Tee Time – ECHOtape’s 16th Annual Employee Golf Tournament
Once a year, the employees of ECHOtape attend an event so important that no one wants to skip it except in true emergencies. Our remote sales reps from all over North America fly in for the event as well as the entire support and sales team from Montreal including their spouses. The big occasion? The annual golf event!
On Saturday, September 10, nearly a hundred people gathered on the greens at Montreal’s Club de Golf Dorval for a day of mischief and mulligans.
“It’s part of our company culture to get together every year,” says Director of Human Resources Ilana Perlman. “Our annual golf event is just a great excuse to reconnect with everyone, let loose and build some great memories.”
After 16 years planning this event, Ilana’s memories go way back, but her favorite remains the same: “I always love getting feedback from first time participants, be it individuals who golfed or those that just came for dinner. Because it is a company event, people usually expect it to be more serious and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most people are pleasantly surprised. From the personal touch of the years of service awards to Mike Grevatt’s (VP Sales & Marketing) antics as the emcee, everyone has a great time.”
Service awards may seem like a thing of the past, but they play a vital role in ECHOtape’s culture. “By rewarding long-service, we’re showing our team that their value goes far beyond sales goals and performance reports.” This year, a record 13 employees received awards, celebrating five years of service all the way to more than 30! Adding a personal touch, Marilyn Edelstein wrote personal poems for each service award, another time-honored ECHOtape tradition.
The evening reached an emotional cap when Receptionist Carol Belair received the coveted Stanley Edelstein Spirit Award. “There were many submissions for her nomination, but I think this one sums it up,” says Ilana. “It’s the human touch with an amazing human behind it…it’s part of the spirit of the company and I’m happy to nominate Carol as that person!”
At times, we may be tempted to let go of our long-standing company traditions to save money, reduce time, and/or just do something new and different. But, if possible, we think traditions like this are more important than ever. Seeing everyone gathered together truly makes us realize that while we are a family-run business, our family has grown to include, and rely upon, every employee, supplier, and partner, near or far. Not only will this golf tournament, like the ones before it, be talked about for years to come, but it creates something timeless to hold onto, honor and continue while building meaningful connections and a positive work environment.
What team building traditions do you have?
