POSTED: Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2008
Local companies lauded as great places to work
Outside magazine surveys employees
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closeWhatcom County has had a reputation for being a nice place to live, but it also has some companies that are great to work for, according to a national magazine.
Three companies with local ties are on Outside magazine’s list of Best Places to Work 2008.
Superfeet Worldwide of Ferndale; Johnson Outdoors Inc., which has a major facility in Ferndale; and REI, based in Kent with a store in Bellingham, were named to the magazine’s list for the May 2008 issue, hitting newsstands today.
The magazine named 30 companies in three categories. Superfeet was ranked second in the Group Two category (50- 249 employees), Johnson Outdoors was ranked third in the Group One category (more than 250 employees) while REI was ranked fifth in Group One. Outside magazine spent a year compiling the list, including taking employee and employer surveys.
Scott Dohner, CEO of Superfeet, said he’s proud much of the input came from the employees.
“We’ve wanted to create not just a successful company, but an exceptional company,” Dohner said.
Superfeet, which has 77 employees, was lauded for its employee stock ownership plan, the schedule flexibility it provides employees, including allowing new moms and students to job share, and paying 100 percent of the employees’ medical, dental, vision and disability premiums. The only company ahead of Superfeet in the Group Two category was Clif Bar & Co.
Johnson Outdoors, headquartered in Racine, Wis., ranked behind New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colo., and Google in the Group One category. Outside magazine noted that Johnson Outdoors has a generous product loan program for its employees and does a good job giving back to the community. The Ferndale facility also has a few fun staples, such as a “bring a dog to work” program and a dodgeball tournament.
Nando Zucchi, general manager of paddle sports at Johnson Outdoors at the Ferndale facility, said he thought it was the intangibles that got the company on the list.
“This company is a big believer in living what we’re selling, so we have employees trying out our products, as well as having employees take customers on trips,” Zucchi said. “What makes it successful is this kind of work culture comes from the top. (Company CEO) Helen Johnson- Leipold is very active, visiting the different offices and trying out the products.”
The Ferndale facility was originally home to local company Ocean Kayak before Johnson Outdoors purchased it in 1997. Sandra Fusman, who worked at the facility when it was Ocean Kayak and today with Johnson Outdoors, said the company atmosphere feels very similar.
“You still have that smallcompany feel, where it is very customer- and employee-oriented,” said Fusman, the human resource manager at the Ferndale facility, which employs 135 people, along with an additional 15 seasonal employees.
REI is known for its doggie day-care kennel and for buying renewable-power credits for several of its stores. The company has 10,060 employees across the country, with about 65 in Bellingham. The renewable- power credits have offset greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 percent, according to Outside magazine.
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