10, 20, 30… what do these numbers represent besides the fact
that I can count by ten? Stability,
Growth, Transformation, Leadership, Innovation.
Recently I received an email congratulating Heather Hirst on
15 years of service at NER. Heather, a
Program Manger in our Print4 MPS division who has worn many hats over the years,
brings a carpe diem attitude ever day.
The email made me think about Heather and others in the organization –
how long they have been here, how their roles have changed, why do they keep
coming back, and how we are better because they do. This year Steve Oatway, NER’s President and
COO hit 25 years, and Greg Stover, Senior VP of Sales hit 30 years. Significant anniversaries and yet there are
many more in the organization with similar tenure, some even longer!
Numerous studies show the benefits and challenges of long
tenured employees. Some challenge that long tenure, especially in leadership
roles, can lead to organizational compliancy and stagnation; NER is not a case
study for that finding. Started in 1971 as a printer ribbon manufacturer, NER
has transformed over the years into one of the leading high tech companies that
is breaking new ground in Managed Print Services and Data Center Infrastructure
Optimization Solutions (two mission critical businesses that are not for the
complacent or faint of heart).
So how did NER get to where it is today? A significant factor can be attributed to leaders
and employees who exemplify the benefits of long-tenured employees (items listed
below are taken from a leading HR study).
Long tenure employees provide:
·
focus on innovation
and growth as opposed a state of uncertainty
·
a high level of
productivity that is maintained because time is not lost in bringing new
employees up to speed
·
strategic planning that
is guided by their knowledge and experience
·
input to help avoid
repeating past mistakes
·
mastery of their
own job tasks and are key candidates for cross-training, which makes the company
more productive and flexible
·
mentoring and training
of others, which prove beneficial to all parties: the person mentored
develops new skills, the experienced employee feels appreciated and gains a
fresh point of view, and the company grows
By leveraging our tenured resources and the fresh
perspectives from new employees, NER is able to perfect what it offers today
while continually looking for new innovations in products, services, and
business ventures. Recently we launched
the Aurora High Resolution Temperature Strip, a new product that revolutionizes
thermal monitoring/alerting in critical spaces.
Our Print4 MPS applications are in constant state of development to
bring new features that take advantage of new technologies in document
management.
So what does it mean to our vendors, resellers and their
end-user customers? Access to a wealth of knowledge and experience that benefits
everything we offer: product/solution development, customer support, business
assessments, business transactions, etc.
When you work with NER you work with true industry experts AND most
likely you work with the same experts each time you engage us.
So why do we stay?
Simple... it’s a great company with a bright future that has outstanding
people; it’s like family (the good kind…not the crazy uncle). When I started here, I overhead someone say
“I could never work at a company where I don’t believe in what they do”. That
was over 15 years ago and that person is still at NER. So I’d like to close
with a few notable mentions…
·
30+
years – Lori Down, Curt Gerhart, Greg Stover, Sharon Stowman
·
20+
years – Sue Aresnault, Robert Belvin, Susan Davis, Linda Haas,
Rob Huttemann, Steve Oatway, David Wieting
·
10+
years – Heather Hirst, Chris Oatway, Mike Walsh,
These people have made significant contributions over the
years, but it is important to acknowledge everyone in this company, especially
the newer employees who bring fresh ideas and perspectives. Combining the old
with the new makes NER the industry leader that is today. Check us out and you
will see why we keep coming back.
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