This week’s blog comes to us from Crystal Perkins:
Your First, Best Place to Buy, Our Last Best Place to Work
What Does That Mean?
I knew when I became a Presconian in 2008 that I had been accepted into a culture unlike any other. Shortly after joining the Presco team, when the U.S. economy took a turn for the worse, our executive team went to work to redefine Presco’s purpose, as in how we would differentiate ourselves both as an employer to our faithful employees and as a vendor to our loyal customers.
Soon thereafter, a new purpose statement was born and all could see and feel that our leadership team radiated excitement about unveiling the new and improved credo:
Presco – Your First, Best Place to Buy
Our Last, Best Place to Work!
As with anything new, it can take some time for the rest of the team to catch on. I remember a lot of people asking “What does that mean?” and from that moment forward, Presco had to embody the statement through actions in order to bring those words to life. Only then could our purpose transcend the physical boundaries of Presco and be recognized by our community and our customers as not just a way to conduct business, but also as a way of life.
It takes a village to make Presco successful and based on one’s own experience and/or responsibilities at Presco, each individual asked will give you a slightly different definition as to what the purpose statement means to them on a daily basis. For example, these are some actual responses from members of our Presco family:
“I am blessed to work here knowing that I get to make a difference every day.”
“I feel it is our attention to detail, focus on quality, and dedicated sales force that makes the statement real for our customers.”
“Presco not only gives back to its employees, but to the community as well.”
“To me, it means going beyond our customer’s expectations while providing a fun environment for our employees to work in.”
“Presco is a company that cares about our well-being.”
“We have a duty to serve both our customers and our employees and we cannot do one without the other.”
“It is very rewarding to be part of a culture that cares about one another and our future.”
It was our goal to let the world know that Presco would prevail in tough economic times and we have. We have remained profitable every year and our “family” has flourished to accommodate the growing needs of our customers, but more importantly, we have created a purpose statement that has evolved into so much more than a message. It serves as a reminder of how fortunate we all are to have a team that can be counted on to build others up and weather any storm – personal or professional.
In the light-hearted spirit of our purpose statement, I can’t help but think of the prophetic words of Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights: “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” For Presconians, that translates to “If you ain’t buyin’ from Presco, you oughta be workin’ at Presco!”