Cultivating Company Culture

Every January, SolarGlass shuts down operations for one day to have an all-staff meeting with everyone in the company to discuss how we did last year, and to set sales, install, and marketing goals for months ahead.
This year, our annual meeting was unlike any other. President and Owner of SolarGlass, Gwénaël Hagan, expressed that he has never been more excited about a year to come, than that of 2016.
Our installation services team has never worked more efficiently thanks to our partnership with AMI. The Sales force is taking on more and more projects, and the team of administrators have been working closely with our sales staff to provide them with new tools to facilitate our continued growth.
The theme of this meeting was the importance of strong culture in a company, no matter the size.
To encourage team building and learning, the sales and administration teams separated into small groups to learn something new about a different department. Service trained us on the anatomy of a window and adjusting the locks on Marvin doors, while installation showed us step-by-step how to install a window.

The installation station held a mock-wall, with a rectangular-shaped opening cut out to fit the window. Once we approached our station, we were given the opportunity to try on a fully-equipped tool belt weighing over 30 pounds! Then for the next half hour, we were guided on steps to follow to accurately install a window. In each step, our installation guide informed us what the purpose of each step was, and why it was important. They also showed us all the materials and equipment we would need to install a window.
“It’s a big part of my job to be able to explain to our customers what the installation process looks like; the noise, the feel, the look, etc. This exercise restored more confidence in being able to accurately describe the install so they can get a clear picture before we break ground on their window replacement project.” – says Bobby Weber, replacement specialist.
We had the luxury of installing these windows into the mock walls in the comfort of our own showroom, whereas these guys need to do it perfectly while braving the elements of rain, wind, and snow.
“I have a new appreciation for the work they do, and was happy to have had the opportunity to see what these guys do every day,” says Kelly Burnett, marketing specialist.

At one of the service stations, Jeff showed us tricks on how to operate Marvin’s next generation double hung, and how to take it apart. He explained what service jobs he sees the most when it comes to this particular product, and how those service issues can be avoided.
Mike Farr, another service tech, demonstrated how to adjust the panels on the French inswing Door so the locking mechanism will properly engage. He showed us his tricks for insuring the lock and key are functioning properly.
After these hands-on training sessions, Sales and Administration could return the gesture by informing service and install about their roles and responsibilities through powerpoint presentations.
SolarGlass ultimately came together to learn and appreciate what role everyone played in this company. While we all have very diverse job responsibilities, we could appreciate that we are all working together to reach the same common goal: to provide a customer experience that lives up to our name.