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Employers, page 2
by maxine glass

Broadjam madison
Never heard of it? You will soon. Providing online services for musicians and the music industry, Broadjam’s services are threefold. The biggest aspect of their business focuses on the 40,000 indie musicians and bands who can upload their music and refer producers and fans to a website (www.broadjam.com). For music lovers, the site features intensely specific search options including female/male vocalist, genre, subject, mood and 40 other categories. Broadjam also caters to the music industry, working closely with labels like Warner and Billboard. Most impressively, they took responsibility for the voting for the American Country Music Awards this year. Their final aspect, though currently in the working stages, will involve selecting the best artists on their site and working with music licensing. Impressed yet?

Still in its early years, the staff seems small at 16 employees, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t expanding. Planning to launch a nationwide public relations and marketing campaign in 2006, Broadjam hopes to spread its name outside the music industry to the general public, and Elkins says they’ll be looking to take on multiple new staff members. “We tend to hire young people and let them have a lot of responsibility early on,” Elkins says. “And it’s responsibility they wouldn’t have gotten from other larger corporations.” Open creativity, casual office and pizza lunch every Friday. Doesn’t sound too bad.

Kimberly-Clark neenah
To put it simply, “We’re big league,” says Director of Distribution Mike Kalinowski. “There is a tremendous amount of opportunity at Kimberly-Clark. It’s a global company with global-scale issues and opportunities,” he says. With products sold in 150 countries and manufacturing in 37 countries, the little paper mill founded in Neenah has exploded into a major global player in health and hygiene products. Boasting milestones like the first paper towel and Huggies diapers, Kimberly-Clark has continued to grow and change with the times.

The close-knit, amiable atmosphere has the characteristics of a privately owned company, which is reflected in employees’ attitudes about their work. Their exceptional benefits are unlike most other companies, with a special focus on accommodating their employees. Along with the standard week vacation, employees have the option to buy extra weeks of time off. So if someone wants to take an extra week of vacation, that week’s salary will be prorated and subtracted equally over the course of the year. Kalinowski thinks this is an extra perk for young professionals who may want to travel but lack the time because of work commitments. Another unique benefit includes access to financial counselors from Ernst & Young, who assist young professionals in preparing for future financial security. These exclusive opportunities make Kimberly-Clark an especially attractive company to 20-somethings with a focus on their career but also the other things in life.

Direct Supply milwaukee
One of the beauties of being a privately owned company is that employees can concentrate on their quality of work instead of reporting to shareholders, and can make out with some phenomenal benefits. At Direct Supply, they take pride in proclaiming that every employee is an owner (through their exceptional 401(k) plan) and should be treated as a business partner. Sales Recruiter Tina Hanneman says this mentality ensures employees are responsible for their work, not wanting to risk letting the entire team down. It’s important for them to treat co-workers with respect because they extend that attitude to their communication with clients. As the nation’s leading equipment supplier for the health industry, Direct Supply provides every aspect of nursing home care “from the front door to the back door,” Hanneman says. This includes anything from furniture to life-sustaining oxygen containers.

The Milwaukee-based company just celebrated its 20th anniversary and expects to have 1,500 employees in the next five to 10 years. Hanneman says they are always looking to hire, but warns that the process is competitive. They look for potential employees with brains, character, drive and experience—referred to within the company as the Bs, Cs, Ds and Es. And it is through their unique employees that they create their valuable work environment where, according to Hanneman, promotions are based on merit and not tenure. Part owner at 29—why not?

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curb magazine 2005: balance for wisconsin's young professionals