Best Places to Work 2007: Springfield Cardinals

Scores by Category:

Incentives: 66*

Family Friendly: 10*

People Development: 27

Corporate Culture: 38*

*Top score among similar-sized companies

Springfield Cardinals employees are charged with enhancing the experiences of baseball fans, and according to employees, the organization makes it worth the effort.

“It’s definitely the premier job in minor league baseball,” said Mike Lindskog, public relations manager and the voice of the Cardinals. “It’s a no-brainer why you’d want to work here.”

Although there’s a one-year wait to participate in the retirement plan, and employees aren’t fully vested for five years, the Cardinals contributes between 50 percent and 100 percent to employees’ accounts.

Entry-level, full-time employees are given one to five vacation days and at least five personal days, and there’s no waiting time to take those personal days.

The Cardinals pays more than 50 percent of the health insurance premiums for full-time employees and their dependents, and new parents have more than six weeks of paid leave.

Bonuses that average more than $1,000 are available for all employees, and average annual salary increases for full-time staff range from 4 percent to 6 percent.

The company also offers tuition reimbursement for continuing education, estimating that between 10 percent and 29 percent of employees take advantage of that benefit. The company also reports spending between $501 and $1,500 for more than 61 hours of training annually for each employee.

Regardless of job titles, employees learn all aspects of the business from public relations to sponsorship to marketing, Lindskog said.

“Everything is on-the-job training. None of us is pigeonholed in one department. … It’s an ongoing learning process,” he said. “You’re always learning customer service.”

Employees also benefit from an employee-mentoring program, said Kirk Elmquist, vice president of sales and marketing.

“When a new person comes in … they’re signed up with people who can lead them in their career,” Elmquist said.

Employees have the opportunity to evaluate their managers once a year, but Elmquist believes the organization supports regular feedback.

“I feel like my crew is very honest … all year long. If they have a problem, they can come to me any time,” he said. “I have a philosophy: Confrontation creates clarity. … I love to hear about it. The door is always open.”

Between 16 percent and 20 percent of employees take advantage of flextime.

“We are very loose when it comes to their own personal schedule, their professional schedule,” Elmquist said. “We’re very flexible. … We don’t punch a clock here.”

Something must be working right: The Cardinals was named the Texas League Organization of the Year for the second year in a row, Elmquist said.

Lindskog credits the fan base – average game attendance is 7,000, the second-highest Double-A average – and the fact that Cardinals employees take their enthusiasm outside the stadium.

“Baseball is fun, and we try to carry that out when we talk to businesses,” Lindskog said. “We’re going to bring fun out to the community.”

Elmquist describes the Cardinals as a “circular” organization.

“Our general manager (Matt Gifford) believes in the philosophy (that) he comes and helps with every position,” he said. “He’s always present; he’s always in and out of everyone’s department.”

Lindskog sums up his attraction to the Cardinals: “It’s pretty awesome when you can say you have a ballpark in your backyard.”

Springfield Cardinals

Founded: 2005

Address: 955 E. Trafficway St., Springfield, MO 65802

Phone: (417) 863-2143

Web: www.springfieldcardinals.com

Employees: 170

Services: Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals[[In-content Ad]]