter is sent out in the payroll packets, and is fun and full of ESOP information. There are many activities, including Bingo Crossword Puzzles, Controlled/Not Controlled, a poster contest, ESOP Q&A, and ESOP hat pins (hats are a big symbol of pride). This company is definitely employee owned and proud of it! (See also Category 5-B, External ESOP Advertising, Web Sites).

4 Category 2, Audio Visual Winner: Mills James, Inc., Hilliard, OH Contact: Joshua Platt Mills James audio/visual entry is excellent, and the title does catch your eye, What the *&^* is an ESOP? This is animated piece is very creative, entertaining and keeps your attention. Poker chips are used to clearly explain the ESOP shares, and make the concept easy to understand. There is a balanced blend of information and entertainment. Mills James has really captured the message of being an employee owner. Their motto, Employee Owned Client Focused is a great tag line. This piece is excellent technically, well written and well paced, with good color and sound, and a bit of humor about cheap in-house voiceovers. This is their business, and they do it very, very well. Runner Up: Harrell Remodeling, Inc., Mountain View, CA Contact: Bella Babot bbabot@harrell-remodeling.com Harrell Remodeling has produced a very clever Who Done It piece, Dial E for ESOP Mystery. They provide great information mixed with old movie clips. They involve different areas of the workforce and educate the employee owners on what they do, using great employee owner participation. This well put together video would have enormous impact on the viewers who know the actors. Produced by Overestimated Productions, the name being very consistent with the humor in the piece. Category 3-A, Printed Materials, 250 or fewer employees Winner: MidSouth Building Supply, Inc., Springfield, VA Contact: Steve Earle Searle@msbs.net The Mouth of Mid South is a clever name for one of Mid South Building Supply s monthly publications. The Mid South ESOP Review is another of their excellent publications, which includes company news about employee owners as well as ESOP news. They also include good financial information. There is even a customer newsletter. Branding seems to be a buzz word at the moment, and this they do very well. 100% Employee Owned, 100% Customer Committed is their tag line, and it appears everywhere, not to be missed. (Also see Category 7- A, Special Events, Series). Runner Up: Quadna Inc., Phoenix, AZ Contact: Al Priem apriem@clim-a-tech.com Quadna, Inc. produces a great eight page monthly newsletter, The Sqoop. The Nest Egg Builders are Quadna employee owners who are fully vested, and a program for recognition called Building a Better Nest Egg will help focus attention on other employees as they become vested. See Eggs-cellence in the celebration activities as written in the Quadna Sqoop. Their corporate ads, promotions, written materials, apparel and communications appear with Employee Owned proudly displayed.

5 Category 3-B, Printed Materials, over 250 employees Winner: KAPCO/VALTEC, Brea, CA Contact: Val Mejia KAPCO produces some outstanding printed materials, in quality and quantity. There is a one page ESOP Bulletin, which is informative and easy to follow, the excellent Plane Talk newsletter, and a very useful item on how to read the ESOP statement. These and (many) other educational handouts are concise, well written and designed, and easy to read. Add in the other things such as creative games and puzzles, and KAPCO comes up a winner. Runner Up: The Walman Optical Company, Minneapolis, MN Contact: Missy Mcmanigle mmcmanigle@walman.com Walman Optical has tapped into a simple but powerful idea: peer recognition on a very personal level. Employee owners can become the recipient of a Merit Badge to recognize their attributes and talents that are valued by other owners. A Merit Message can be written to explain the award. This recognition, made by another employee owner, not (necessarily) management, is seen by others on the Merit Board. The idea is great and the design for these simple items is outstanding. Pride in making a contribution to an employee-owned company is invaluable for morale. Category 4-A, Educational Materials, Print Winner: Parametrix, Inc., Auburn, WA Contact: Lorie Lee llee@parametrix.com Let s all go to the circus with Parametrix! The circus is a simulated business that Parametrix uses in business owner training. This takes place on one day, in groups of 20, six to eight times a year. Employee owners are given the history of the company, the definition of ownership, real numbers and real experiences and feedback from other employee owners. The core values of the company are very apparent in this information, along with the corporate structure and obligations of each unit and what ownership means to them. A basic income statement segment lets employee owners understand and know how they have impact. This is a great idea for maturing ESOPs, and the financial training is a big plus to the employee owners. This is an excellent program that is very well put together and presented, all done in a fun environment that sparks learning. Runner Up: Carris Reels, Rutland, VT Contact: Karin McGrath karinmcgrath@carris.net Communications start at the root of the Carris Reels tree, beginning with a six month employee orientation program for ESOP and a 90 day new hire orientation program. There is also an annual State of the Company meeting. There is a great deal of educational material submitted by this company, all print work being in English and Spanish. The materials are sophisticated and informative, as evidenced in their newsletter, Reel News. Their tag line is Employee Owned, Customer Driven. With a cadre of educated employee owners, this is most effective. (See also Category 5-B, External ESOP Advertising, Web Sites).

6 Category 4-B, Education Materials, ESOP Intranet Winner: Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., San Francisco, CA Contact: Kristina Cox Norcal has Shared Ownership Messages (how decisions and behaviors affect the bottom line), and a very well done and easy to navigate intranet. They have done an excellent job of getting all their information on the site for their employee owners. This is a great intranet, clearly defined, user friendly, colorful and informative. Norcal is a large, wide-spread company, and they have met the challenge of clear communications in such a situation with creativity, current technology and good design. Category 5-A, External ESOP Advertising, Print Winner: Carl Warren & Company, Placentia, CA Contact: Mark Bernstein mbernstein@carlwarren.com Carl Warren & Company starts the employee ownership message with business cards, shirts, marketing brochures, and trade shows that display a connection to their chapter. They are employee owned and want everyone to know it, as this ownership is mentioned in all inside and outside print material. There is an enormous amount of involvement with the employee owners. They willingly share these ideas with other ESOP companies. Even a puzzle mentions their 100% ownership. As a mature ESOP, their sustainability is a great model. Runner Up: Cisco-Eagle, Inc., Dallas, TX Contact: Randall Chamberlain randall.chamberlain@cisco-eagle.com Everything from Cisco-Eagle says Employee Owned, Managed and Operated, from their trucks to the binding on information they send to customers. They do a very good job of having all promotional items tied to the ESOP. This saturation of the ownership idea goes throughout the company and becomes part their company identity, a situation to be envied. (See also Category 6-A, One Outstanding Special Event, 250 Employees or Fewer).

7 Category 5-B, External ESOP Advertising Website Winner: Hot Dog on a Stick, Carlsbad, CA Contact: Midori Cronky midoric@hotdogonastick.com Hot Dog on a Stick keeps up with the times with an outstanding website, mature and sophisticated, with links to Facebook and My Space (where they talk about ESOP through postings from their employee owners), as well as a link to The ESOP Association. There is an abundance of information, and easy navigation to find it. Just after the introduction, we see 100% Employee Owned. Under Join Us there is a whole ESOP section, including testimonials and history. This site is colorful and interesting, with ESOP mentioned everywhere, appropriate for their young and vibrant employee owners. (Also see Category 1-D, Total Communications Program). Runner Up: Carris Reels, Rutland, VT Contact: Karin McGrath Karin.mcgrath@carris.net Carris Reels heads up their web site with a good home page. Employee Owned becomes obvious as the navigation is easy. There is a sidebar about their being the Company of the Year, which contains much information, as well as an article from the Rutland Herald. The ESOP is well integrated into this site, which ties in well with the wealth of other materials backing it up, and marking Carris Reels as certainly deserving of the title Company of the Year. (Also see Category 4-A, Educational Materials, Print).

8 Category 6-A, Special Events, Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, 250 or fewer employees Winner: Cisco-Eagle, Inc., Dallas, TX Contact: Randall Chamberlain randall.chamberlain@cisco-eagle.com Cicso-Eagle has done so many special events it might be hard to choose one. However one Employee Ownership Month event does stand out for creativity, fun, information and company-wide participation. The wellplanned and executed event was based on ESOP (Hollywood) Squares, set up with heavy scaffolding and fork lifts at a Cisco-Eagle site. The contestants got to display their wry humor as well as their knowledge of the Cisco-Eagle ESOP. The event was broadcast live to four locations, so everyone could know in real time how their participants were doing. This was an excellent communications tool. This event was backed up by many others, such as a Scavenger Hunt on the web site to get a piece of the (pi). Click on the web site and get the next clue and a piece of a secret word to unscramble (pizza lunch). Placemats were filled with ESOP word games word find, crossword puzzles, etc. Of course there were pie charts involved. So game on, Cisco-Eagle. (Also see Category 5-A, External ESOP Advertising, Print). Runner Up: The Onyx Group, Alexandria, VA Contact: Georgia Meckes gmeckes@onyxgroup.com The Onyx Group also makes it hard to choose just one event. They, in spite of an office renovation, kept the place as organized as possible (with organization tips) while keeping ESOP communications, many, many activities and the business up and running. The Onyx Group s slogan contest stands out simply because it typifies the willing, winning attitude, creativity and cooperation of this company. Some of the slogans offered were Promote Opportunity and success in Employees...break me off a piece of that ESOP, ESOP is no fable, it s our future!, Think like an Owner ESOP Own your life, own your future, it s your ESOPportunity, A company that ESOPs together succeeds together, ESOP It s Everybody s Business, and the winner, Excellent Service by Outstanding People. So true. (Also see Category 1-A, Total Communications Program).

9 Category 6-B, Special Events, Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, over 250 employees Winner: Glatfelter Insurance Group, York, PA Contact: Sara Spangler sspangler@glatfelters.com If you could make a wish, it might be that Glatfelter Insurance was there to fulfill it. This company raised over $15,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation in the name of their ESOP. This event was well planned, well executed and very successful. What a wonderful way to involve the ESOP in such a great charity! This event is spotlighted among events such as Buddy Week, a Spooktacular photo contest with a goodie bag filled with treats such as Extra Gum (to go the extra mile) and Glatfelter Squares. Glatfelter knows how to make their ESOP pay off in many ways, all with compassion, effort and fun. Runner Up: Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc., Lafayette, LA Contact: Maisha Drexler maisha.drexler@acadian.com Acadian Ambulance Service comes up with a very special event to present their awards ceremony. Playing off the popular American Idol, Acadian Idol becomes personal and funny, as well as a serious way to recognize Acadian employee owners excellence. This event recognized employee owners from a number of locations, in a very entertaining way, with lots of owner involvement and humor. This was a great, creative way to lift morale, give peer recognition and let the owners get to know each other better.

10 Category 7-A, Special Events, Promotions, Series, over 250 employees Winner: ComSonics, Inc., Harrisonburg, VA Contact: Susan J. Banks ComSonics knows how it s done. They had fourteen events for Employee Ownership Month alone, all fun and educational. There is always communications activity going on at this company, many events providing something for everyone. Employee owner involvement is evident and a real asset. All the branches coordinate to do similar things. Their ESOP On Track program introduces employees to the ESOP, with an Owner s Manual and degrees of ownership. This is an excellent program, tailored to different levels of knowledge. A Congressional visit was a real plus. Runner Up: MidSouth Building Supply, Inc., Springfield, VA Contact: Steve Earle Searle@msbs.net Mid South Building Supply had an ESOP special event every month is 2008, as well as community blood drives and other fund raisers. There was a Chili Cook-off, donations for the troops, a Customer Appreciation event, a food drive, and a fundraiser for a fellow employee, all with superb employee owner participation. There was great feedback on contests. They kept the fun and enthusiasm going through their ESOP all year long. Category 7-B, Special Events, Promotions, Series, over 250 employees Winner: Forsythe Technology, Inc., Skokie, IL Contact: Sharon Lanera slanera@forsythe.com Ownership Olympics is just one of the events Forsythe Technology sponsors during Employee Ownership Month, a month filled with activity for ESOPs. Their communications involve chocolate and blue ribbons (among other things) to produce The Winning Combination. They use an acronym, IMPACT to define core values, and produce an impact on almost everything. They are definitely in the starter position with ESOP communications. Runner Up: AMERICAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION, Chantilly, VA Contact: Mike Dolton mike.dolton@americansystems.com AMERICAN SYSTEMS produces a whole series of events that can be called special. There is the Pie Social, marked by piece of the pie pins signifying vesting, ¼, ½, ¾, and wholly vested, great incentive for employee owners to get the whole pie. Lots of people are involved in the planning and organization of events, such as the Annual ESOP BBQ, ESOP Bingo, the weekly cryptogram, retirement breakfasts, etc. Some events such as the Employee Ownership Month BBQ are held at the same time in all locations. They provide a wide range of activities throughout the whole year. When AMERICAN SYSTEMS says I can do that, I own the company! they mean it. (Also see Category 1-D, Total Communications).