2015 Executive Choice Awards

The winners of our Executive Consumer Choice Awards have many things in common, including proven service systems.

From the pages of In Business magazine.

What sets an Executive Consumer Choice winner apart? In some cases, it’s a programming system that makes the difference. In other cases, the differentiator is a merchandising policy. In still others, it’s a combination of both. With our 2015 ECA winners, their not-so-secret sauce is the development of systems that virtually ensure a successful outcome.

We say “virtually” because like any human enterprise, nothing is perfect. No matter how many steps are taken to achieve perfection, even award-winning businesses have to “settle” for catching excellence.

In this look at local companies whose excellence has been noticed by their business peers, we profile companies who took the top spot in three of our ECA categories: ActionCOACH, preferred management training company; Tingalls Graphic Design, preferred website development company; and Restaino & Associates, the preferred real estate company.

We also provide selected quotes about these companies by business consumers who filled out our ECA survey.

Advertising Agency

Winner

■ Hiebing

Finalists

■ 6AM Marketing
■ KW2
■ Lindsay, Stone & Briggs

Accounting Firm

Winner

■ Smith and Gesteland

Finalists

■ Baker Tilly Virchow Krause
■ SVA Certified Public Accountants S.C.
■ Wegner CPAs

Bank (for Business)

Winner

■ First Business Bank

Finalists

■ BMO Harris
■ Monona State Bank
■ Park Bank

Credit Union

Winner

■ Summit Credit Union

Finalists

■ Dane County Credit Union
■ Heartland Credit Union
■ UW Credit Union

Wealth Management Company

Winner

■ First Business Trust & Investments

Finalists

■ Mass Mutual
■ Morgan Stanley
■ UBS

Health Insurance Company

Winner

■ Unity Health Insurance

Finalists

■ Dean Health Plan
■ Group Health Cooperative
■ Physicians Plus

Commercial Builder

Winner

■ J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.

Finalists

■ Design Structures LLC
■ Ideal Builders Inc.
■ Tri-North Builders

(Continued)

Commercial Interior Design Firm

Winner

■ InteriorLOGIC Facility Planning

Finalists

■ Deb Corning Interiors LLC
■ Lerdahl Business Interiors
■ Potter Lawson

Commercial Architectural Firm

Winner

■ Strang Inc.

Finalists

■ Eppstein Uhen Architects
■ Flad & Associates
■ Potter Lawson

Cleaning/Building Maintenance Company

Winner

■ Kleenmark

Finalists

■ Environmental Control of Wisconsin
■ ServiceMaster
■ Skyline Services

Commercial Landscaper

Winner

■ The Bruce Co.

Finalists

■ Barnes Inc.
■ Maple Leaf
■ Olson Toon Landscaping Inc.

Office Furniture Company

Winner

■ Lerdahl Business Interiors

Finalists

■ Atmosphere Commercial Interiors (fka Target Commercial Interiors)
■ Creative Business Interiors
■ Emmons Business Interiors

Office Supply Company

Winner

■ EZ Office Products

Finalists

■ Complete Office of Wisconsin
■ Office Depot
■ Staples

Website Development Company

Winner

■ Tingalls Design

Finalists

■ Hardin Design & Development
■ Makin’ Hey! Communications
■ Powderkeg Interactive/Econoprint

(Continued)

IT Consultant

Winner

■ Adesys

Finalists

■ 5Nines
■ Aberdean Consulting
■ SupraNet

Management Training Company

Winner

■ ActionCOACH

Finalists

■ Dale Carnegie Training
■ InVision Business Development
■ UW Small Business Development Center

Higher Educational Training Institution

Winner

■ UW–Madison

Finalists

■ Edgewood College
■ Madison College
■ Upper Iowa University

IT Training Company/Facility

Winner

■ Adesys

Finalists

■ Core BTS
■ Herzing University
■ Madison College

Real Estate Company

Winner

■ Restaino & Associates

Finalist

■ Bunbury & Associates
■ First Weber Group
■ Stark Company Realtors

Cell Phone Provider

Winner

■ US Cellular

Finalists

■ AT&T
■ Sprint
■ Verizon

Phone Company

Winner

■ TDS

Finalists

■ AT&T
■ Spectrum Business
■ Verizon

(Continued)

Hotel for Out-of-Town Guests

Winner

■ Edgewater

Finalists

■ Hilton Monona Terrace
■ Hotel Red
■ Madison Concourse

Venue for Business Meetings/Events

Winner

■ Monona Terrace

Finalists

■ Alliant Energy Center
■ Madison Marriott West
■ The Madison Club

Printing Company

Winner

■ Econoprint

Finalists

■ Alphagraphics
■ American Printing
■ Park Printing

Security Company

Winner

■ JBM Patrol & Protection Corp.

Finalists

■ J&K Security Solutions
■ MPI (Midwest Patrol & Investigative LLC)
■ Per Mar Security Services

Staffing Firm

Winner

■ The QTI Group

Finalists

■ Aerotek
■ Drake & Co.
■ Spherion

Restaurant for Breakfast

Winner

■ The Egg & I

Finalists

■ Copper Top
■ Hubbard Avenue Diner
■ Marigold

Restaurant for Lunch

Winner

■ The Madison Club

Finalists

■ Bonfyre American Grille
■ Sprechers
■ The Great Dane

(Continued)

Restaurant for Dinner

Winner

■ The Madison Club

Finalists

■ Bonfyre American Grille
■ Rare
■ Tornado Steak House

Place for Business Cocktails

Winner

■ Eno Vino Wine Bar & Bistro

Finalists

■ Bonfyre American Grille
■ The Great Dane
■ The Madison Club

Golf Course for Business Outings

Winner

■ University Ridge

Finalists

■ Hawks Landing
■ Nakoma Golf Club
■ The Oaks

Health/Fitness Center

Winner

■ The Princeton Club

Finalists

■ Anytime Fitness
■ Harbor Athletic Club
■ Supreme Health & Fitness

Law Firm

Winner

■ Axley Brynelson LLP

Finalists

■ Boardman and Clark LLP
■ DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C.
■ Murphy Desmond S.C.

Insurance Company

Winner

■ American Family Insurance

Finalists

■ Northwestern Mutual
■ State Farm
■ West Bend Mutual

Independent Insurance Agency

Winner

■ Neckerman Insurance Services

Finalists

■ Hausmann-Johnson Insurance
■ Kunkel & Associates
■ M3 Insurance

To suggest a new category for next year's Executive Choice Awards, please email jon@ibmadison.com.

(Continued)

Tingalls Graphic Design

Pronounced Programming

When it comes to keeping proprietary secrets, Tara Ingalls throws away the book.

Tara Ingalls isn’t worried about copycat competitors. Her five-stage website design process is explained, for customers and competitors to see, right on the Tingalls Graphic Design website. To Ingalls, it’s important to spell that out because in this industry comparing apples to apples is very difficult for consumers. Website designers use many different platforms and the website-design process can be very daunting for consumers, especially people who lack tech savvy.

“I want to show people how we really take the time to get to know their business and show them what the approval checkpoints are along the way,” explains Ingalls, the company’s owner and creative director. “So when we get to the end they don’t say, ‘Well, I was never very happy in the first stage.’ With every one of those stages on our website, there is an approval checkpoint with the project manager or with me as the owner, just to make sure everything is running smoothly.”

Ingalls was concerned about putting too much proprietary information online. However, taking that risk brought real rewards when sharing this information took some of the uncertainty out of the process. “People don’t consider what’s really the best approach,” Ingalls explains. “They just want a website that’s really inexpensive or something that’s up really quick. That’s doing them a huge disservice because then the website doesn’t function properly when there is an update on a browser, or the search engine function is not optimized, or they don’t get access to the website when it’s up.”

Designers spend a great deal of time listening to clients, trying to understand what sets them apart, and designing the website accordingly. “We really dive down deep and ask the right questions upfront so that when we build a website, we build a website that answers a lot of those pain points right on the home page, and many of our clients say, ‘Gosh, I never even thought about that,’” Ingalls notes.

“They really took the look and feel of our company and developed a website that fit that brand.” — voter comment

In web design, follow up is also important. Tingalls tries to get as much information about traffic on the current website, and then it monitors traffic after the new website is launched. It meets with clients three months, six months, and one year after their website goes live to check web traffic and determine whether the new website is performing.

For Ingalls, success is achieved when consumers find the site on Google or other search engines and they go to the contact page to fill out regeneration forms. “We follow up on that process to see if it’s working because it’s an investment,” Ingalls states.

Listening is also important in handling customer complaints. Ingalls is involved in every project at some level; when a customer is upset, she thinks harder about the solution than the problem — not to ignore the latter but to emphasize the former.

The last thing she wants to hear is, “They took my money, and I’ve got nothing to show for it.”

On rare occasions there are simply creative differences between provider and customer that cannot be resolved. “It’s just my customer service mentality that I want my customers to be very happy with their experience, so I affirm the frustration and we come to a resolution,” Ingalls says. “In rare cases, that means a full refund.”

(Continued)

Restaino & Associates

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation

Ron Restaino meets with his relocation team.

Ron Restaino is in no position to argue with the praise lavished on his relocation department. Restaino, owner of Restaino & Associates Realtors, has three full-time people on his relocation staff who do nothing but generate, cultivate, and nurture. They have ongoing relationships with most of Dane County’s large corporations, hospitals and clinics, and higher education departments. When those entities consider a new hire, the relocation department’s job is to show Madison in its best light.

Restaino & Associates has a relocation library where it keeps material on what Madison has to offer, from bicycle paths to opera. The library is a useful tool because when a local business calls with the name of a job candidate, the relocation department interviews family members to glean their interests. The team then tailors a package of amenities, including information about the school system, based on what it has in the library.

“To someone living in San Francisco, Calif., perhaps Madison conjures up images of sub-zero temperatures and unpaved streets,” Restaino jokes. “Many times, the employee who actually gets the promotion is delighted and wants the job, but his spouse and kids, especially if they are teenagers, don’t want to move. We need to be aware of that and help sell Madison.”

Follow up is part of the deal with Restaino’s relocation service, which represents almost 10% of its total business. After the relocation, Restaino & Associates keeps open the lines of communication with the corporate client and the buyer. It has to make sure the new family is getting the services it needs and wants to get feedback on the service provided by its agent.

“The corporation also needs to be kept in the loop because ultimately if we do a bad job, we may lose the corporate account, as well as maybe lose the buyer,” Restaino notes. “In these situations, we almost always have two sets of clients.”

“The relocation team is outstanding.” — voter comment

Restaino believes imagery is another reason for his customer-service edge, not the company’s image but the sheer number of property images on the company website. He concedes that other real estate agencies have comparable websites, but he won’t be outdone. “We offer our agents free virtual property tours for all of their listings,” Restaino notes. “Anybody that lists with the company will get the benefit of having a professional photographer who is bonded and who is a member of the real estate board, so he has one of those ‘super keys’ and he does not have to be let in. We set up the appointment with the seller at the seller’s convenience and the photographer will come to the house and take at least 20 digital still pictures, and three panoramic views of the house.”

They have the choice of a video, as well, and benefit from a software tool that’s useful when conducting market analysis and searching for desired properties. Under no circumstances will Restaino & Associates accept listings on its website from agents who do not have pictures of their properties. The technology is expensive but Restaino considers it a cost of doing business.“If we didn’t, that would reflect badly on our entire organization,” he says. “Technology is a tool that helps us communicate better with our customers and clients in ways they want to be communicated with.”

Sales meetings are opportunities to address customer complaints and get things buttoned down. “We generally have them companywide,” Restaino says. “We provide breakfast and we spend two hours going over some of the issues and problems of the last three or four months.”

(Continued)

ActionCOACH

Teachable Moments

ActionCOACH's Susan Thomson (left) advises Laura Schorrak, owner of Dog Den Daycare and Training.

Perhaps ActionCOACH is an ECA category winner because it comes to the rescue of businesses and business owners, including those with personal habits that undermine their chances for success.

For Susan Thomson, a partner in ActionCOACH of Madison and a licensed business and executive coach, customers actually fall into several categories: Entrepreneurs who are growing fast or too fast and therefore are in danger of poor execution, making bad hires, or not having enough cash flow; business owners who are five to seven years from retiring, need a succession plan, and must improve the value of their business in order to sell it, and must show employees a career path so they don’t jump ship; and entrepreneurs who face market changes and need to either redefine or better define why consumers should buy from them. This involves defining new markets where their capabilities can transfer.

In the large-company segment, the customer might include those who have career-limiting behaviors and need to rebuild executive-level skills, leaders who need to build bench strength by developing more leaders at all levels in the organization, and others who want to learn to become leaders themselves.

Entrepreneurs follow a multistep system with the following elements:

• Mastery of long-term strategy, destination clarity, mission culture, financial model, delivery mechanisms, and time management
• Niche (predictability of cash flow and marketing)
• Leverage (the development of systems for repeatability and efficiency)
• Team (developing the team to take business forward without the owner in it)
• Synergy (moving from self-employment to ownership to entrepreneurship)

The basic customer service approach is always the same. “We identify clearly and honestly where they are today — either where the business is or what the desired result or endgame is — and the gaps in the middle,” Thomson says. “Equally as important, we make sure they are willing to do the work, whether they need themselves to grow personally and professionally because they are going to have to think differently and behave differently in order to get different results.”

“They can get you to the next level.” — voter comment

At that point, ActionCOACH drafts a coaching plan with agreed upon outcomes and then begins a weekly regimen of learning, implementing strategy, testing and measuring, and building the necessary attitudes, behaviors, and skills. Homework is also involved, and there is weekly accountability to review strategy and make sure the “curriculum” is mastered.

ActionCOACH evaluates success by measuring net profit growth, the increase in the number of full-time employees, and other progress against desired outcomes.

Having been a CEO on more than one occasion, Thomson can relate to entrepreneurial struggles. Hers were part attitudinal. “I came out of an environment where there was a real scarcity mentality, and for me to get ahead and progress along my career, somebody else had to lose,” she recalled. “I want people to know that you don’t need to be a jerk to be successful. You can be a nice guy (or gal) and be a lot more successful that way.”

An area that requires a deft touch is handling customer complaints. ActionCOACH’s work is guaranteed, which could include coaching dissatisfied customers for free until they recoup their investment. “We are people and we are going to screw up once in a while,” Thomson notes. “If we do, we talk to the client and try to make things right. We do guarantee our work, but in eight years I’ve not had to exercise that guarantee once.”

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