Counselor honors the top industry workplaces through an exclusive survey and rankings. Find out what makes SanMar a great place to work!

>>Back to the List

Rank: 27
SanMar (asi/84863)

Issaquah, WA
Employees: 1338

Company Culture: “Our company culture is grounded in our SanMar Family Values: Be Nice, Make a Difference, Passionately Serve the Customer, Invest in Each Other, Do the Right Thing and Deliver Quality. These aren’t just words to describe the company we want to be – they’re deeply ingrained in the fabric of our culture. What stands out first to most people is just how nice we are! From how we engage with each other to how we respond to customer challenges, we’re always nice. Like [Founder and President] Marty Lott always says, Be Nice is one of the first things you learn in kindergarten, and if we’re all nice all the time, it’s a much better place to be.”

Perks And Benefits: “We’re proud to offer everything from medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability benefits to a 401k matching for all of our employees. Our perks are numerous and one employee favorite is our discounted cost of SanMar products. We also offer a charitable contribution match of $250 per person, per year to all recognized tax-exempt, nonprofit charitable organizations. SanMar employees receive a care package for their newborn family additions as well as discounts on technology products and services, movie tickets and local sporting events.”

Fun Things: “We like to bring the whole family in when we hire people and make them a part of our family, too. So we like to hold events for our employees and their families. Some recent examples include:

• SanMarathon: Each of our warehouses and home office participated in a run/walk/cheer event with a picnic to raise money for local communities.

• SanMar Gala: Formal events for home office employees and a date to celebrate milestones and our successes.

• SanMar picnics/barbecues: Each warehouse and our home office regularly hold summer picnics and events, ranging from gatherings in the park to a family fun event at Century Link Field in downtown Seattle (home of the Seattle Seahawks!).

• Sporting events: Each location organizes times to attend local sporting events such as baseball, soccer and hockey games that might interest their employees. We even customize SanMar T-shirts to celebrate the occasion!” – Sandy Garner, director of HR