Why We Love “the Farm”: A Great Place to Work!
For the eighth year, PPAI & PPB have announced The 60 Greatest Places to Work For. Maple Ridge Farms is honored to be included in that exclusive network of promotional product professionals for the 2018 list!
To be considered for this honor, Maple Ridge Farms had to first be nominated. Then members of our full-time staff completed a survey rating our work environment in various areas, such as culture, leadership and company direction. “It’s a pretty rigorous process to earn a spot on this list,” says PPB Editor Tina Berres Filipski, “and the companies that made it have a right to feel proud of their accomplishment—and we’re thrilled for them.”
Here at Maple Ridge Farms, we are not only nuts about our customers, we are sweet on our employees! So, it’s easy for us to share why we love what we affectionately refer to as “the Farm”.
First and foremost, Maple Ridge Farms is a fun and casual work environment that feels more like a crazy family than a group of co-workers. With many genuine family ties and friendships that extend past the official business “fences”, the support system at Maple Ridge Farms is second-to-none! Add in the flexible schedule options, and we make sure that the Farm is a fabulous fit for all of our employees (try saying that 10 times fast!).
Because we know that every part of our team makes a difference and impacts our business, we are sure to celebrate our successes as a whole! When large orders come in, a cow bell is rung over the PA system and the entire building from office to production cheers the order along!
On average our team size spans from approximately 20 full-time staff members to over 250 team members in the third and fourth quarters! But large or small, we like to keep things interesting. With various potlucks and employee meals (like chicken dinners and pizza days), theme days (like Hat Day, Support Your Team Day and Ugly Sweater Day), and awareness days (like wearing pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Day and United Way Week) – there is always something fun and exciting to look forward to! And in lieu of a traditional holiday party, we host an annual summertime company picnic. Held lakeside with live music, games, and lots of yummy deliciousness, it’s a chance to bring our seasonal staff back into the fold and remind everyone how much we value our entire team all year long!
We understand that the team builds the brand, and we touch base with our staff throughout the year to help solidify our culture and knowledge base. Lunch-and-Learn events help keep our employees in the loop regarding upcoming or ongoing changes in things like technology and benefits. Regular staff meetings spread company updates and invite valuable feedback to products, procedures, and timelines. Year-round surveys of employees involved in all facets of the business help develop new and exciting products to be included or updated each season! And strategic team-building events scattered throughout our second and third quarters help to get everyone ready for the busy catalog prep period, as well as relieve some stress and celebrate its completion.
We think our customers are outstanding, and we encourage our employees to be “Outstanding” as well. A few years ago, we implemented a program to recognize and reward individuals for their outstanding ideas, error catches, questions, suggestions, and deeds! Our leadership staff award tokens based on all of those actions and behaviors, and winners are drawn weekly (or bi-weekly in our slower season). Winners receive a gift card as well as highly-coveted preferred parking access. We even reward those who recognize the actions our outstanding employees and award the tokens!
You may ask yourself, “Why are any of these things important?” We believe that happy employees are more productive and engaged. All of the various components we utilize help to strengthen our team, as well as creating a buy-in to the product and service we deliver. They help our employees become dedicated and develop an ownership in the company and the work we do. Our team can get anything done, and we are willing to do whatever it takes because we know that our dedication is valued. All of these things are paramount to providing the high level of product and service our customers have come to expect from us!
Now you know why we love “the Farm.” Visit us on social media and share your thoughts as to why you do!
