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Each of these companies; Lake Havasu Family Eyecare, Laron, Malco Products, and SummitCove Vacation Lodging are part of a growing community of Great Game™ companies who have reimagined capitalism as a transformational force for good. Each year, the Great Game Community recognizes companies like these who have the courage to do business differently. They are using the power of business to transform their associate's lives and the communities which they serve, for the better. They are part of a movement that's trying to 'Change the Game'.
We can't wait to introduce you to all our All-Star Team companies. Last week we introduced you to 1st Pet Vet, 417 Magazine, AMBAC International, Argent Tape and Label, Cherry's Industrial Equipment, Cisco-Eagle, Clarke EyeCare Center, CM's Outdoor Solutions, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Pregnancy Care Center, Victory + Mission, Dragon Army, English Tea Shop, Evergreen Cooperatives, Experity, Goodall Homes, HLB Lighting, IntrustIT, Jenner AG, KAAPKE, and Kiolbassa Smoked Meats. Now, read the next 5 case studies and watch for the remaining 4 to come your way!
Organization Background
Lake Havasu Family Eyecare provides optometry services and eye care products including eyeglasses, specialty eyewear, frames, and contact lenses.
Challenge
Dr. Tania Sobchuk was looking for a way to implement a new employee bonus system while also finding a way to open up the back end of the business to her employees so they could understand they impact the success of the practice.
Organization Background
Laron Incorporated provides industrial project- management, construction, and repair services to power plants, utilities, global mining companies, and other heavy-industrial organizations. The business, which now operates out of four locations, was originally started in 1975 as a machine shop. But when Glenn Thoroughman bought it in 1985, he renamed it in honor of the two men he bought it from: Larry and Ron. Laron, which was owned by its ESOP since 2005, was acquired by Ohio Transmission Corp., in January 2020.
Challenge
Laron is made up of seven different business entities spread across four locations. Plus, much of the staff, based in the field, works on client sites—which creates challenges in keeping everyone inside the company on the same page. The company also had to find a way to weather the 2008 recession just as it had taken on significant debt from acquiring another company.
Organization Background
Malco, which started in 1950 and is now 100% employee owned, manufactures high-quality, specialty hand tools that help construction contractors—including HVAC professionals who service heating and air conditioners—do their jobs better. The company also added a second manufacturing facility in DeWitt, Nebraska, that used to make the iconic “Vise-Grip” pliers—now called “Eagle Grip”—which will be released to the market in the near future.
Challenge
While the company had a strong foundation in top-down planning, they wanted to find a way to evolve into a bottom-up approach. They also needed a way to establish their new facility and to give the Nebraska associates a better understanding of the overall company.
Organization Background
SummitCove is a property management company that manages several hundred vacation properties in the Keystone Ski Resort, Keystone, Colorado. The company offers a full array of vacation property management services such as marketing and renting individually owned vacation homes, and housekeeping and maintenance services that include carpet cleaning and painting.
Challenge
Back in 2015, the company was forced to lay off 30 employees because it had absorbed too much overhead relative to the work at hand. Owner Peter Reeburgh and his leadership team vowed to never let that happen again. But to do that, they needed a way to better forecast their financials and workload needs into the future.
// JOIN US IN SEPTEMBER TO SEE WHO TAKES HOME THE FOLLOWING TITLES
Rookie of the Year – This award recognizes those companies that have been practicing open-book management and The Great Game of Business for less than two years and have already achieved some remarkable results.
Social Sector Award – This award honors a social sector organization -a not-for-profit, education, government entity - playing The Great Game of Business at a high level, proving that The Game can be effective and impactful in all types of organizations.
Hall of Fame Inductee – The Hall of Fame honors organizations that have operated using the principles of open-book management for more than a decade with lasting, proven results, and have demonstrated a willingness to spread the word on open-book management in order to help others succeed.
All-Star Champions Award - The cornerstone of the All-Star Awards, the winners of the All-Star Champions Award are the best of the best. They have been playing GGOB at a high level for two or more years, and as a result have seen impressive results in their financial performance and their company culture.
International All-Star Champion (new for 2020!) - To encourage the participation of our international practitioners and recognize the expansion of our global GGOB community, our judges thought it was time to add this category to the awards.
Click this banner to read all 29 All-Star Case Studies for 2020.
Would you like to be on the All-Star Team next year?
Here is the criteria you will be judged against:
- Great Game Methodology: How well the company has employed the core practices of The Great Game of Business®;
- Financial Performance as compared to industry benchmarks;
- Culture Change: How well the company has done in creating a stronger culture and a better place to work;
- Compelling Story: How compelling is the company’s story considering their accomplishments, including any events that they’ve overcome and uniqueness in applying the practices of GGOB;
- GGOB Scorecard survey results which represents the employees’ perspective on their practice of GGOB/OBM)
