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An Award-Winning Employer, Year After Year

Written by Monica Molinaro on

“If Los Angeles County were a nation, its economy would be the 19th largest in the world. It is home to more than 244,000 businesses, with more minority- and women-owned businesses than any other in the nation.”  The County of Los Angeles

Out of over 244,000 businesses in Los Angeles County, our company, (a women-owned business,) has been privileged to consistently rank among the top 100, as awarded by the Los Angeles Business Journal and Best Companies Group.

In fact, it is the sixth time that Giroux Glass has been given this honor as one of the “Best Places to Work in Los Angeles,” having made the list previously in 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009.

What does making the top 100 mean, and what does it entail?

The survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county’s economy, workforce and businesses. Companies from across the county entered an extensive two-part survey process to determine who would make the top 100 companies list.

The first part of the survey process consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics (making up 25% of the total evaluation). The second part consisted of an anonymous employee survey to measure the employee experience (the remaining 75% of the evaluation). The combined data and scores, managed and analyzed by Best Companies Group, determined the top companies and the final rankings.

And on the day of the big reveal, Wednesday, August 19th, our official rank was announced. A table of Giroux Glass partners and executives was present at a luncheon and awards ceremony hosted by the Los Angeles Business Journal at LA Live’s JW Marriott to accept our award.

This year, Giroux Glass proudly accepted the distinguished honor of placing 23rd out of the top 100 “Best Places to Work in Los Angeles,” and out of the thousands of businesses in our county. We are also pleased to say that we surpassed last year’s placement of 24th!

Nataline Lomedico, president and chief executive officer, said recently:

“I think our unique culture is an important factor in our earning a spot on this coveted list. We have a culture of ownership, and our employees (we call “partners”) truly have a caring involvement with Giroux. We have a passion for making the company not only successful, but also for making it a fun place to work. We are passionate about what we do here, and that translates into many aspects of our workplace, both in the field and in the office.”

As someone who is reading our blog post, we thank you for your interest in this company that we love and into which we have invested so much of ourselves. We hope the passion and camraderie that we share internally at Giroux Glass is felt by you, our friends, family, and customers, as we continue to serve you.

The best part about this awards program is getting to see and learn what makes a company a great one, and to witness the creative and enthusiastic people behind each of these role models. To see what qualified us for the list, below is a sampling of our survey responses. They shed a bit of an insider perspective on some Giroux Glass facts and practices which make it a special workplace.

To leave a comment or pose a question about this article and anything else Giroux Glass related, please send us an email at [email protected]. Let’s hear it! We’d be happy to hear from you.

Monica Molinaro is our Marketing and Public Relations Assistant at Giroux Glass, Inc. and has been a partner since 2008.

Number of employees: 165 total employees, 94 employees in LA County

Employee gender percentages: 17% female partners, 83% male partners

Executive team gender percentages: 50% female executives, 50% male executives

If we were to ask your employees, “What three things does Giroux Glass do for you that you love?” What would they say?

  1. 401k plan with 25% company match
  2. Annual Profit Before Tax (PBT) goal that, when reached, earns each partner a bonus incentive at the end of the year
  3. Our ESOP and strong focus on employee-ownership

Are there any other unique or creative employee benefits or programs offered by your organization?

  1. Our Steering and Culture Committees which work together to plan company events and programs (e.g., ESOP education, company picnics, sports competitions, office Olympics, “Hump Day” Wednesday lunch and a movie, and more)
  2. Open-door policy that is both accommodating and considerate of personal situations (e.g., flex time, telecommuting)
  3. Prizes given to employees who submit company-improving ideas

Briefly describe any programs/practices you employ to actively recruit/retain employees of varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

  1. As a part of DC 36 Local Union 636 (for glaziers, architectural metal, and glass workers), we abide by prevailing wage, apprenticeship, and minority labor laws. This follows the guideline to hire journeymen and apprentice glaziers living within specific low socioeconomic zip codes. We advertise open job positions on no-fee websites as well as our own website. Our job positions are open to any applicant, no fee involved.

Top employee bonus or incentive programs:

  1. As an ESOP company, members of our ESOP plan have the opportunity to receive a monetary bonus at year’s end upon successfully reaching our set Profit Before Tax (PBT) goal.
  2. Sales and project management share in the profit goal achievement of each individual project, paid annually.
  3. Giroux’s Safety Bingo promotes safety in the workplace. For each day without an incident, money is added to the jackpot. Upon injury, the jackpot resets. Bingo is played companywide, daily, and rewards company loyalty by adding bonus earnings for years employed.

Does your organization sponsor or actively support any community service initiatives?

  1. We provide support to employees with children involved in Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and other school initiatives.
  2. We support construction and community growth initiatives, such as the California Hospital Medical Center’s “Heart of the City” program and Monte Vista Elementary school upgrades. We offer monetary support and our employees spend time volunteering.
  3. We support local holiday toy and food drives (such as Spark of Love), other initiatives such as Movember and the ALS Association, as well as assisting our own employees with serious illnesses with monetary and personal support.

Does your organization utilize Sustainable or Green Practices?

  1. Giroux’s headquarters in Los Angeles and fabrication facility in San Bernardino are retrofitted to operate on solar power.
  2. Giroux operates a fleet of Smart Cars to promote lower fuel consumption.
  3. Giroux recycles aluminum, plastic, metal, and glass.

Does your organization offer any programs and/or practices focused on employee leadership training/developme

  1. Programs include: mentoring, job shadowing/cross training, attendance at leadership workshops or other formal leadership education, and support of leadership roles within volunteer organizations outside of our organization.
  2. Open door policy; distribution of weekly newsletter that highlights triumphs and accomplishments; intensive training in ownership-thinking; people considering opportunities for upward advancement join our steering committee and/or culture committee; a “core value superstar” program recognizes employees who exemplify our core values of growth, integrity, respect, ownership, unity, and excellence; Communispond (communication skills) training; scoreboard meetings to discuss company financials with all employees.

Does your organization offer formal employee recognition/appreciation programs?

  1. Recognition is given in our weekly newsletter (e.g. employee of the month, exemplary character, partner accomplishments, high sales, project reviews)
  2. Our Core Value Superstar program, which acknowledges those who display outstanding character and our core values. Winners receive a $100 gift card, preferred parking for a month, and “Giroux bucks” for our company raffle.
  3. Awards are distributed to employees who share and submit ideas for company improvement and advancement, monthly.

Please describe any family-friendly benefits or practices your organization provides to its employees.

  1. Paternity leave (either paid or unpaid) for the birth or adoption of a child; Lactation facilities for breastfeeding mothers; Flexible hours to accommodate school events, taking a family member to the doctor, etc.; Immediate families invited to corporate events; Free or discounted tickets to local family entertainment or sporting events; and we also offer summer internships to qualified children of employees.

Please describe any programs or practices your organization provides to promote a healthy work/life balance.

  1. No overtime, or overtime kept at a minimum.
  2. Meetings and staff-only events limited to during work hours only.
  3. Productivity or time management workshops, seminars or classes; Onsite personal development and/or stress management workshops, seminars, or classes.
  4. Optional weekend hikes with employees; Company picnics where all immediate family members of employees are invited and welcome; Our Idea Drive which encourages all employees, companywide, to suggest ways in which we can improve, grow, and develop a healthier worklife balance where opinions and voices are heard; flex time is allowed; time off for school events is also allowable; 4weeks of vacation accrued after 10 years of employment; Culture and Steering Committees are instituted to help promote a healthy work/life balance

Does your organization initiate any activities to relieve stress and promote fun?

  1. Holiday potlucks, parties, and birthday celebrations with games and prizes.
  2. Giroux Office Olympics. Employees have the option to play three officerelated games (eg, trashcan basketball, mini golf down an empty hallway, etc.) throughout the day. Our medalists are announced by email and also receive a prize for participating.
  3. “Hump Day” (Wednesday) lunch and a movie, and ping pong equipment are available in our conference room.

Please list any other awards your organization has been given for best practices in the workplace including the name of the award, by whom it was presented, rank (if applicable) and the year awarded.

  1. Recipient of the “Excellence in Ownership: Working Better Award,” National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), 2014
  2. Ranked #23 in the “Top 50 Glaziers,” Glass Magazine, 2014 (a national list)
  3. Ranked #11 in the “Top 20 Firms in Glazing and Curtain Wall” for Engineering NewsRecord’s “Top 600,” 2014 (a national list)