To the Austin business community, BuildASign.com isn’t just an e-commerce site. It’s an innovative business culture that has been imitated often but never duplicated. It’s true that BuildASign.com is a leading online custom printing provider of signage and home decor items. Products include signs, canvas, apparel, business cards, car wraps and more. And it’s true the Austin-based company— which also operates EasyCanvasPrints.com and AlliedShirts.com—has over 270 employees, $71 million in revenue in 2014 and sales in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Germany. All this was accomplished in less than 10 years.
But what’s also true is, BuildASign.com is a great place to work. A really great place to work. Long-term jobs with the company are coveted by the very same bright, young professionals who seem notoriously hard to keep satisfied.
Recently, BuilidASign.com announced an investment PWP Growth Equity, which will further its growth. It’s for these reasons we chose to feature BuildASign.com in our ongoing staffing and recruiting interview series featuring some of Texas’s fastest growing companies. To help us shine a light on the company is Meghan Moreno, PHR, director of human resources.
The HT Group: What do you consider your biggest staffing challenge?
Moreno: Changes in volume. Since our need for additional employees is based off customer orders and demand, it’s often difficult to find people who can start immediately and are open to temporary work. For that reason, we’ve started using more temporary staffing and, since making that shift, we find it challenging to keep qualified employees on the job (and not leaving for more permanent positions elsewhere).
The HT Group: How does company culture play into your recruiting efforts?
Moreno: Company culture is huge at BuildASign.com! We look for individuals who are team players, who want to go above and beyond what is expected of them, and who are willing to push the bar for excellence. We pride ourselves on our employees and work to maintain a culture which is inclusive, efficient and enjoyable for our diverse employee population.
The HT Group: How do your employee benefits compare to others in your industry?
Moreno: We pay 90 to 100 percent of employee medical, dental, vision, and voluntary short-term disability, and we offer great benefits for dependents. We offer a wide variety of additional benefits as well, such as critical illness and accident insurance coverage. We recognize seven paid holidays per year, and employees can earn between 10 to 16 days of PTO per year. We also offer other benefit programs to employees such as cash bonus recognition.
The HT Group: When it comes to employee retention, how do you make and keep your employees happy?
Moreno: As a company, we focus on instant recognition, regular company lunches, employee benefits, fun perks and training opportunities. In order to gauge overall employee satisfaction, we regularly conduct employee engagement surveys. The purpose of these surveys is to get a pulse related to how employees feel and strive towards maintaining a positive, collaborative and productive work environment.
The HT Group: What is your advice for employers on the cusp of experiencing rapid growth similar to yours?
Moreno: It’s a challenging and crazy time. While the planning process is necessary, roll with the punches and be open to different solutions. Strive for open communication and transparency which will help with achieving the organization’s goal.
Final Food for Thought
Perhaps one of the most well-known aspects of BuildASign.com’s company culture is its commitment to giving back. Through the BuildASign.com® Giving Program, the company has contributed more than $1 million to over 1,700 local and national nonprofits. It has also donated more than 337,000 Welcome Home banners and signs (valued at over $10 million) to the friends and families of military service members returning home from deployment.
What’s more, they expect their employees to be givers too, offering each full-time employee 24 hours of paid time off to volunteer every year. The company boasts that more than 40 percent of its staff actively volunteers in the Austin community with a variety of mission driven non-profits.
It’s these types of core commitments that attract and keep employees happy at BuildASign.com. What attracts and keeps employees happy at your company?
Photo: Courtesy of BuildASign.com
