ASI Names 75 Best Places To Work In Promo Products Industry

Seattle-based Gifts By Design chosen No. 1 workplace in the industry

TREVOSE, PA – October 3, 2016 – The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) today announced the top 75 places to work in the promotional products industry, naming Seattle-based distributor Gifts By Design the industry’s No. 1 company.

The 2016 Best Places to Work list of the most innovative and unique companies in the $22 billion promotional products industry – published annually since 2008 by ASI’sCounselor® magazine – is a mix of diverse companies located throughout the U.S. and Canada. The winners were identified as top workplaces through independent, in-depth employee surveys that rated companies in 10 categories, including team effectiveness and trust in senior leaders.

For the first time, Counselor zeroed in on specific challenges inherent to small, medium and large companies and detailed strategies that can help businesses evolve as they grow.

For 2016, Counselor also compiled a top 10 list of unique, compelling company perks and is now conducting an online poll to uncover the most preferred perk from a list that includes unlimited time off, paid maternity leave and meditation classes.

Small companies of fewer than 49 employees dominated this year’s list, outnumbering medium and large companies combined. The top industry workplace, Gifts By Design(asi/205947), employs 12 people and offers branded merchandise, apparel, printed collateral, awards and incentives. President Jamie Stone founded the company in 1989.

Along with offering typical industry motivators like sales contests, happy hours and time off, Stone banned overtime, welcomes dogs and gives all workers an extra week of paid vacation over the holidays. Most significantly, she made mandatory employee training on “confrontation without conflict” a cornerstone of her workplace. Sales rose dramatically after the training and the lessons employees learned spilled over into their personal lives, improving conversations with families and friends as well as coworkers.

“We’re honored just to have been included on the Counselor’s Best Places to Work list, much less to have been named number one,” said Stone. “Our entire staff works hard to make Gifts by Design a great place for one another while doing amazing work for our clients, so getting recognized by your fellow employees means the world to us. We are thrilled.”

Counselor’s Best Places to Work October issue is devoted to profiles of the winning companies, along with the latest industry employment trends and insightful advice on empowering employees while increasing productivity and fun facts. For instance, while California boasts the most top industry companies, four of the top workplaces in the top 10 are based in Florida.

“If inspiration is what you’re seeking, we’ve got 75 examples of how to make your company great,” saidCounselor Executive Editor C.J. Mittica. “Every year, we uncover new initiatives picking up steam throughout the industry – initiatives other companies can and should learn from. What jumped out this year is how many companies now offer substantial wellness initiatives that go far beyond the norm, like banning sugary snacks and making happiness a company priority – enterprises that can boost the bottom line.”

For its survey of top 75 industry companies, Counselor partnered with third-party research firm Quantum Workplace, which conducts Best Places to Work contests in numerous major cities.

For more information on Counselor magazine contact C.J. Mittica at [email protected]. To advertise in any of ASI’s four award-winning magazines, contact Matthew Barnes at[email protected].

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI®) serves a network of 23,500 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $22 billion promotional products industry. ASI’s flagship product, the technology platform ESP®, manages the industry’s entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 61 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASI’s Counselor® magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Certification Program features 500+ live and online education courses for over 40,000 professionals. The company, family owned and operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the “Best Places to Work” in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA. For more info: www.uat-asicentral.com.