Continental has a tradition that sets us apart and helps solidify our spot on the Top Workplaces in Wisconsin. Each year, Continental's home office partakes in our Challenge Meetings. At this meeting, all non-director level employees meet with the Continental Officer group to have open conversations about what's working and not working at Continental. As this group meets, the Directors also meet with Jim Schloemer (CEO) and Dan Minahan (COO).
Every quarter Continental brings together our home office employees for a recap of our year so far. We call these meetings "Confabs". Typically we hear from CEO Jim Schloemer and other officers. The format is informal, with the objective being to keep everyone up to date on important topics, progress toward goals and recent successes. The most recent Confab was held on September 17.
One of the common traits of our Springs team members is their natural inclination to offer help whenever and wherever it is needed. We are exceedingly proud of the team at Springs at Woodlands South, who is involved in a very creative way to raise money for those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma - a Food Truck Rally.
Every year property managers from around the country gather at the Aloft Chicago O'Hare with senior operations team members and other home office support teams. The 3-day event is an opportunity for our teams to share the values we all embrace as defined in our Continental Creed. It is also a time to enjoy spending time with peers, to celebrate successes, and to begin planning for the upcoming year.
Tradition is defined as the "transmittal of elements of a culture from one generation to another...a coherent body of precedents influencing the present...a time-honored practice or set of such practices." After nearly 40 years, Continental has more than a few traditions. In mid-June, we participated in one of them, our annual Challenge Meetings.
On Wednesday, November 2nd, nearly 135 Continental team members gathered at the Pilot House at the Discovery World Museum for Continental’s 2016 State of the Company (SOC) meeting. During this event, which is held annually, team members had an opportunity to learn about Continental’s accomplishments in 2016 as well as considering how the organization will achieve its goals in 2017.
One of the biggest topics discussed during Continental's first Challenge Meetings in 2015 was what to do with all of the new people we would need to support our growth. Space in our home office was getting very tight, with not much room for new team members. After deliberating on many options, we decided to turn our third-floor storage area into new office space.
On June 14th and 15th, all home office employees and leadership from Continental’s multifamily operations group met with Continental’s senior leadership team to identify and discuss a variety of topics associated with the attainment of Continental’s short-term and long-term goals. These meetings were initially conducted in the summer of 2015 and were appropriately titled, “Challenge Meetings”. Based on the success of the 2015 Challenge Meetings, the decision was made to repeat these sessions again in 2016.
What does organizational transparency look like? If you’re not sure, look no further than Continental’s State of the Company (SOC) event.
