Performance Newsletter
2025 Q1 Culture Corner
Core Values are more than words on a wall at The Gund Company. They are intentionally woven into our language, processes, and most importantly – our actions. Two examples of this can be found in TGC’s Individualized Development Plan and Culture Corp Celebrations.
TGC’s Individualized Development Plan is a methodical process that assists our team members in being the best version of themselves. It is a forum for listening and introspection between a team member and their leader. The first section of the process invites team members to be introspective regarding how their daily behaviors measure against each core value. Transparent dialogue is shared around behaviors to celebrate and goals for improvement. Behaviors are core values in action.
TGC’s Culture Corp also continues to find new ways to celebrate core values. Our team in Albany, NY is leading an initiative to highlight a different core value each month. Local Culture Champions reserve time during an All-Hands Meeting to review one core value in detail and challenge team members to nominate a colleague who models that core value. Team members with the most nominations will be recognized and celebrated during the following month’s All-Hands Meeting. Our team members are living examples of each core value.
Integrity, Connection, Respect, Trust, Teamwork, Passion, Growth and Performance echo through the walls of TGC’s global presence.
A foundational aspect of The Gund Company’s guiding principle, Take Care of Each Other, is investing in the personal and professional development of our team members. Development is offered in many forms, with a favorite engagement method being to host small groups of diverse team members for shared in-person learning experiences. These instructor-led classroom settings offer an opportunity for personal growth, collaborative teamwork, and peer connection.
Course topics include:
- Leadership Development
- Kaizen / Continuous Improvement
- Intentional Listening
The Gund Company (TGC) has recently strengthened our offerings by creating a Train the Trainer course, focusing on key skills in:
- Assessing Performance Needs
- Designing Training Structures
- Facilitating and Public Speaking
- Evaluating Learning Effectiveness
Students are asked to bring an existing company process to the course. They will develop a training plan and deliver the content to fellow classroom peers. It is an opportunity to immediately showcase newly developed skills and reinforce key training strategies.
This course is foundational in world class team development, allowing TGC to have trainers that align with our cultural values. It is how we best Take Care by always improving our processes, culture, and talent!
Community Outreach
At The Gund Company, taking care of each other extends to our communities. Our core value, CONNECTION, is fostered through outreach events hosted by our facilities. Our Culture team in Queretaro, Mexico, took on the task of sharing food with children’s and women’s hospitals and the Regional General Hospital in Queretaro. People often stand in line for hours waiting to enter the hospital to visit their loved ones receiving care. Our team prepared and delivered over 100 lunches to those standing in line for hours in the hot sun.
The St. Louis facility of TGC partnered with a local school to support its before and after-school needs. This school feeds over 8000 families a month. This year, our St. Louis team collected 481 food items and over $1200 in cash, delivered directly to the school.
Random Acts of Kindness
The Gund Company once again celebrated National Random Acts of Kindness Week. This was our 8th year of recognizing and celebrating random acts of kindness across the company. Facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China participated in posting acts of kindness received during the week. Kindness is a universal language.
Celebrating Lupe Garcia: Our TGC Hero Award Recipient!
At The Gund Company, our commitment to “Taking Care of Each Other” is more than just a motto — it’s a way of life. We’re thrilled to introduce the TGC Hero Award, an honor that recognizes extraordinary acts of compassion and courage by our exceptional employees.
Lupe Garcia, our very first recipient, embodies the spirit of heroism. On March 19, 2024, Lupe’s swift and decisive actions directly contributed to saving a life. His exceptional efforts in a critical moment exemplify the values we hold dear at TGC.
In recognition of Lupe’s remarkable achievement, we presented him with a well-deserved certificate and plaque. But that’s not all! To sweeten the celebration, we ordered delectable treats from the delightful folks at “I Like Pie”.
Join us in applauding Lupe Garcia for his selflessness, bravery, and unwavering commitment to our community. Let’s celebrate this extraordinary individual who truly embodies the essence of the TGC Hero Award!
The Gund Company Spreads Holiday Cheer and Community Support
Q4 2023 was a busy season for The Gund Company’s culture teams. During the holiday season, these facility culture champions led their facility teams in planning and hosting local holiday celebrations including parties, spirit weeks, ugly sweater contests, ornament crafts, and other fun challenges. Another TGC culture tradition is to extend taking care of others outside of The Gund Company. TGC culture leaders arranged local community outreach opportunities, such as giving trees, toys for tots, food drives, family sponsorships, coat drives, and partnering with other charitable organizations that help those in need. TGC generously matches contributions to many of these outreaches.
MLK Celebration
January 15th, The Gund Company celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Each facility was encouraged to play MLK’s speech “I have a Dream” during all-hands meetings, expressing Dr. King’s passion and vision.
TGC’s Milwaukee facility led the organization in connecting real-world examples by aligning values and aspirations. Banners were hung around the facility to bring awareness to the celebration. The hallway was filled with steps team members personally committed to doing as keeping his dream alive – Looking for similarities instead of differences, listen for understanding, connecting with people, do not judge others, helping others fulfill their dreams, welcoming diversity, etc.
Living the Core Values: The Gund Company Celebrates Global Integrity and Teamwork
Core Values are more than words on a wall at The Gund Company. The Gund Company’s Culture Corp has concluded a core value celebration that involved ten facilities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and China. Integrity, Connection, Respect, Trust, Teamwork, Passion, Growth, and Performance echo through the walls of our global presence.
Each month a different TGC core value was highlighted. TGC’s Executive leaders inspired our team members by recording a personal video on one of the core values, what the value means, and the importance of it in their lives.
Culture Champions at each facility led their local site in celebrating the month’s core value by playing the video at an All-Hands Meeting. They asked team members to write on a nomination card the name of a colleague from their location who models the core value. Living examples, not just words. 2 drawings from the cards were held, and prizes were awarded. Team members with the most nominations at the individual facility for each core value will be recognized and celebrated next month as the initiative concludes.
An old adage from the early 1900s summarizes the initiative that a picture is worth a thousand words. At The Gund Company, our core value picture is found in our walls, our people demonstrating our values daily from every facility and function!
