Bret Keisling is joined by Samantha "Sam" O'Neill, Chief Culture Officer at Cirtronics Corp., who discusses how employee ownership impacts human resources and management decisions, how Cirtronics engages and motivates, and how EO builds camaraderie, job satisfaction, and wealth.
Sam also oversees the Human Resources Department and The Learning Center at Cirtronics, which is responsible for onboarding, continuing education, and tracking employees' success during the first several years in a position. She shares the company's approach to succession planning, which extends beyond the C-suite to key positions throughout the company.
Sam has been with Cirtronics since 2021 and has been in HR in a variety of (non-EO) industries for the past 25 years. She contrasts differences between EO and non-EO companies, and how Cirtronics' efforts to engage its owners is critical to its success and profitability.
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Episode 221 Show Notes
About Sam O'Neill
"Samantha “Sam” O’Neill joined Cirtronics as the Chief Culture Officer in early 2021. She brought with her all the knowledge she gained over 25 years of experience as a senior Human Resources executive. Prior to coming to Cirtronics, Sam held VP of HR positions across various industries, including IT, manufacturing, and health care.
Sensitive to the importance of workplace environment and values, Sam was attracted to our strong culture. As the head of HR, Sam ensures our cultural integrity by hiring for a great cultural fit. Her transparent communication to and from the C-Suite keeps employees and executives informed. Through her oversight of The Learning Center (TLC), Sam supports our employees’ ongoing personal and professional growth with in-house skills training at multiple levels. And she assists employees in exploring appropriate opportunities to shift positions within the company according to their developing interests. Sam demonstrates her dedication to service to 'The 6', specifically service to our employees, every day."
About Cirtronics
"Cirtronics was founded in 1979 by Gerardine Ferlins. Her goal was to build a company that was as focused on people as it was on profits. And not just focused on its own people, but also its customers, community and suppliers. Forty plus years later, we are still operating under Gerardine’s philosophy. The power of her philosophy shows in our long-term customer relationships, as well as our strong market position and business growth. Cirtronics continues to be a leading New England contract manufacturer for complex systems. We work together with our customers, as a team, to build amazing things.
We build teams as well as products. We purposefully extend our definition of “team” to include each of the “Six We Serve”: Customers, Community, Suppliers, Environment, Employee Owner, and the Corporation. Our team includes You. We’re deliberately inclusive. We value each team member and welcome their unique contributions. We treat each other with respect, kindness and honesty. This is the foundation of our business.
As manufacturers, we take pride in providing high-quality services and processes that support your success. As owners, your success is our success. Through our Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), every Cirtronics employee is a part-owner of the company."
We'd love to hear from you! To contact us, find us on Facebook at EO Podcast Network and on Twitter @ESOPPodcast. To reach Bret, with one "T", email Bret@KEISOP.com, on LinkedIn at Bret Keisling, and most actively on Twitter at @EO_Bret. This podcast has been produced by Bret Keisling for the EO Podcast Network, original music composed by Max Keisling, branding and marketing by BitsyPlus Design.
Standard Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are my own and don't represent those of my own firms or the organizations to which I belong. Nothing in the podcast should be construed as guidance or advice of any kind in any field and the fact that I mentioned an organizational website or an advocate or a company on a podcast does not reflect an endorsement, but if you've heard your name or your group's name mentioned on this podcast, I'd love to have you come on and talk about it yourself.