PIA: Can you describe one or two of the key pro- grams that consistently earn Suttle-Straus BWA


“Best of the Best” recognition? S.P.: I believe that the key to consistently receiving


“Best of the Best” recognition is focusing on improving in each category every year. The Best Workplace in the Americas competition offers a great opportunity to reflect on our progress and successes while inspiring us to raise the bar and become even better. We are a continuous improvement organization, and the infor- mation in each year’s application serves as the new baseline to build and improve upon.


That said, a couple of programs that Suttle-Straus does well—and that benefit our team members—are con- tinuous improvement (CI) and wellness. CI has been at the core of our culture for nine years. Each year we expand our toolset and involve more team members in CI activities. Today, over 88% of our team mem- bers have participated in continuous improvement activities. We see ROI in work process efficiencies, and time and cost savings. Gains are sustained through regular audits.


As part of our CI philosophy, we are in the process of transforming to a Lean leadership culture. We are teaching our managers to facilitate and coach their teams to collaborate and solve problems. We see ROI in decision-making based on data and our team members’ improved ability to systematically solve problems. Last year, we launched a new coaching and development system—including a computer application developed entirely in-house—to replace the outdated annual review process. This process is forward-looking and much more interactive.


Another key initiative is our wellness program, which contributes to our culture through team events and educational opportunities while supporting healthy lifestyles. A team of Wellness Advocates develop and promote programs and activities like a company sponsored team for the Insane Inflatable 5K, lunch- and-learns on health and financial wellness topics, and lean-and-learns on salsa dancing taught by one of our press operators. We have a walking group and a community garden, as well as quarterly on-site Red Cross blood drives. We offer reimbursement for sup-


portive work boots and fitness shoes. We have ergo- nomic workstations and under-desk pedal machines for office employees, and we offer on-site massages every other week.


PIA: Can you share a challenge that Suttle-Straus has overcome? S.P.: The Great Recession was a difficult time for our organization. For the first time in the history of the company, we had to downsize. Fortunately, the reces- sion hit us later than many printing companies, and we were able to pull together and come out of it stronger.


PIA: What accomplishment(s) is Suttle-Straus most proud of? S.P.: We are very proud to have been recognized as a Best Workplace in the Americas for 17 consecutive years. We have achieved the highest level of recognition,


“Best of the Best,” 12 times, including every year since 2010. We strive to continually enhance our culture in all of the categories in the competition. Our average tenure of 12 years is evidence of the great culture at Suttle-Straus.


We are also proud of our ability to innovate and change. Our S4 Marketing Resource Center, which is developed and managed by our Technology Services team, is a great example of how we bring value to our clients beyond the physical products we produce for them. The platform allows companies with multiple loca- tions to control their branding while enabling satellite locations or sales networks to easily customize their marketing materials.


Internally, our coaching and development system is an innovative approach for us. We replaced annual reviews with regular one-on-one meetings, focusing on employee development and removing obstacles to process improvement.


PIA: What does the future hold? S.P.: Suttle-Straus’s future growth is expected to come primarily from our print, mailing, wide-format, and S4 Marketing Resource Center services. We will be successful by delivering integrated marketing solu- tions that enable our clients to achieve their business objectives.


The Magazine 5 5.2017


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