Company Culture: It’s all about nurturing at Competitive Edge (asi/166085). Management works with employees to set professional development goals, then provides encouragement, opportunities and experiences to ensure they meet them, according to Account Executive Katie Current. “We’re excited for each other when we succeed, and we encourage one another when we fail,” she adds. The distributor also puts a strong focus on work-life balance. To that end, it offers perks like closing the offices at noon on Fridays in the summer, and every staffer gets their birthday off. Last year, Competitive Edge gave everyone in the company the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s off, in addition to regular vacation time.

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Appearances on Best Places to Work

COVID Changes: At the beginning of the pandemic, the company held daily Zoom meetings with the entire staff. The meetings were a chance to connect on both a personal and professional level. “We created what we called ‘The Blue Jar,’ where everyone submitted questions to be put in the jar and each day one was selected for everyone to share an answer,” Current recalls. Questions ranged from favorite Olympic sport to which celebrity the team members would want to have dinner with. “We learned a lot about our co-workers and were able to create a stronger bond during an incredibly stressful time,” she says. The daily meetings eventually tapered down to monthly meetings, but they’re still “a fun time that we look forward to unwinding and laughing with each other,” Current says. For the most part, employees are in office, with the flexibility to work remotely when necessary. “We’ve found that the company runs best when our team is together in the office,” she explains. “Not only does it help general operations run more smoothly, it’s also a vital part of collaborative projects.”

Parting Tip: “Everyone wants to be appreciated and thanked for their hard work,” Current says. Competitive Edge uses a “Wheel of Awesomeness” reward program to help show that appreciation in a tangible way. Team members nominate each other for going above and beyond, and two names are drawn monthly for a chance to spin the wheel and win anything from gift cards to PTO.