Company Culture: Having been in business over 40 years and employing 160 people, Vanguard has the space and structure to support the professional journeys of its employees. Vanguard Promotions (asi/350665) is the promotional products division of the large New York-based company, which offers a wide range of services that includes marketing and advertising, video, digital and social media marketing and much more. Anthony McNally, operations manager, says that so many different service offerings enable “cross-pollination” that creates a creative and energetic environment.

“We have facilitated many interdepartmental moves over the years when we recognized a better fit for an employee,” McNally says. “This is one of the many reasons we have so many employees with 10 or more years with Vanguard.”

McNally says the “collaborative and fun environment” is bolstered by a number of special company events, including holiday decoration parties and happy hours.

COVID Changes: Vanguard has maintained a hybrid setup since Spring 2020, with regular in-person and virtual check-in meetings to keep staff connected. The company added plexiglass extensions to all walls for added protection and provided masks to employees as necessary.

Something that hasn’t been impacted: hiring. Vanguard Promotions has easily filled four positions since the start of the pandemic, on-boarding both remotely and in person depending on the current situation. “The appeal of the Vanguard culture, structure and advancement opportunities,” says McNally, “has kept our hiring successes in line with pre-pandemic levels.”

Parting Tip: McNally emphasizes the importance of transparency, and indeed the company ranks high on the Best Places to Work survey for employees knowing how their work relates to the company’s goals. “We’ve had great success with hiring and retention by not only having very open dialogs during interviews and onboarding,” he says, “but by continually ensuring that staff is in the appropriate role.”