Ingram's May 2023

SMALL COMPANIES

KCBR DESIGN | REMODEL Sure, we could ask owners Anthony and Abby Myers what makes their construction and remodeling firm a great place to work. But at the smallest of this year’s Best Companies to Work For honor ees—just less than two dozen employees in all—you get a real-world response from the folks in the trenches. Just ask them. What you’ll hear across the board are words like “fair,” “friendly,” and “fantastic” to describe the workplace—and that’s just the “F” adjectives. With a staff compact enough to accommodate leadership meetings face to-face throughout the week, the company focuses on continuous improvement and prioritizing culture. Even at that scale, training opportunities are in place for employees interested in pursuing management paths. Performance reviews multiple times a year provide opportunities for recognition and create new opportunities to develop. Size is no constraint with payroll, as wages and benefits are pegged to industry standards, and pay can increase throughout the year based on performance. Rare is the small company offer ing 15 paid days off per year to start, but KCBR is among them, with paid holidays in addition to that. KCBR covers half the cost of individual employee health insurance and 30 percent toward that of dependent plans, plus it offers dental/vision insurance, a 401(k) program with company match, and a paid Costco membership. Cases of The Mondays? Forget them: Weeks get off to a sunny start with breakfast for the team every Monday morning. The company will pop for occasional lunches and organize team events throughout the year to keep the fun going. “KCBR is all about the team, and it

INTEREST MEDIA Imagine a company with sufficient resources to pay for 100 percent of the cost of employee health insurance—including cover age for vision, dental, and maternity leave. And the strength to offer unlimited paid time off and the flexibility to allow employees to work from home every day of their work week. And the budget to pay for staff UberEats each month. Must be a huge corporation to place that bounty in front of employees, right? Well … not exactly. Interest Media is just 26 employees, but it packs a punch well above its weight class with its workplace design. “A company is only as strong as its employees, and we want to have the very best people working for Interest Media,” says CEO Matt Hoggatt. “In order to do this, we strive to create a work environment that is both challenging

(Left to right): Patrick DeBrecht , President and Co-Founder; Mike Stephens , CFO; Matt Hoggatt , CEO; Lance Hemenway , CMO.

and enjoyable.” Along with parties, happy hours, support for local sports teams, and other initiatives, such benefits make a difference. “It’s important to us that all of our employees are not only happy at work but also maintain a healthy work-life balance,” Hoggatt says. Operating at that scale requires a team that maximizes productivity and embraces collaboration. “It’s the responsibility of every employee to contribute ideas and make a meaningful impact each and every day,” Hoggatt says. “It is very important each employee’s entrepre neurial spirit is celebrated—without it, new ideas may never come to fruition.” So employees are encouraged to come up with their own ideas, test them by launching a simple proof of concept test around these initiatives and then ultimately own and manage them going forward. The result? A culture built on innovation and employee empowerment. Dig deeper, and you can see how that culture allows for unlimited vacation, a concept that would send shudders up the spine of many a CEO or business owner. “This is a benefit a num ber of companies are offering; however, it is something that can be misunderstood,” Hoggatt says. “The unlimited vacation perk is part of a bigger concept, one where we want employees to view them selves as co-owners. In this way, employees focus on project goals and the endgame rather than just making sure they’ve ticked off the requisite number of hours on their timecard. We know life hap pens, and people need some flexibility. We have each other’s backs.” He pointed to the results of a recent independent survey of Interest Media staffers, in which every single respondent said they were “made to feel welcome when they joined the team” and that “they felt like they made a difference here.” They work hard in a fast- paced environment, Hoggatt said, “but we also decompress and play equally hard together. Interest Media plans many activities outside of work, whether at local establishments or at sporting events like Royals and Chiefs games. Our success is proof that this approach towards our employees works.”

(Left to right): Travis Yockey , Senior Remodeling Manager; Abby Myers , Owner; Anthony Myers , Owner; John Storey , Human Resources.

is a very strong culture where people truly love to work here,” Abby Myers says. “Everyone really gets to know one another … it makes such a difference. We have a professional, motivated, family feel environment, and it reflects on our outstanding projects.” As rev enues have increased year over year, resources are poured back in to sustain growth, including office relocations to accommodate the bigger staff. Showing that philanthropy is not solely the province of the corporate giant, KCBR adopts a family each year and donates to families. A Harvesters barrel at the office serves to gather food dona tions, and the staff as a team is getting behind an event at the food network’s offices this year. The company is also participating in the KC Symphony Showhouse, a tradition that benefits the symphony. To borrow from one of nearly a dozen staff testimonials: “Anthony and Abby know that respect begins at the top, and they truly embrace that philosophy. They care about the personal well-being of their team and understand that their team members are their most valu able asset. They walk the talk and are not above jumping in to help complete a task. There is nothing that they consider beneath them.”

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May 2023

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