I was going through the press clippings that my Dad sends me via snail-mail every few days (now you know where I get my Luddite tendencies from) and came an article that highlights a business not far from where I grew up in Wisconsin.
Badger Mining, a family owned business, was named the best place to work in the US by the Society for Human Resource Management. Badger Mining, headquartered in Berlin (pronounced BER-lin since WWII), manufactures aggregates out of silica, limestone, etc.
Here is their mission statement:
Our mission is to become the quality leader in the industrial minerals industry with a team of people committed to excellence and a passion for satisfying our customers. We will allocate all our resources by having self-directed work teams identify, evaluate, and develop our most profitable opportunities, with controlled growth and the highest quality standards. We are committed to environmental responsibility, safety, health, and integrity while providing a rewarding and enjoyable place to work.
They have been able to develop a very profitable business that has been around for twenty-seven years, while treating their employees and other stakeholders with respect:
– They were lauded in the award for their open communications, which includes communication from dissenting points of view. Employees said they felt free to discuss any decision with the person who made that decision no matter what position they hold in the business.
– Flexible work hours allow employees, or associates as they are known at Badger Mining, to attend family events.
– They have an “impeccable safety record” that got them an additional award from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Industrial Minerals Association – North America
– They share 20% of profits with those who generate their profits, their employees, every quarter.
– They offer full insurance for the entire family, and if your family waives their coverage, you get the cash — $8,000.
– They offer four $5,000 college scholarships, one to a student located in each of their four operating locations.
– Badger has been recognized for their land stewardship and conservation efforts.
This is a small business that has put their values into practice in how they run their business. They clearly manage their operations with integrity.
This is definitely a company that knows how to keep its employees happy while also being involved in the community! I’ve worked with a few small business owners and some of them are so focused on cutting costs while forgetting a very important aspect of their business – their employees! I work with one small business with less than 10 employees that the owner recently cut each of her hourly employees pay by $1 per hour. However, they are not disgruntled because they understand because in times of booming sales, the owner also shares those profits with the employees. Small business owners depend so much on its employees but often times the owners forget that important piece of their business. Badger Minding obviously did not.