SmithBucklin Chairman and CEO Henry S. Givray Named Best Boss By Winning Workplaces
FORTUNE Small Business Highlights Winners
CHICAGO - Sept. 28, 2006 – SmithBucklin announced today that Winning Workplaces, a national nonprofit whose mission is to help the leaders of small and midsize organizations create great workplaces, has selected SmithBucklin Chairman and CEO Henry S. Givray as one of the 18 Best Bosses for 2006. Winners were announced yesterday at a Best Bosses conference and celebration in Chicago.
This is the fourth annual list honoring dedicated, passionate and driven leaders of small and midsize businesses. A common theme among this year's Best Bosses is their full involvement of employees in the success of their companies by offering extensive training, generous benefits, open-book management and direct ownership. A story about the competition will appear in the October issue of FORTUNE Small Business magazine, and the full list of winners is available online at www.winningworkplaces.org and FSB.com.
"These leaders understand the connection between employee engagement and the bottom line," says Mary Corbitt Clark, executive director of Winning Workplaces. "Employees who are valued contribute in response." Adds Elaine Pofeldt, senior editor of FORTUNE Small Business: "The Best Bosses are listening carefully to their workers and giving them what they want: opportunities to educate themselves continually, the chance to work alongside the best people in their fields, and benefits that ease the complex demands of their lives outside of work."
This year's winners were selected through a nomination process that evaluated employee satisfaction, benefits, investment in training and the leader's personal vision. The finalists were screened by a panel of judges that included the Winning Workplaces management team and board members, small business owners and workplace consulting experts.
"The Best Bosses recognition truly is an honor, and it is a testament to the talent, commitment and passion of our employees who are directly responsible for the success and growth of our company," Givray said. "SmithBucklin is a place where our people take great pride in serving and growing our client organizations while working to fulfill their own personal career paths. It is an absolute pleasure to work with our team, most of whom are owners of our company."
In June 2005, ownership of SmithBucklin was transferred entirely to SmithBucklin employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The ESOP is exceptional for its governance structure and design, which allowed every employee a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the election and purchase of stock without limitation. As a result of its innovative ESOP, this year SmithBucklin won the first annual Innovations in Employee Ownership Award administered jointly by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and the Beyster Institute, which is part of the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.
The SmithBucklin ESOP reflects the company's management style and is integral to its culture, about which Givray is passionate. Part of the SmithBucklin culture is a pledge: "To take care of our people so that they can take care of our clients. People Care means offering our employees a challenging yet harmonious working environment where they can grow personally and professionally, make valuable contributions and reach their utmost potential."
The SmithBucklin culture also stresses the importance of communication that is open, honest, frequent, credible, clear and direct. "We are deeply committed to listening to the needs, suggestions and concerns of our people and use a variety of methods and tools to seek input and gather feedback from our employees," Givray added.
SmithBucklin's culture and business performance also have earned SmithBucklin a place among several companies featured in business performance expert Randy G. Pennington's 2006 book, "Results Rule! Build a Culture That Blows the Competition Away." The book discusses the importance of culture in setting an organization apart in a marketplace. SmithBucklin is included alongside such high-profile corporations as Southwest Airlines, General Electric Co. and Procter & Gamble Co.
Givray was named SmithBucklin president and CEO in August 2002 after returning to the company following a stint running two start-up companies. During his initial 13-year tenure at SmithBucklin, Givray led a variety of technology, healthcare, manufacturing and service industry associations, helping to lead the firm's expansion in the '80s and '90s. Retaining his position of CEO, Givray also became chairman of SmithBucklin's board of directors in January 2006 when Julie Silverstein was appointed president and COO of the company.
"I know of no more deserving leader than Henry, who has instilled an unwavering sense of client stewardship among all employees," Silverstein said. "He has always stressed the importance of taking care of our people and fostering a workplace environment that challenges employees to serve clients at the highest levels possible. This focus helps us attract some of the best and brightest people in the association industry."
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About SmithBucklin
SmithBucklin is the world's largest association management and professional services company providing flexible, tailored full-service management and function/project-specific services to more than 235 trade associations, professional societies, technology user groups, government institutes/agencies and corporations. SmithBucklin's mission is to drive growth and build sustained competitiveness for client organizations. Founded in 1949, the company employs 750 professionals specializing in all phases of association activity including executive management, member and chapter administration, convention and trade show management, marketing and branding, Web services, education and programs, government relations and financial management. SmithBucklin manages more than $200 million in annual client budgets from offices in Chicago, Washington, DC, St. Louis and Durham, NC. SmithBucklin is 100% employee owned. For more information, please visit www.smithbucklin.com or call 1.800.539.9740.
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