Brittany Helton was happy with the job she had in the insurance field, but when a friend told her about an opening at Ollis & Co., she was curious.
She'd heard the company had great benefits and was a good place to work, so she interviewed.
"They made me feel so welcome," Helton says recently on her third day of working as a producer at Ollis. "They weren't looking for me and I wasn't looking for them, but sometimes it's just meant to be."
It was the little things that made a difference, she says, from inviting her to a company picnic the week before she started to get to know everyone, having business cards printed and ready for her when she showed up and the gift of a polo shirt with a company logo.
"They suited me up and said, 'You're one of us,'" Helton says.
She was particularly impressed with the company's wellness plan.
Ollis Controller Dick Pogue says the company's wellness program offers rewards for employees who track their wellness activities, including eating well, drinking enough water and getting strength and aerobic exercise.
Ollis also offers quarterly lunches at which experts address various health topics, an annual health risk assessment and free flu shots for employees and everyone in their household.
The company has even taken snacks into consideration.
"We have fresh fruit available free of charge daily ... to encourage somebody to have fresh fruit instead of a doughnut," Pogue says.
Perhaps the biggest perk: The company pays 100 percent of health insurance premiums for participating employees and there is no deductible. Insurance also is available for employees' family members, but the employee pays the cost.
"Basically, it keeps being healthy top of mind," Helton says of the wellness program.
Ollis also offers an employee stock ownership program that's fully funded by the company and a 401(k) with a 50 percent match for the first 4 percent of employee contributions.
To encourage employees' professional growth, Ollis pays for all job-related educational expenses, Pogue says, including professional designations, licensing and continuing education.
"We certainly encourage and support everyone to grow in our company," he says.
While producers have unrestricted earnings based on their sales performance, the company also offers annual raises of 4 percent, on average, Pogue says.
But for Helton, "The biggest thing was the people."
Once she interviewed at the company, she was sold on the idea of working at Ollis.
"I knew that I couldn't go back and be fully satisfied where I was working before," she says. "I was working for a great company before, but (Ollis) was just that tempting."
Pogue, who's been with Ollis for 15 years, offered a similar sentiment: "It's a great place to work ... the people here are what keep me here as well."[[In-content Ad]]* Tie broken by essay
25 to 100 Employees No. 2: American Dehydrated Foods/International Dehydrated Foods
25 to 100 Employees No. 4: Arvest Bank
2009 Choice Employees honorees
