Manitoba's Top Employers

19 For Grant Shaw, vice-president of strategy and culture, he's watched the number of employees more than double during his two decades with the equipment-leasing company. Today, National Leasing employs approximately 370 people, with nearly 300 of them based out of the head office in Winnipeg. "We're proud to be among the top employers of Manitoba. It's a great honour," Shaw says. "We're always looking for ways to improve and to give our employees new opportunities and experiences. We like to give people the chance to build their careers and see how their contribution makes an impact." The booming business got its start in 1977 when the Megill-Stephenson Company began to lease equipment as part of its vehicle leasing operations. Due to exponential growth, National Equipment Leasing was incorporated in 1988 as a separate profit centre. Seven years later, the company's legal name changed to National Leasing Group, as it's known today. "We started just with Western Canada and eventually moved right across the country. Today, we have a sales force of about 60 people across Canada," Shaw says. "We just completed our fiscal year and we've done about $900 million in business." As the company continues to grow, it maintains a steadfast focus on the overall well-being of its talented team of employees. "We aim to do a lot of things that appeal to both work and personal lives. For example, we have a National Leasing basketball team, and we support them by contributing to their league registration fees," Shaw says. "Then on the flipside, if someone is raising money for charitable organizations, we'll support them to a certain level in those efforts as well." About a year and a half ago, National Leasing launched an initiative called Take a Stand, which focuses on employees' work and personal lives along with their community or charitable interests. In addition, the company participates in a program called Not Myself Today, which focuses on mental health awareness and support. "We have been making sure that we have the foundational pieces to support staff. We have a top-of-class benefit plan and we definitely support continuing education. As well, we provide an outlet for physical well-being with our gym and various wellness activities," Shaw says. "We've got active participation, so it's working because we have good engagement." At the same time, another key component of the company is its commitment to creating a culture of innovation. "We believe that we're a very entrepreneurial company and we have that spirit about the organization. We give the employees an opportunity to bring forward their ideas — and not in a typical suggestion box kind of way," Shaw says. "More recently, we've taken a systems approach to innovation and we're engaging staff on a number of new levels. It's all about using that collective power of the entire organization to innovate and come up with new ideas." At all levels of the organization, National Leasing values the contributions of its employees. "We don't have a product that we sell because we're providing the financing for the equipment leasing, so we're really a relationship company. Our business is about building great relationships with our customers and our employees while also enabling their success," Shaw says. "Employees become our brand since they're the voices and faces of National Leasing. If we treat them well, we believe it will transfer to our customers. So if employees are given opportunities to build their careers, they can see that their actions are making an impact. They're going to be more engaged and happier as well." BY JENNIFER MCFEE National Leasing is marking a milestone this year as it celebrates its 40th anniversary, made possible through a dedicated approach to employees and clients alike. NATIONAL LEASING CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF SUCCESS NATIONAL LEASING EMPLOYEES TAKE A STAND TO HONOUR COLLEAGUES AND THEIR FAMILIES FACING CANCER AT CHALLENGE FOR LIFE. SUBMITTED PHOTO "We aim to do a lot of things that appeal to both work and personal lives. For example, we have a National Leasing basketball team, and we support them by contributing to their league registration fees."

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