Best Places to Work 2007: Hammer Collections

Everybody in business is owed money, and Hammer Collections helps recover it. Since the company’s May 2006 ribbon cutting, Springfield-based Hammer Collections has collected about $2 million in commercial collections – a $100 billion business.

With 18 employees, Hammer expects to grow to between 60 and 80 people and will move into a newly constructed, company-owned building by early 2009.

Co-owners Mike and Charlotte Dawley started Hammer Collections after moving to Springfield following Hurricane Katrina.

Compensation and training attract employees to the business, said Charlotte Dawley, whose nickname in the industry is “Hammer.”

Base pay begins at $1,500 the first six months, rising to $2,000 by month nine, and a 5 percent commission is paid from the first $1 collected. New employees also receive two $250 bonuses the first month – which are offered on a continual basis.

“We want them to participate in commissions early on so they can educate the clients early on,” Dawley said.

Rewarding employees for performance is key, she said.

Average annual salary increases for full-time employees are more than 15 percent, while annual employee bonuses average more than $1,000. Domestic-partner benefits are offered, and new parents have six weeks leave with full pay.

“When I … was pregnant with my daughter, I was lucky enough to work for a big company that offered that,” said Dawley, who has spent 14 years in collections and worked in major markets like Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans.

Acknowledging employees’ personal lives is part of an attempt to attract and retain people, Dawley said. “You can’t be a winner at work and a loser at home,” she said.

Dawley noted that people from all over the country express interest in working at Hammer Collections and living in Springfield, and Ken Correll is among them.

Correll, Hammer’s chief financial officer, turned down offers at two other companies to move to Springfield from Minneapolis six months ago. He said he was impressed with the Dawleys’ business plan and appreciates the corporate culture.

Training is a daily event. In addition to an intensive, one-week training course for all new employees, Dawley starts each day with a 60-minute training session for everyone.

“The beginning of the meeting is all about accountability,” she said. “We try to educate them to manage themselves.”

Fun is important, too. If a quota is met, that might mean fun funds are released for a little friendly competition between employee teams with prizes as a reward. The occasional trip to Incredible Pizza isn’t unheard of, and this year, a Halloween costume contest was held with a cash prize.

Financials are regularly reviewed with employees which motivates people to hit their numbers.

“ … Why would you hide it?” Dawley said.

Hammer Collections

Founded: 2006

Address: 3322 S. Campbell Ave., Suite BB, Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: (417) 877-1962

Web: www.hammerdebt.com

Employees: 18

Services: Commercial collections[[In-content Ad]]