Windsor Marketing Group, an in-store shopper marketing agency that works with leading retailers throughout the U.S., doesn’t make critical business decisions in a vacuum.
“Everything is tied to social responsibility,” said CEO Kevin Armata, who founded Windsor Marketing Group, based in Suffield, in 1976. “As opposed to making decisions under a pure capitalist model, you look at a lot more stakeholders. When we make a decision, we look at how it is going to affect people — customers, the community, our suppliers, and how it’s going to impact the environment.”
Armata said they look at the impact of everything they do before making any kind of business decision.
“When you build that into your culture, it gives you a far better output for quality of life for your people,” he said. “It’s not a short-term vision; it’s more of a long-term vision.”
Concern for how the company impacts those around it extends to the treatment of his employees.
“It’s knowing everyone on a first-name basis,” he said. “Talking to everyone and not having them walk into your office to talk to you; you go out into the workplace to talk to them. My morning starts around 6:30 each day — walking through the plant and talking to people.”
The company organizes lunches on a weekly basis with supervisors and managers.
“We all eat lunch together and just talk about what’s going on,” Armata said. “It’s about being an active listener, not a passive listener.”
The company organizes company outings and social events for families. It also bought a corporate membership to Suffield Country Club, allowing each full-time employee and their family to enjoy the benefits of the club all year long.
“It’s good for the community and great for our people,” Armata said.
Armata said the positive work culture is one of the reasons Windsor Marketing Group has so many long-term employees. The company’s uncontrolled turnover rate — meaning, those who choose to leave completely on their own — is less than 2 percent annually.
“Fifty percent of those who leave try to get back in within six months of when they leave,” he said. “We’re doing something right for people to have that feeling of wanting to come back.”
As a family-owned business, Windsor Marketing Group does what it can to support community organizations. Chief Marketing Officer Philip West said Armata and the company have their hands in lots of things.
“We’ve partnered with community-based organizations such as Foodshare and Hilltop Farm,” West said. “We support the Jimmy Fund Pan Mass Challenge. Kevin sits on the Suffield Police Commission. We’ve dedicated part of our building to the Windsor Locks (Police) K9 unit, because we had some open space.”
Windsor Marketing Group donated $10,000 it raised through a golf outing towards Hilltop Farm’s efforts to protect nesting bald eagles on the Hilltop Farm property and has had employees spend a day on the property, doing work to fix it up.
“For us, actions speak louder than words,” West said. “It’s who we want to be, and how we want to do business. We want to engage and motivate the workforce. You feel good about yourself and proud of your company.”
Armata lists one of his biggest accomplishments as weathering the economic downturn without laying off a single employee or cutting anyone’s salary. When business was down significantly in 2008, Windsor Marketing Group embarked on an ambitious expansion, using its own employees to help build the structure.
“We’re very much expanding,” he said. “We currently have 22 positions open. There are some management positions, some technology-based positions, marketing, and business development.”
The company is currently exploring the option of adding 100,000 square feet to the facility, or creating another facility in Massachusetts. The company has made an investment in its Windsor Locks facility, with $2.5 million in new press equipment.
West said while he is newer to the company than many of the employees, he knew as soon as he came on board that it was different and refreshing.
“It’s a family run company that is in it for the long run, rather than the quarterly results,” West said. “It’s unique. It’s something another company can strive for or replicate.”
Family Businesses with fewer than 25 full-time employees
- First Place: United Gear & Machine
- Second Place: Hartford Prints!
- Third Place: D’Addario’s Auto Service
Family Businesses with between 25-75 full-time employees
- First Place: The Associated Construction Co.
- Second Place: Advanced Performance Glass
- Third Place: Precision Computer Services
Family Businesses with between 76-169 full-time employees
- First Place: Windsor Marketing
- Second Place: Carla’s Pasta
- Third Place: Connecticut Lighting Centers
Family Businesses with 170 or more full-time employees:
- First Place: J.E. Shepard Companies
- Second Place: Fairfield Processing Corp.
- Third Place: EBP Supply Solutions
