2003 gross sales: $22 million
Pro sales percentage: 70 percent
The Total Package At day one, Ward Lumber presents new hires with an almost endless checklist of benefits.
Barbecues? Check. Leadership and sales training? Check. Vision Plan? Check. Guy dressed up in a woodchuck suit skating at hockey games? Check.
Every HR manager knows that the total compensation package goes way beyond salary—that a huge chunk of employee investment is comprised of health care, insurance, and work-life benefits. But getting new hires to key-in to the total package is not always easy.
To breach the learning curve, Ward Lumber has developed a benefits dossier that is presented to each new employee. The one-page document features 47 must-have extras, frills, and perks that come with a Ward paycheck. Some of the more unique benefits include:
Voter registration. To encourage employees to develop a community voice, Ward will register new employees to vote and also offers a day off with pay for team members to hit the polls. Safety shoe reimbursement. With safety as a top corporate priority, Ward shows a lot of “sole.” The company provides an annual $50 allowance to each employee toward the purchase of steel-toed footwear. Ward Lumber hockey night. Anyone in true “Upstate” New York (north of Albany) lives for the drop of the puck, and Ward employees are no strangers to the “Coolest Game on Earth.” The company sponsors a night of Plattsburgh State University Hockey for team members, friends, and customers. The company woodchuck mascot even laces up the skates to hit the ice between periods. “We always review the benefits sheet at the time of hire,” says Ward vice president of human resources Jim Rushia. “And we hammer home that our benefits aren’t based on management level or seniority—everyone is eligible for everything.”
Co-Winner – Dixie Lumber: Personal Touch
Goodwill ambassador “Woody Ward” (left) welcomes contractors to Ward Lumber, where team members like (clockwise from center) Judy Williams, Mary Rankin, Jim Rushia, and Jay Ward all aim to foster a rewarding business environment. From CFO Debby Straight (left) to yard sales assistants Steve Giddings (top right) and Mark Wilkens (bottom right), Ward Lumber employees are provided with an extensive benefits package and are empowered to perform to maximum potential.
