SMALL COMPANIES: FINALISTS

Partners, not employees. That was the founding philosophy behind Paragon Capital Management in 1998, and it still rings true today—of the eight employees, five are equity partners. “Priority No. 1 is to keep our current employees happy and avoid turnover,” says CEO Craig Novorr. To that end, atop competitive wage and bonus structures, Paragon alters terms of the debate over the costs of company-paid health care by offering its employees insurance coverage for a flat fee of $25 a month, along with a new dental coverage plan, monthly car allowance and 401(k), generous paid time off and company-paid industry conferences to ensure that skills remain current and finely honed. When you add all of that up, you go from start-up firm to a wealth advisory service with $335 million in assets under management in a span of 13 years—despite 50-percent market corrections twice within that period.

 

When you have just seven full-timers on the payroll, it’s essential that all the pieces are lined up correctly on the board. So it is with Searcy Financial Services, which puts a high priority on “putting the right people in the right seats,” based on skill and personality, to maximize overall performance. Clearly defined roles, teamwork and partnership opportunities for dedicated employees also help, as do top-quartile sector pay scales, cost-of-living and merit raises, tuition and health-care reimbursements, profit sharing and 401(k) match, one “free day” per quarter and uncapped earning potential for sales associates. Rounding that out: a formal mentoring program, weekly one-on-one coaching sessions and flexible work arrangements that leverage mobile technologies.

 

If you love motorcycles, you’d be in hog heaven working for Gail’s Harley Davidson in Grandview, but you don’t have to be into the big bikes to know it’s a great place to work. Just ask Gail Worth’s department managers—six of those seven have been with her for more than half of her 12-year ownership. Why? She takes care of her folks. Case in point: Health insurance. Many companies continue to shove more of the costs for insurance premiums onto their employees, but Gail’s still pays 100 percent of the premiums for its employees’ health-care coverage. Mix in perks like the one-week shutdown between year-end holidays and consecutive days off (a rarity in retail), a management philosophy that makes “fun” as important a part of the operations as “profit,” and you have the ingredients for employee loyalty—and staff stability.

Of course Dan Durriehas the vision thing—he’s running one of the region’s best-known ophthalmology clinics, after all—but it’s more than that. The company philosophy is “Patients First, Employees Second, Doctors Third.” Putting staff ahead of ownership means that 40 employees receive free exams and vision-correction surgery; their families get free exams and the surgery at 50 percent off. Even before that is a comprehensive training and education program, free disability and life insurance, a 40 percent company-paid share of employee health-care deductibles incurred, shoe and uniform allowances, a company match of up to 80 percent on the first 5 percent paid into employee 401(k) plans, and more. Like we said: It’s the vision thing.

 

Communication. Training. Empowerment. Those are the keywords for success at HMN Architects, an Overland Park branch of the firm, which has 41 employees. From project document coordination to new business development, clear and constant communication is emphasized, and a series of tools—regular meetings, company intranet, blog posts—keep the staff apprised of news and progress. The company pays fees upon successful completion of architectural licensing or interior design certification, pressing every employee to achieve one or the other—same with fees or dues for association membership. And in a sector badly hurt by the construction downturn, HMN held fast with its 401(k) plan, health insurance coverage, health savings account contributions, holiday bonuses and paid week off between Christmas and New Year’s.

 

We last saw Reggie Chandra gracing the No. 1 space atop Ingram’s Corporate Report 100 for 2011 as the region’s fastest-growing company. “This rapid growth has motivated the company to create an amazing place to work,” he says. So the life-saving work of these traffic-engineering revolutionaries is rewarded with competitive compensation, a company-paid majority of medical coverage costs for full-time workers, plus long-term disability and life insurance, a 401(k) plan and flexible-spending account for health care. Cash prizes recognize the most innovative ideas each month, and year-end profit sharing is supplemented with incentive trips, such as an all-company cruise or international trip for achieving annual revenue goals.