Northwestern Travel Wins "Great Place to Work" Award

The following article appeared in CityBusiness - The Business Journal - August 17, 2001, one of 14 articles describing the 14 winners in the CityBusiness Great Place to Work survey. Northwestern Travel was the only travel company awarded the honor of a Great Place to Work. Winners were chosen based on original research by CityBusiness' research staff. They sent survey packages to more than 770 Minnesota-based companies. Businesses were then ranked on employee benefits and employee attitudes based on the completed surveys and follow-up telephone calls.

Winning companies have one important thing in common: "Very loyal employees," said Diane Cormany, CityBusiness project editor. "Workers at a number of winning companies described their workplace as `one big happy family.' "

"Recruiting and retaining talent is the toughest challenge facing Minnesota companies," said Beth Ewen, editor-in-chief of CityBusiness. "We intend this project to be a powerful tool in helping visionary leaders create the best workplaces."
 

By Jen Nielsen
City Business - The Business Journal - August 17, 2001

John Noble's car is easy to spot in the Northwestern Travel parking lot. It's the one with the "ALOHA" license plate.

Noble, chairman and CEO, has had that message on his license plate since he founded Northwestern Travel in 1969. He explains that in the Hawaiian language, Aloha is more than just a salutation; the word means mutual regard and affection. Aloha is the essence of relationships where each person is important to every other person, Noble said.

"I figured Aloha is kind of a nice thing to say when you're in this business," he added.

Noble began his corporate travel business with five employees. The company earned $600,000 in sales in its first year of business. Headquartered in Edina, the company has grown to more than 830 employees and reported sales of $570 million in 2000. Northwestern Travel is the parent company of Northwestern Incentive Services, Northwestern Travel Management, Marshall Field's Travel Service and Waters Travel of Wayzata.

The aloha spirit extends throughout the company. Travel agents work as a team, helping one another out. Employees are treated as individuals, not as numbers, said Max Burgdorf, a corporate travel agent. "[Everyone] knows who you are. It's like a big family here," he said.

Noble's hiring philosophy is simple: "We hire good people and get out of their way," he said.

That philosophy benefited Claudia Wilson, president of Northwestern Incentive Services. Wilson always had what she called an "entrepreneurial spirit." She began working at Northwestern 21 years ago, but left the company for a while to start her own incentives business, which Northwestern later purchased and renamed. She said the risk of selling her business was enormous because she didn't want to lose any of her control. But so far no one has stepped on her toes.

"There's a lot of leeway and trust," Wilson said. "I can run [my division] as I see fit."

But when employees do need some assistance, managers and supervisors are readily available. All managers have andoor policy. Noble invites employees to walk in his office at any time. "And they do," he said.

Northwestern is alsoto flexible work arrangements. As a travel agent, Patty "Ann" Savage issues plane tickets, talks with clients and arranges corporate travel - all from her home office. She is one of about 80 travel agents who telecommute to work at Northwestern Travel. Telecommuting saves Savage a lot of money on transportation and meals. She's also closer to her two young sons, who are enrolled in day care just a few houses away.

The travel industry predominantly employs young women with families, said Andrea Ritchie, president of Northwestern Travel Management. "[Telecommuting] has been a wonderful success," she explained. "We've been able to keep a lot of very good people."

Telecommuting saves Northwestern 8,000 square feet of office space and helps with employee retention. The company also found telecommuting increases productivity a measurable 10 percent. Employees also have the option to work flex times such as evenings or weekends (Northwestern operates 24 hours a day).

Besides the usual 401(k) plan and health insurance, Northwestern provides its employees with training and tuition reimbursement. And of course, there are great travel benefits. A few weeks ago, Burgdorf traveled to Puerto Rico - for free.

Other programs benefit the entire community. Northwestern contributes airline tickets or financial donations to organizations selected by its Community Involvement team. The Heartland Institute, shelters for battered women and the Guthrie Theater have all benefited from the company's largess. Employees have participated in everything from the AIDS bicycle ride to blood drives.

Noble described other travel agencies as "revolving doors," where employees never stay for very long. But at Northwestern, people tend to stick around.

Ritchie started with Northwestern as a travel agent 22 years ago. She moved her way up the ladder to supervisor, then manager. Now president of the company's largest division, Ritchie has never considered leaving the company. Her enthusiasm is contagious.

"Even though we work 10 hours a day and there are stressful moments and deadlines, it all pays off," she said. "I can say without hesitation that there isn't a better travel agency."

Ritchie launched the Zapp program - named for a popular business text - which is an appreciation program where managers and employees hand out lightning bolts to recognize jobs well done.

She also writes personal anniversary cards congratulating every person in her division - well over 400 employees. "The vast majority of people have been here a long time, so I know them very personally," she said.

Chris Schneider started working as a travel agent 14 years ago. After side stepping through a number of jobs at Northwestern, she wound up in the technology department working as a technical support specialist. Over the years, Schneider has witnessed her fair share of "leave and come back-ers."

"People will leave and go somewhere else, but they find out the grass is not always greener on the other side," she said. "They say, 'What was I thinking?' "

Because employees tend to stick around, the company sticks up for its employees. The company will do anything it can to ensure job security, said Art Dahl, chief operating officer.

"One of our principles is we do not solve business problems on the backs of our employees and we don't consider layoffs," Dahl said. "We believe loyalty begets loyalty."