Employee Ownership Builds Trust and Brings Success

Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors began with humble roots in 1885 and evolved into a 100% employee-owned company that local, regional and international businesses rely on for insurance, risk management, employee solutions, or human resources consulting. For employee-owners the company delivers the best of both worlds: small enough to feel like family yet big enough to offer industry-leading benefits and workplace perks.

Employee-Owner Culture
“The ownership mentality that is such a large part of our culture is a distinct differentiator when it comes to how we communicate, work as a team, and make decisions for the success of our company and clients,” said Richard Ollis, CEO. “Most companies aspire to have a collaborative work environment with full transparency from their leadership team, but we actually do it.”
Employee-owners work in high-performing teams with a cross section of varying degrees of experience to ensure the most thoughtful decisions are explored for each client and situation.
Identifying high levels of team engagement as a strategic priority allows leadership to consistently communicate with employee-owners that they are valued. Celebratory lunches, happy hours, and Coffee with Friends, which usually involves games or other fun activities, round out a culture of team building and socializing.

Support for Causes
The company offers many avenues for the team to support the communities they serve. “From time commitments to financial support, rarely do we say ‘no’ to something someone is passionate about,” said Karen Shannon, VP of Business Consulting/CHRO. Paid time off for volunteer days or to help support acts of service are available and the leadership team at Ollis/Akers/Arney strives to find ways to provide access and help in any way they can when employee-owners are passionate about a project or cause.

Why Work at Ollis/Akers/Arney
Trust — Employee-owners at Ollis/Akers/Arney know they are trusted and valued.
Appreciation — There is a dedicated effort to show appreciation across the organization in a variety of ways including gifts, extra time off and company-wide recognition.
Flexible work arrangements — Employee-owners have a full voice in what their work arrangement looks like, including telecommuting, flexible hours, or working while kids are home, just to name a few.

Incentives
Ollis/Akers/Arney places a focus on wellness providing an on-site fitness center, annual health risk assessment, annual Wellness Conference and paying 100% of health benefits for all employee-owners who participate in the Wellness Program monitored by national wellness company, Wellsteps. Paid time off and scheduling are generous, and children’s school schedules or activities, doctor appointments or care of a loved one are all worked into weekly schedules.
Ollis/Akers/Arney also offers variety of recognitions, including financial bonuses for client and employee referrals. Milestone anniversaries are recognized on the in-house platform, The Xchange hosted by RecogNation, and as part of the company’s quarterly all-employee-owner meeting celebrations. Gift cards are given to team members celebrating milestone anniversaries and for certifications or designations achieved.
“Being 100% employee owned permeates through our culture by encouraging peer-to-peer support and accountability,” said Joe Gaunt, Director of Operations. “Constantly communicating to our team members that they matter, their voice counts, and every decision is keeping their success in mind…this is what makes our company a great place to work.”