Meet the 2014 Rookie of the Year Finalists

Earlier this week, we introduced you to the 2014 All-Star Awards finalists who will be recognized at The Annual Gathering of Games Conference, taking place September 3-5, 2014 in St. Louis.

In addition to recognizing companies who have been playing The Game for several years, we also recognize companies who are just starting their open-book journey and have already experienced impressive results.

The Rookie of the Year award recognizes and celebrates the achievements of companies who have been playing The Game for just a short amount of time, but have committed to fully embracing and implementing the principles of open-book management and The Great Game of Business. Though still early in the implementation process, Rookie of the Year finalists have already demonstrated outstanding results.

Please help us in congratulating the 2014 Rookie of the Year Finalists:

Kiolbassa Provision Company

At Kiolbassa Provision Company, we believe you can.  Making premium-smoked sausage has been the Kiolbassa family passion for over 60 years. Kiolbassa Provision Company was founded on the principle of producing only quality products, which were initially sold to independent grocers in the San Antonio area. Over the years, the company’s commitment to making premium quality smoked sausage has earned it a solid reputation in the industry and among consumers in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Mid America Metals

Mid America Metals provides competitively priced, timely refinishing services of Metal, Stone and Wood to customers in major markets. Our well trained sales, operations and administrative employees work to provide expertise to help our customers make well informed decisions and to maintain long-term relationships.

We are a family owned company and feel passionately about our business. We aim to create a professional, positive, fun work environment with an emphasis on personal and financial growth. We will continue to be the industry leader in safety, training and innovative business practices. We will strive to have a completely satisfied customer at the end of every job.

Van Belle Nursery, Inc.

Van Belle Nursery, Inc. supplies plants to box stores in Western Canada as well as nurseries in the northern half of North America.

Everything we do at Van Belle revolves around the idea of five core values:

• Best Effort: We expect everyone to put their best effort into everything they do at VBN. Making mistakes is okay — not putting forth our best effort is not okay.
• Always Positive: We’ll always face challenges and there will always be reasons why we “can’t”. Instead, we focus on how we “can.”
• Do It Now: When we reach a decision, we do it now; we don’t wait for a perfect time, because that will never come.
• Find a Better Way: We continually ask how we can improve things, and we continually expect to achieve “better.”
• Respect People: We know every person has intrinsic worth, and that no job is too small for anyone. We keep short accounts, facing any relational conflicts or disagreements as they arise, in a friendly, helpful manner. Our aim is to have fun working together!