By Tammy Enright

The greatest thing about being part of the Spectrum Aeromed family is that every one of our employees knows that their voice and opinion matters. The culture here starts at the top and our CEO is committed to creating that kind of working environment.    Employees are encouraged and rewarded for submitting their improvement ideas for their processes, environment, or even other areas of the company through a Continuous Improvement Program. Thisdrives positive change and lets employees know their opinions and ideas are heard.

About a year ago, we freshened up our core values. And do you know what? Everyone was involved in the project. Employees voted on what was most valuable to them with the number one priority being focused on our mission: saving lives. I think this approach is unique and I’m proud to share the core values our employees wrote.

  • Quality & Continuous Improvement
  • Passion & Positive Attitude
  • Trust, Integrity & Accountability
  • Customer Focused Solutions
  • Fun & Teamwork

We survey our employees weekly to gather a pulse on 10 metrics including feedback, ambassadorship, relationships, personal growth, happiness and more.  We address and make improvements to our workplace and communication based on feedback received. Our employees know they have a voice in making decisions and they’re also given a lot of autonomy but also support in their work. We encourage employees to attend at least one training course of their choice per quarter, even if it is not directly related to their position within the company.

I love how this company supports employees in all facets of their lives. A Worksite Wellness program has been in place for 6 years now. Program activities focus on our employees’ highest health needs and interests, which are discovered through annual biometric and health risk testing conducted on-site and employee feedback.  Many ideas came from employees: we offer free healthy snacks in break rooms, we’ve built a company garden, we have Spectrum Aeromed bicycles for employees to use, we hold fitness challenges, we enjoy some friendly competition on the patio during lunch and break time. Those are just some of the things we have implemented!

We also have a strong link to the community of Fargo, North Dakota, finding many causes to support and opportunities to serve.  Everything we do to create a great company culture affects the happiness of our employees and we see the results.

Due to the work we’ve done to create a positive and welcoming working environment, our company has received many awards in recent years, including Prairie Business Magazine’s 50 Best Places to Work,  US Chamber of Commerce DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Small Business Award, Inc. Magazine’s Best Places to Work Finalist, our local Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year and Spectrum Aeromed was named by Entrepreneur Magazine E360 in “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” list, to name a few.

It’s always nice to be recognized for the positive changes being implemented.

Now, back to work.

Tammy Enright is the SVP- Business Manager, overseeing marketing, accounting, human resources, IT and general administration. She was recognized in 2012 as one of the “40 Most Influential People Under the Age of 40” in North Dakota by the North Dakota Business Watch Magazine.