Culture Book 2019

INNOVATIVE’S CULTURE BOOK

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

Brand Promise

4

Foreword

5

Core Values

7

Purpose

8

Vision

10

2019 Proud Moments

12

InSports Foundation

14

Community Programs

16

Favorite Part of Innovative’s Culture

18

Volunteering

56

Supplier of the Year

58

Employee of the Month

61

Employee of the Year

62

2020 Theme 3

OUR INNOVATIVE CULTURE:

Welcome to the 2019 culture book! Our fifth annual celebration of culture, capturing the heartbeat of Innovative. We are a team that prospers on originality, creativity and innovation, and each of you play an extremely valuable role in bringing unique energy, contagious passion, and powerful purpose to our culture!

This past year we have learned a lot about our teams, our business, and about ourselves. It was another year of working together as a team to create efficiencies and celebrating personal and professional successes. It was a year of living out our core values and introducing “Integrity� into our core value portfolio. It was a year of bringing added resources to our customers by launching Insights with Innovative to help organizations create inspiring environments, and it was a year of making an amazing impact in the community that surrounds us!

In 2020, I empower you to embrace your strengths and talents and focus on things that truly inspire you to be the best version of yourself! I am extremely proud of the accomplishments and growth you have made as a team and as individuals, and I am energized by the passion each of you bring to our organization every single day!

Jennifer Smith, CEO

LIVING OUR CORE VALUES

5

6

7

8

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK “I love the customer service reps and the people who I order custom

“Customer Service is amazing. No matter

stamps from. They are so professional, nice, and helpful! I always have a

what I need in this market or across the

good experience when calling Innovative. People go above and beyond to

nation, they are quick to assist me with

help me get what I need.”

whatever I need.”

“Our delivery driver is the best! Very friendly,

“I can’t say enough about

“Great Customer Service - the Inspire

prompt, and has an excellent positive

the friendliness and the

Team is ALWAYS there to HELP out!

attitude every time he delivers to our office.

exceptional delivery driver

Great follow up and resource.”

Also, our sales contact, Janet Tschida, she

that delivers to our site.”

always responds back fast with any inquiries I have, and has a great attitude.”

“We have been customers of Innovative for a few years now, and I really appreciate

“Always a pleasure to work with our Innovative team. They always take care of our needs and are polite and fast.”

their customer service. They are always good to return calls or inquiries in a

“We LOVE working with Innovative!!”

short time, and come through for us. I really appreciate Crystal Brink who is our

“CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS ARE EXCELLENT!”

customer rep. She is very helpful and the personal visits are a great perk!”

“I have always loved working with the Minot crew, so easy to work with and very knowledgeable.”

9

2019 PROUD MOMENTS

Jennifer Smith, Inducted into the Minnesota Chapter of NAWBO, Minnesota Women Business Owners Hall of Fame

Jennifer Smith receives Business Solutions Association 2019 Leadership Award

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Fast 50 Honoree for 6 years

10

Women’s Presidents’ Organization, 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies

HP Supply Partner of the Year WBENC Gold Star Award from Women’s Business Development Center

Inc 5000 list honoree.

Recognized for the 11th year of being 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America

11

INSPORTS FOUNDATION

INSPORTS $48,725 Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota donated to teams & individuals throughout

7,270 in InSports Days

hours kids have participated

The InSports Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to help kids participate in sports.

InSports Days • Sponsorships • Scholarships

38,487 get in the game since 2013!

how many kids we have helped

12

S 13

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Through our community programs, we have been able to help hundreds of charities!

For every successful save made by MN United FC, Innovative & InSports donated $100 to a deserving organization.

During the MLB season, each time the MN Twins complete a double play, Innovative donated $100 to a local charity.

14

On Thomas Crapper Night, Innovative collects toilet paper donations. The donations benefit Second Harvest Heartland.

We work closely with the MN Wild on their Charity of the Month Program. Each month throughout the NHL season, we feature a different charity.

Each time the MN Viking’s kicker makes a field goal, Innovative & Post-It Brand donated $250 to a deserving organization.

In Partnership with the Minnesota Vikings, InSports and 3M, we are proud to present the Minnesota Football Community of the year. Every year, Innovative and InSports selects a deserving football community to be granted a $10,000 check for their football program and a town takeover with the Minnesota Vikings in the spring.

15

This year, we asked our team:

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF INNOVATIVE’S

“That we have a culture where people are always willing to help others. In my experience people are always willing to collaborate to reach a successful outcome.”

- Chad Blaha

“I like how Innovative gives back to the community. I like that Innovative started the Insports Foundation. It gives kids the opportunity to do something positive. ” - Lucho Eckert

“There is something to be said about the transparency of Innovative as a company.... it is refreshing to be kept mostly in the loop with the goings-on of the company you work for. Not all operations are nearly as forthcoming with certain portions of the overall business.”

- Michael Bolton

VOLUNTEERING 8 Feeding South Dakota hours served at

“I really like the opportunities to ‘Be Involved,’ and get the whole team involved in things. From LTGs, to volunteering, to participating in the Walking Challenge, I think these all continue to allow employees to grow both personally and professionally. Each of these things can result in a personal feeling of satisfaction and those opportunities are important.”

- Ann Dalhoff 18

300 Sandwich Project Minnesota sandwiches made for The

40,000 United Way Action Day

backpacks packed at the

21 360 Communities

blankets made for

15 pack meals at Feed My Starving Children

volunteers from our Innovative staff helped 19

KICK-OFF COMPANY KICK-OFF EVENT

“All the genuine care and support the company has for it’s employees, and how it teaches us new skills by taking one step out of their comfort zone.”

- Bryan Stark

20

F

VALENTINE’S DAY My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is the family-like feel. Everyone is in it together- if you have a question or problem, anyone would step in to try and help you, regardless of the task. We’re all there to push one another as well, to keep a persistent and hungry attitude for growth.

- Rachel Hovde

“Keep it simple: I believe the simpler the better!”

- Sharon Wagner

22

BRING YOUR CHILD TO WORK DAY 32 volunteers

45+ kids

“Our core values. I think they set us apart from other companies. With our core values, we need to remember that they are just not “words” written in our culture book or on our culture wall, but work each day to live them professionally. I think we can live them in our personal lives as well!”

- Lisa Lindemann 23

9TH ANNUAL TP DRIVE

5,000

rolls of toilet paper collected

All donations benefitted Second Harvest Heartland

given a year 50 families supply of toilet paper “Being Involved: I love our culture and the opportunity to help our clients and our team in our day to day work by getting involved! Whether you’re helping a co-worker on a project, or jumping in and volunteering, it makes you feel fantastic to help and get involved. ” - Joel Eiesland

24

My favorite part is pretty much everything - I love the atmosphere, the people I work with and all the new/endless opportunities to continue to learn and grow more every day :).

- Breanna Henderson

25

BREAKFAST & PJS “The attitude and energy around the office makes it fun to come to work every day!”

- Justin Siebenaler

“I like that Innovative puts on monthly, non work related activities. They are fun and something to look forward to.”

- Katie Bowell

“I love the family feel within this company. It’s a fantastic feeling going into work and having everyone be happy and treat you like family. They have your back. It’s just wonderful.”

- Shannon Marek

26

“My favorite thing about the Innovative culture is feeling like a part of a big family. I enjoy coming to work and enjoy working with the people I work with.”

- See Yang

“I am energized every day seeing our core value Inspire Smiles in action! It makes me smile too!”

- Julie Owen

“Be Involved! Innovative has so many different events that the employees can participate in. It’s pretty cool that we have so much going on!”

- Melody Faber 27

EARTH DAY I like that everyone participates. Office life is very dull when you don’t take time to do fun activities together, and everyone I know at the company is willing to participate in things that are just for fun. It helps me feel that I can bring my full self to work, not just clock in and clock out and do what needs to be done.

- Isaac Ahlquist

28

CARE COMMITTEE 600+ combined volunteer hours

30 events held

28 committee members “Inspiring People to Love What They Do. Being positive and showing people you enjoy what you do is contagious which

“The laughter....no matter what is happening, we all come together and win with laughter, it truly is the best medicine!”

- Lesa Page

inspires people to love what they do!”

- Diane Van Skike

30

Inspire people to love what they do and who they do it with.

-working with a team of people who are so different in the way they go about their daily approach, that if we can inspire people to be the best version of themselves, to think outside the box, and work towards the bigger picture, then our people can do great things.

- Ryan Burgwald

31

S’MORES DAY s’more please!

“My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is all of the

“I like the positiveness of the

events we do. It creates a nice break in the workday

attitudes of the employees.

and something to look forward to in the month.”

People are willing to help

32

- Macklin Smith

each other.”

- Russ Heins

STEPHEN WEATHERLY VISITS INNOVATIVE “My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is the genuine care that people show for each other.”

- Natasha Speake

“My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is the family feeling. Everybody is fun and we work as a team.”

- Nate Ullrich “The way everybody is included in all the activities.”

- Pat Hlavac 33

“I love how everyone is so close knit and friendly. I enjoy the culture

NYC WALK TO NYC

of relationships matter which resonates throughout the company, internally with colleagues, and externally with customers.�

- Kelly Link

44 teams

176 participants

34

154,268,593 steps walked

C

WORKOUTS “Genuine happy people who love their job!” - Sarah Sodergren

“I love the health-based atmosphere, and that workouts and a workout room are available for us to use. I also appreciate the work/life balance that Innovative offers.”

- Laura Burgess

35

I love that the culture is high energy. It makes it exciting to come to work each day!

- Lindsey Day

“I love how much Innovative gets involved with outside activities.

They let everyone know who we are and what we stand for.”

- Lisa Steele

“All the fun activities and organized events contribute to an energetic and happy working environment where employees feel comfortable and have a feeling of well-being.”

- Mitzi Enns

LOVE WHAT YOU DO & WHO YOU DO IT WITH 36

“My favorite part of the culture is the positive attitude of most people. Innovative has a lot of moving parts and most everyone has a great attitude. It makes it a nice environment to work and it encourages people to give their best.�

- Ron Bearden

TWINS ROOFDECK EVENT 38

27

partners showcasing products

“Everyone is genuinely so nice to work with that it motivates me to work hard and do whatever it takes to make our customers happy.”

- Eric Okerson

OPEN HOUSE AT U.S. BANK STADIUM 40

“My favorite part is the open work environment and the fast paced creative atmosphere the sales department offers me.”

- Christine DeGrammont

1,000+ attendees

SAINTS

COMPANY PICNIC

“I feel really fortunate that I can work with people that I consider friends. We all have everyone’s back and I truly feel like we

genuinely care about each other. There has not been a single day at Innovative where I haven’t laughed and I LOVE that!”

- Robin McMullen

I LOVE the enthusiasm that a lot of the employees have. We work hard and are concerned about our employees and our customers. We want the BEST. We are always looking to improve our people to make better experiences all around.

- Tammy Lee

WHO ROCKED IT BEST?

“We are a company that makes sure we incorporate our core values, which is such a huge part of our culture and we never let those fall to the wayside, we live and breathe them daily.�

- Carmen Chastek

42

I love the attitude of everyone at Innovative.Â

COMPANY COOKOUT

We have so many creative people and such a nice place for them to express their ideas.

- Andrew Leddick

43

Funniest: The Office

HALLOWEEN

Best Group: Willy Wonka

44

Most Creative: Peanuts Gang

“I love being involved in activities that we do. Makes you come out of your comfort zone, and get to know the people that you work with or see everyday.�

45 - Ashley Stuntebeck

SHOWROOM

ALEXANDRIA OPEN HOUSE 70+ attendees

Featured partners, door prizes and a beautiful new showroom!

BLOOD DRIVE 20 people donated

“My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is “Just Own It” because I believe that’s what allows us to offer our employees the flexibility we enjoy.”

- Amy Beasley

“I’ve always liked the way Innovative has pushed for teamwork and being involved with all aspects of our jobs. I believe it shows the most in the positive reactions we get from our customers.”

- Greg Fitterer

47

“My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is that people genuinely care about the success of the company and care about each other.”

- Matt Cords

“The teamwork everyone shows.

When things get busy or stressful, everyone is willing help out.”

- Melissa Hoiberg

GIVING NOVEMBER 48

“My favorite part of the Innovative Culture is how everyone is so accepting. Since day one, I have felt accepted by everyone, and there isn’t a person here that’s not willing to have a conversation with you.”

MOVEMBER

- Patrick Larson

Our 2019 movember winner: Tim Moody

49

JERSEY DAY & TAILGATING “My co-workers are my favorite part of Innovative. We have a culture that is second to none. We work hard but we have a ton of fun as well!”

- Debbie Garner

“I absolutely love Innovative’s culture. The fact that we are guided and concrete helps everyone stay on the same page, and really makes for an amazing work environment.”

- Meghan Lane

“I love our work hard, play hard culture! We are like a family and we work together to make for the best customer experience.

Sure, we make mistakes from time to time, but we always figure it out and make it right!”

50

- DeAnn Player

51

HOLIDAY CHEER “I love that all employees matter.”

- Alyssa Kriz

“The people I work with are the highlight of every day.

“Our community involvement

They help me out when I am struggling, they teach

and the feeling of family when

me new ways to tackle obstacles and leadership

you walk through the doors!”

shows me how to grow as a manager of people.”

- Andrew Deters

- Aaron Rust

for the $150+ raised Salvation Army

“My favorite part of Innovative’s culture is being part of an awesome team that works together on a common goal. I love the energy and willingness to help each other out!”

- Ginger Tieszen

BELL RINGING “My favorite thing about Innovative is the way we take care of our customers so they get beyond excellent service.”

- Janda Blue 53

HAPPY HAPPYHOLIDAYS HOLIDAYS

54

55

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

“We appreciate the extra effort from HON to partner with all our teams, Account Executives, the furniture team members and Marketing to provide the best furniture solutions for our customers. Hon is a true partner who embraces our Brand Promise.”

“Every year, the HON experience gets better. Better programs, like Compass, Integrated Design Solutions and Fast Track. Better products, like Fuse, Skip and Colorwav all new at NeoCon 2019.

And, bigger, better teams—Hunter and Dylan have become indispensable, familiar faces around the worktable. The kinds of work they do for us, their smarts and insights make us all feel like they have our backs. They’re truly setting HON in a higher class than any other manufacturer we worked with this year.”

56

HON is the ultimate example of relationships matter.

We have a true partnership with them. They strive daily to ensure Innovative’ s success in the market place; whether it’s the extra tools offered, training, dedicated Sales Rep or Pinnacle, HON makes doing business with them effortless. There is always an easy avenue for project help or to find a solution. Not only are they readily available to help but HON values our input and listens. HON respects Innovative’s opinion and listens to our opinions on how to improve their company.”

Congratulations!!

EMPLOYEE OF EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

58

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

LESA PAGE

TONY BETSINGER

TAMMY LEE

SHARON WAGNER

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

MEL FABER

ASHLEY CASPARIS

HOLLY SMITH

AMY BEASLEY

LESTER HAYES

JESSICA UNDERWOOD

DAVID THOMPSON

BRYAN STARK

PATRICK WENKER

KELLY BERRY

ANDREW LYNNE

TIM MOODY

JOE RUSTAD

BRACKEN KENDRICK

JULIE MEGER

LISA LINDEMANN

ANGELA KNAUF

TOM TRAETOW

ISAAC AHLQUIST

BOB HAMILTON

KIMBERLY ERICKSON

DAWN MILLER

TONYA ZIMMER

AMANDA VOGEL

CHERI OSTLUND

TIMOTHY (TJ) MARTIN

CONNIE DELAIR

SEE YANG

JOHN TOWNSEND

KENDALL KRAGENBRING

JANIE WESTBROOK

KRISTEN MORAAL

DALE BLOEM

PEARLEE COTY

LEAH HALVORSON

MIKE PITZEN

F THE MONTH MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

STEVE MCQUADE

TED SCHNEIDER

TOM KELLY

SAM FERNANDEZ

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

LORA SCHWALBE

SAMANTHA BEHR

CAROL ADAMIETZ

RICK COPELAND

BREANNA HENDERSON

KATHY O’GRADY

DEANN PLAYER

ALYSSA KRIZ

PAT HLAVAC

KEVIN JOHNSON

TONA MARTINEZ

JOHN KAY

BRETT BAHRENFUSS

SUSAN SLONE

DENISE CHAPMAN

KEVIN MARTINEZ

SARAH SODERGREN

SABINA ABASOV

SAMANTHA ROMERO

LAURA BRUNNER

DALLAS WILLIAMS

LEANN DREYER

DAWN MILLER

BILL ALLEN

SUE WENTZEL

CHRISTINA BOERIGTER

PATRICK LARSON

CHAD BLAHA

CHRISTINE DEGRAMMONT

PAUL CARTER

MATT CORDS

PATTI RONDESTVEDT

LOIS ACKLEY

CHAD GULLICKSON

ROB SAVINI

JUSTIN SIEBENALER

F THE MONT

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

DAVID CHABOT

NICOLE HOHMANN

JOHN BRUNING

BOB NELSEN

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

ROBIN MCMULLEN

TAMMY LEE

LAURA BURGESS

DEBBIE JONES

JEANNE THOMPSON

LUCHO ECKERT

TAMI ADAMS

MARIA BAKER

COLIN CRANDALL

JR DEOBALD

MARK MAREK

SCOTT ROLLINGS

JED CLAMONS

MACKLIN SMITH

MARK CARLSON

RON DIXON

MELISSA HOIBERG

BARB KUSILEK

AL REDBERG

RACHEL SWAN

MARK HOGLUND

BRENDA RAFTESETH

MARK SEGOVIA

RON BEARDEN

DARCEE NEUDECKER

AARON RUST

TRISH BARG

DEBBIE GARNER

GINGER TIESZEN

KARLA GUNDERSON

NATE ULLRICH

JO NEISES

SARAH JOHNSON

JIM BUIS

MATT CORDS

MIKE SEVERSON

OF THE YEAR

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR BOB NELSEN

“Bob is truly the definition of our Core Values and Brand Promise. He Inspire Smiles every day; even when desks are falling off the back of a semi-truck, he finds the positive. K-12 furniture is complicated and Bob always thinks of ways to Keep It Simple. Relationships Matter “We so appreciate Bob’s dedication to creating amazing classroom environments. His insights are invaluable for ensuring the best furniture solutions. Congratulations!!”

“Thank you Bob, for all your work on HCPA. You are a major reason why we were able to win the

is really the foundation of what drives him. “Bob is invaluable”, a common phrase used by many people he works with, and he truly is! What makes him invaluable is his ability to build relationships with customers, vendors, and so importantly with his colleagues. He makes you feel important. Fun Fact- He even has a party trick of “guess that furniture” where he can name a piece of

offices and lobby furniture project! Thank you

furniture, make and model all the way back to the 70s

so much!!”

just by looking at it! Congrats Bob!”

61

2020 THEME

POWERING YOUR SUCCESS Learn more at: success.innovativeos.com

We strive to bring energy, passion and purpose to the workplace. Powering organizations to be their best and celebrating success every step of the way. Inspiring people to love what they do and who they do it with. Our 2020 theme, Powering Your Success!

62

63

THANKS FOR BEING IN!

64