Company Insight
This afternoon after work I toured the new Lussier Education Center construction site, on Gammon Rd., with many other volunteers and community citizens. The site is coming along well and is slated for full occupancy sometime in October of this year. We’re truly blessed with so many wonderful volunteers and community leaders who give so much of their time and resources to our wonderful communities, and we are additionally blessed to have so many fine young men and women who will attend programs at the center.
Take a look at a couple of pictures of the construction.
Filed in: Company Insight
Eric Sorenson, one of our team members, has for the past two years put together a DVD of his mother’s 2nd Grade classroom activities. Eric stops by their classroom on the last day of class to personally show them the DVD and give each student their personal copy.
The 30-minute DVD captures the students throughout the year as they enthusiastically go about their studies. Footage consists of student’s painting, reading poems and stories, learning arithmetic, working on science projects, taking field trips and participating in class parties. The DVD is a wonderful keepsake for the 21 students to treasure the remainder of their lives.
Eric’s unselfish efforts are just one example among a large number of activities where QWANtify team members give their time to make lives richer through volunteering.
Filed in: Company Insight
Supplier Diversity is very important to many of our customers. Alliant Energy Corporation, of Madison, recently received the 2008 Edison Electric Institute’s Supplier Diversity Innovation Award in the area of supplier diversity. Between 2002 and 2007, Alliant spent more than $133 million on products and services supplied by certified minority and woman-owned companies.
The EEI Supplier Diversity Innovation Award recognizes EEI members for their innovative approaches to diverse supplier development. The EEI panel judged over 60 Utility Supplier Diversity programs in the following areas:
• Supplier Diversity corporate policy
• Spend goals
• Achievements in 2007
• Demonstration of how the supplier diversity program is woven through the organization (i.e., communication to business units, reports, training and accountability)
• Outreach to diverse suppliers
As Bill Harvey, Alliant Energy’s CEO says, “Supplier diversity is more than an expression at Alliant Energy. At our company, supplier diversity is a way of doing business that adds value to our company and helps us achieve long-term growth.”
It is wonderful to work with a company that recognizes the value of working with diverse workforces and vendors.
Filed in: Company Insight
Project Home, a Dane County not-for-profit organization, sponsors a program every spring called Hammer With a Heart. QWANtify’s Community Involvement Committee selected this worthy cause to be involved with this spring.
Today we worked in the Allied Drive neighborhood on apartments owned by Project Home.
Our QWANtify team split into two teams. Half of us painted basements while the other half planted bushes and mulched around the playground equipment and buildings.
Meeting around 7:30 am at our office, on a cold misty day, we enthusiastically embarked on our day-long mission. Upon arrival we were greeted with water, soda and donuts. By 8:00 we eagerly began working.
By the time we broke, at 12:30 for lunch (pizza, burgers and chicken sandwiches), our work was complete.
We hung around a while for conversation, pictures and the meal before returning to our office and going our separate ways for the remainder of the day and weekend.
I count myself lucky for many reasons. I’m fortunate to work with an enthusiastic team who comes up with and embraces such great community and team building activities.
Our team continually reminds me we’re building is something pretty special.
Filed in: Company Insight
Our Accountant, John Bird, is an amazing man. His unselfish generosity and willingness to give back to his community is something everyone should strive for.
John works tirelessly with the hundreds of customers he serves while also serving several local organizations (i.e., Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital, Vermont Township, District One EMS, Yahara House, to name a few). In John’s spare time he donates thousands of hours of free accounting assistance to Yahara House members. On April 8, 2008 John was awarded the Community Citizen Award, by NAMI Dane County, “in recognition of his outstanding achievement supporting and advocating for people with mental illnesses”, for his Yahara House volunteer services.
I became acquainted with John three years ago when he became QWANtify’s accountant. In the last three years John has taught me a lot. Some times he probably felt he’d need to knock me over the head to get me to understand what he was trying to teach me. Ever the patient mentor, he kept at it until I caught on.
Through John’s generosity and community involvement I am continually reminded of our very important core values (giving back to one’s community and treating others the way we all want to be treated). These are the values I try to live by and pass on every day of my life.
Congratulations and thank you, John!! You’re a wonderful role model.
Yahara House began in 1976 as an aftercare program designed to help persons who had lived in psychiatric institutions move back into the community. In the mid 1980s, we became the first clubhouse model in Wisconsin. In 2001, Yahara House was chosen as a national recipient of the Lilly Reintegration Awards. Today, Yahara House is dedicated to advancing cultural competence, community reintegration, and consumer recovery. Yahara House is part of a private, non profit organization, the Mental Health Center of Dane County, Inc.
Filed in: Company Insight
WPS Health Insurance, one of our clients and the state’s largest not-for-profit insurers, is leading a campaign to recruit one million new organ and tissue donors in Wisconsin through their ORGANize to Save Lives initiative. QWANtify has joined forces with WPS to help this important national effort. We believe with the leadership of Wisconsin businesses and organizations like ours, we can truly make a difference in the lives of those in need. We are working toward the goal of signing up one million new donors by 2010!
Right now there are nearly 100,000 men, women, and children across the country waiting for a healthy organ to replace a failing kidney, heart, lung, liver, or pancreas. Every day, 18 die waiting. Together, we can change that, andORGANize to Save Lives can help save thousands, even tens of thousands of lives.
We made organ donor stickers and other information materials available in our Human Resources department, included stickers and aFAQ sheet as a payroll stuffer, and provided a “Get a Dot. Save a Life FAQ” sheet. WPS has also made available an informational video, featuring actual transplant recipients and donor families, by visiting the WPS Web site by tuning in to Charter Cable Channel 999.
Each new organ donor has the potential to save or enhance the lives of 50 other people. We encourage everyone to help give the gift of life to your friends and neighbors in need. Get your dot today!
Filed in: Company Insight
Having detailed corporate hiring policies and processes is necessary and invaluable for corporations of all sizes. Our policy is very rigorous. Our recruiter interviews potential candidates, we have them technically interviewed by an expert in their specific field of expertise, and I meet with them. In addition, we conduct reference and background checks.
Once a new employee comes on board, we review our policies with them, provide them with our handbook, ask that they acknowledge reading the handbook by providing us with a signature stating they read and understand our policies. When they begin working on a client project, we insist they review client policies as well.
Sound processes and policies are important for many reasons. They protect clients and company owners when misconduct is alleged. If a potential claim arises, it is much easier to defend when policies and processes are in place and followed.
Imagine how clients would react if misconduct was alleged, and it was learned the company they worked with did not have or follow appropriate corporate hiring policies and procedures. If the consultant violated client policies or their own employer’s policies, it may be harder to defend a potential claim.
Be vigilant and rigorous about reviewing and maintaining updated corporate hiring policies and always follow them. Don’t be lulled into bypassing policies and processes because of past working relationships. If one thing is constant, it is change and events influence different behaviors in everyone. Following stated policies and processes may not always catch character flaws, but it goes a long way toward doing so.
Filed in: Company Insight
February 13, 2008 · by Tammy Adler
One of our team members came up with a great idea and wonderful new program for educating middle-school girls about different information technology opportunities available to students graduating from college with a Management Computer Systems (MCS) degree. The program is called GET IT, which stands for Girls Educating Themselves about Information Technology.
We believe this program is a very important step in furthering the discussion about the many exciting information technology career opportunities available today and well into the future.
Filed in: Company Insight
