That Pattie Group has recently been named as one of Northcost 99 Top Workplace in Cleveland OH. We’ve been asked several times “What makes The Pattie Group Inc. different? What do you do that earned you a place as one of the top 99?” We thought we would share with you some of the things we do differently.

First and foremost it isn’t about earning a title for us; it’s about continuous improvement and striving to be our best. We do well in some areas and not so well in others. We make plenty of mistakes; by all means we are far from perfect. That’s not what the Northcoast 99 Awards are about. The award is about always striving to be better, to learn from your mistakes and do things differently the next time around. It’s about looking at how we conduct business and how we treat our employees, our clients, and our community. To us, we are all family and families work together to make things better for everyone we touch.

We believe that The Northcoast 99 awards look to the heart of a company. Policies, procedures and action come directly from the core values, they are the foundation of the operation. Very recently The Pattie Group Inc. spent a lot of time revisiting and defining our core values. I can’t say that we changed any values but for the first time we worked to define them in such a way that it was clear to everyone what we stood for. They are a compass to guide us each day. My first bit of advice to becoming a top workplace is to know who you are, and what you believe in. Then be true to it. You can’t be something you’re not and if you try, it certainly isn’t sustainable. Click to see a list of the Pattie Group’s core values

Once you have your foundation, your values; policies come next. Values drive policies. Northcoast 99 spends a lot of time reviewing policies and procedures of companies. What do they have in place for the betterment of team, how do they handle performance improvement, coaching, training and development. They look at paid time off policies, maternity leave, bereavement leave, compensation, recognition programs, law violations… the list goes on and on. I’d like to touch on a few of our policies/practices below that I think help set us apart from other companies.

Education: The Pattie Group Inc. fully believes in the education and training of its team members. If the employees are learning and growing our company is learning and growing. If they are learning the new cutting edge technologies and sharpening their professional skills, that will benefit not only themselves but also our clientele, and our community. Education is not something you can take away from an individual, it is something they keep with them that they can build upon. No matter how long an individual is with us, whether that be a week, a month, or 10 years we hope that the time they spend with us advances their knowledge.

Our Educational Program:
• Mandatory 45 hours of education per employee per year
• Bi-weekly in-house training
• Tuition reimbursement
• Double credit for teaching a class
• Shadow days (shadow another employee outside your department)
• Career paths and levels advancement
• National and state certification test preparation
• In-House Library
• Professional memberships to industry organizations

Recognition Programs: This is one area that I don’t think you can do enough of. Everyone loves to hear “well done”, “Great job”, or “Couldn’t have done it without you.” A thankful culture is a happy culture.

How The Pattie Group Say Thank You.
• Hand written thank you note to a team member
• Lunch out
• Gift Cards
• Company picnic with all family members invited
• Company baseball game paid on company time
• Written standing ovations that are read out loud in company meetings
• Catered bi-monthly company meetings
• Christmas party
• Recognition programs such as Admin’s Admired Admiral or the Cleanest Truck Award.
• Happy hour 3 time per year.

Giving Back: Part of being successful as a company is what you do with your success. The Pattie Group believes in always helping those in need. Often we let the employees drive what we get involved in as a company. Our involvement may be as simple as a donation to an auction or full commitment to a companywide community service event. Either way, we love to give a helping hand when needed.

How The Pattie Group Has Given Back:
• Adopt a family for the holidays and provide food and gifts
• Send employees to Geauga County Job and Family Services to pack gifts for those in need
• Wigs for Kids spring clean up and maintenance services
• Donations to multiple schools, churches, and community auctions
• Caring for employees in need by coordinating and hosting golf outing fundraisers
• Bike build-off for those in need
• Send volunteers to the Therapeutic Riding Center to help wounded veterans in the healing process
• Meals on wheels; Volunteers to deliver hot meal to the elderly in Geauga County
• Cleveland Food Bank Soup Kitchen; Employee volunteers to serve

Being Named as a Northcoast 99 top workplaces in 2014 was an honor and we are proud to be recognized as a company that strives to set the example, take care of our employees and our community. We will continue to strive for excellence and hope to be recognized in the future for our efforts.