We asked one of the finalists, Stream Realty Partners, to share some of the company’s secrets to becoming a Best Place To Work. Here’s what several of the company’s executives told us.
Q: How has being one of Atlanta’s Best Places To Work helped your business?
— Even though we are a real estate company, our main asset is our people. The award helps us recruit talent and give us confidence that we consistently do things right. – Ben Hautt, Co-Managing Partner
— We are eager to earn the award every year and that focus helps us have happy, productive employees. – Simon Arpiarian, Co-Managing Partner
— Being recognized as one of Atlanta’s Best Places To Work allows us a platform to showcase our company culture and attract and retain employees and clients with similar values. It reaffirms that we’re living up to our core values, Nice. Honest. Smart. Passionate. – Kristin Shearer, Assistant Director of Property Management
— It’s one of our goals every year. Talented employees can work anywhere. This award is a ‘must-win’ if you want to attract strong leaders/teams. – Bradley Dunn, Senior Vice President, Industrial
Q: Is being one of Atlanta’s Best Places To Work meaningful to your company’s employees?
— I hope so! It is a really tough award to get. A couple years we did not make the list and it is the most meaningful award to me. – Ben Hautt, Co-Managing Partner
— Yes. We celebrate the award and our people get excited. – Simon Arpiarian, Co-Managing Partner
— It is. We work hard to recruit employees that are a cultural fit and the BPTW title helps distinguish Stream as a place top talent wants to be. Our team is made up of hard working, enthusiastic, loyal, and happy employees and being a Best Place To Work ensures that we can continue to selectively recruit like-minded team members. – Kristin Shearer, Assistant Director of Property Management
— No doubt. We’re proud of our culture and we’re excited to see it celebrated publicly. – Bradley Dunn, Senior Vice President, Industrial
Q: Tell us some of the things you’ve done to become one of Atlanta’s Best Places To Work that other companies can do, too.
— Lots of little things, but they all point back to freedom. We give our people not only ample freedom, but the freedom to be wildly successful. Take financial risks, hire people, etc. – Ben Hautt, Co-Managing Partner
— We give talented young people way more responsibility than our industry thinks they should have and they thrive. No one has an office in order to promote learning and information flow. We provide our people the opportunity to earn sweat equity in our investments. – Simon Arpiarian, Co-Managing Partner
— Stream has a strong benefits package, a StreamFit wellness initiative, and a paid day off during your anniversary month each year. Understanding that giving back is as good for the spirit as it is the community, we offer paid volunteer days as well as group community service projects. We’ve rolled out robust training programs and work to modify based on employee feedback to ensure we’re giving our people what they need to continue to develop in their careers. We have a company Lake Day, a Family Picnic, quarterly Team outings and Guys & Ladies event days. We work hard and play hard. – Kristin Shearer, Assistant Director of Property Management
— We hire carefully and proactively—never out of need. It’s extremely important to work with people you love. – Bradley Dunn, Senior Vice President, Industrial
Q: If you could offer other companies one piece of advice on how to become one of Atlanta’s Best Places To Work, what would you tell them?
— Loosen up! – Ben Hautt, Co-Managing Partner
— Every employee, including the boss, should train someone to do their job and then give that job to them. If anyone has to leave, retire, or die for another to advance, the good people will leave. – Simon Arpiarian, Co-Managing Partner
— Be mindful of employee engagement and note when you’re hitting and missing the mark. Work to adjust “perks” as your employees grow and change but always stay true to your core values and what attracted top performers to you in the first place. – Kristin Shearer, Assistant Director of Property Management
— It’s simple: Talent flows towards respect and opportunity. Provide lots of both. – Bradley Dunn, Senior Vice President, Industrial
Atlanta Business Chronicle has just named the finalists for the 2018 Atlanta’s Best Places To Work awards. (Check out the list here.) The rankings will be announced at the Chronicle’s annual Best Places To Work awards on the evening of Sept. 6 at Flourish Atlanta. (Learn more about the event here.)