September 22, 2016
Best and Brightest Four Years in a Row!? Bring on Number Five!
We’re the best! We’re the brightest! We’re one of Atlanta’s top places to work! That’s right, we won the Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For award again! This makes our fourth consecutive win of the esteemed award, presented by the National Association of Business Resources, and we couldn’t be more proud. Our investment in our talent continues to pay off year after year as we ensure we’re hiring the right people from the get-go, and giving them the tools and training to bring out their maximum potential.
Congratulations to the Incentive Solutions and Loyaltyworks workforce for proving to be the best leaders and colleagues time and again!
Our Generous Clients Pitched in to Help Atlanta’s Schoolchildren
We partnered with Agape again this year in their Great Backpack Give-Away, a drive to donate backpacks and school supplies to Atlanta’s underprivileged K-12 students. We asked employees to donate their online reward points to purchase the supplies and invited our clients to participate, as well.
Thanks to our generous clients pitching in, we surpassed last year’s total of 75 and raised 101 backpacks!
BThruB is Just Around the Corner!
We can’t believe it’s already time to start gearing up for our BThruB Leadership Summit! This year, we’ll be learnin’ and sharin’ up a storm again at the beautiful Barnsley Resort in Adairsville, GA! We just didn’t get enough of this gorgeous place last year and we can’t wait to go again!
We’re Published—Read All About It!
Have you read our latest publications yet? You should! We give great advice about running incentive programs, if we do say so ourselves.
1) Talkin’ Tech in Counterman
Our Counterman article, “Tech Strategies to Streamline Incentive Programs and Enhance ROI,” is all about how companies can more easily reward their counter salespeople by using advanced intelligent character recognition (ICR) technology in their incentive programs.
2) Facing Lacking Vet Motivation Head-on in HR.com
HR.com recently published our piece, “Why Are Veterans Forgotten When It Comes To Employee Motivation?” We did some digging into veteran underemployment to understand why businesses have so much trouble retaining and motivating veteran employees. In our research and in interviewing our own veteran new hire, Chad Carter, we discovered some interesting things about veterans in the workplace. Check out the piece here!
Help Us Congratulate Steve! He was a Hit at The NAED AdVenture Conference!
Our CEO Steve recently delivered a knock-out presentation at the North American Electrical Distributors (NAED) AdVenture Marketing Conference in Chicago. The conference, which took place in Chicago, IL from 8/10 – 8/12, featured industry experts speaking on a variety of marketing topics and strategies, including big data, social media, e-commerce and more. Steve’s presentation was a huge hit and focused on how electrical distributors can improve B2B relationships using loyalty programs.
Star Employee of the Quarter
Chris Kiechel’s the Wonderful Wizard of ISI!
Our Software Engineer Chris Kiechel is a bit like our Wizard of Oz. We rarely get a look at him, but we assume he’s an all-powerful being—just kidding. It’s because he’s one of the great minds behind our technology, but we never see him around the office, since he’s a telecommuter. Well, it’s time to rip back the green curtain and show our wizard at work.
“It may be hard for the office at large to appreciate how many hours Chris puts in,” says VP of Technology, Kelly Held. “So many times, he’s up online with me at midnight, troubleshooting problems or coming up with new solutions.”
Thank you for being such a wonderful wizard of IT, Chris, and congratulations on being our Star Employee!
Show your appreciation and congratulate Chris now.
Give It Up for These Newly Promoted ISI Superstars!
At ISI, hard work and talent never goes unnoticed. We’re always excited when our staff learn and grow, proving that they’re ready for new challenges and opportunities. Three of our employees have shown us they’re ready to show their stuff in new roles and we’re thrilled to announce their promotions!
Carrie Kordys – Manager of Operations
During Carrie’s two and a half years with our company, she has steadily worked her way up and proved time and time again her ability to learn quickly and manage effectively. “Because of these attributes,” says Scott Bedora, Chief Financial Officer of ISI, “we’d already identified Carrie as being ready for ‘the next level.’ So when the need arose, moving her into the Operations Manager role was an easy decision.” Congratulations, Carrie, and thank you for being tenacious, dependable, and always on your game!
Ryan Horton – Participant Services Supervisor
With Carrie’s move up to Operations Manager, we needed another MVP employee to fill her shoes, so who did we turn to? None other than Ryan Horton! Ryan, who took a brief leave of absence from the company, previously worked in our Operations department for seven years. When he returned, he excelled in his new role as a Participant Services Coordinator, going above and beyond to earn the title of Participant Services Supervisor. Director of Account Management, Mandy Freeman, says, “We’re very excited about this move as well and thank Ryan for his commitment to the ISI family.” Go get ‘em, Ryan!
Ashley Lodge – Account Manager
Ashley has been with the company just over three years and, during that time, she has shown tremendous ambition and commitment. “She started her journey with us as an Account Coordinator and has been promoted three times as a result of her hard work and commitment to excellence,” says Mandy Freeman, Director of Account Management. “It’s been a pleasure watching her grow personally and professionally. I couldn’t be more proud.” We can’t wait to watch you succeed in your new role, Ashley!
The Incentive Solutions Group of Companies
- Established 1994
- Group Travel Incentives
- Online Reward Programs
- Debit and Gift Card Reward Programs
- Established 1976
- Online Reward Programs
Quarterly Announcements
These New Faces Are Going Places!
We’re growing fast, and you know what that means—new members of the Incentive Solutions and Loyaltyworks family! This quarter, we brought aboard nine new hires. Without further ado, we’re happy to introduce…
Ebony Williams
Participant Services Coordinator
Ebony was born in Fairfield, CA and lived in California until the age of 18. Later, she moved to Georgia and earned a degree from Georgia Southern University. She studied Communication with the emphasis in Journalism and a minor in Psychology. Her work background varies from military to customer service and she’s always willing to learn new things! Welcome to the team, Ebony, and good luck in your new role!
Brooke Harper
Merchandise Redemption Specialist
Brooke was born in Macon, GA and is currently a student at Georgia State University studying to earn a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. She previously worked in customer service and is looking forward to building her career. Welcome aboard, Brooke!
Yasmeen Ali
Merchandise Redemption Specialist
Yasmeen was born and raised in Stone Mountain, GA. She’s currently a student at Georgia State University studying to earn a Bachelor degree in English. She has a diverse customer service background, which includes retail, mystery shopping, and help desk experience. Congratulations on your new position with us and welcome, Yasmeen!
Tory Daniels
Reconciliation & Prepaid Specialist
Tory is an Atlanta native and recent Finance graduate from the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. After holding virtually every retail position available, he relishes the opportunity to gain experience in the corporate world. When not focused on business, he enjoys watching and playing various sports. We’re so happy to have you, Tory!
Chad Carter
Senior Software Developer
Chad joined the army out of high school and became a Patriot Missile Systems Mechanic/Operator, which allowed him to develop advanced IT skills. He was active in the military for 5 years, with 24 total years served, and will be retiring from service this September. He is a 99% self-taught computer programmer and used his skills to develop a capital asset tracking system at his previous job. In two more quarters, he will receive his BS in Computer Science from Kaplan University. Thank you for your service, Chad, and welcome to our IT team!
Julian Jordan
Associate Account Manager
Julian was born and raised in Atlanta. He attended Gordon College and majored in Business Administration. Before joining our team, he held numerous certifications in ophthlamic technology and assisted in ophthalmic research with Duke University. Most of his work experience stems from ophthalmology as a Clinical Operations Manager, where he helped develop processes to increase productivity and efficiency. Welcome aboard, Julian!
Dave Holland
Multimedia Designer
Born and raised in Southern California, Dave left his home state in 2002 to take care of his mother in Georgia. Here he married his wife Jamie, with whom he has two children, Penelope and Rohan. In 2012, He graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art & Design. In his spare time, he’s a game designer and plays seven instruments, including guitar, drums, and bagpipes. Welcome to the Marketing team, Dave!
Brad Buttram
Systems Engineer
Brad was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN and attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he studied 3D Computer Animation and Audio Engineering. He’s worked with IBM and Crawford Communications, creating graphics for games and broadcast entertainment. He’s also worked in various IT/UI Developer and graphic design roles on projects that included exhibits at the new World of Coke, MTV Networks and Ferrari. He’s been married for five years, owns four huge dogs, and likes to restore vintage cars in his spare time. Welcome to the ISI family, Brad!
Nazia Ali
Participant Services Coordinator
Nazia, who is the sister of our Merchandise Redemption Specialist Yasmeen, was born and raised in Georgia. Their family is originally from the beautiful Fiji Islands (can we come to your family reunions?). Her work background is in retail and medical/optical office administration. She’s also a certified, freelance M.A.C make-up artist. Good luck in your new role, Nazia!
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