BCI has experienced incredible growth over the last 20 years, starting at zero! In the past 5-6 years, the growth was almost unmanageable. To our benefit, the available building in Libertyville allowed us to keep up. We quickly filled the new large space and went on to lease additional space nearby for warehousing and also at Innovation Park for our call center.
Even more important to us than the building is the fact that we’ve been able to continue to staff for labor and professional positions. About 95% of our workforce is located here in Lake County, including our corporate headquarters. We have tripled our workforce in the last 5 years, and we wouldn’t have been able to do that without an ample labor pool to choose from as well as a location that is inviting and able to efficiently handle our operations.
As a Certified Great Place to Work, how do you foster a strong team?
BCI goes out of its way for its employees. Our pay is more than competitive, and we have various shifts that can accommodate everyone. There is no shortage of company-wide events, including our upcoming holiday dinners which rely on the incredible restaurants nearby.
Beyond the fun activities, we focus on confidential, open lines of communication. We like to share good news, especially through our intranet site that allows us to congratulate and appreciate our employees. With our Owner/President on-site, we foster a family environment where everyone feels at home. We have an open-door policy, and we regularly work up and down within the organization so that we have a lot of input from all areas.
What do you like most about your involvement with LCP, particularly now that you are Vice Chair of the Board?
My favorite part of being involved with Lake County Partners is the sense of local community. I recently attended an event for a company that was also occupying space at Innovation Park. I had no idea what this company did, and so it was exciting to find out what is happening right under our noses. It’s great to network and share ideas and concepts with our neighbors. It’s very easy to stay in our offices since we all have plenty to do, but sometimes, help and collaboration is right next door.
Lake County Partners brings together business leaders from corporate, nonprofit organizations and government to work together and learn from one another. Nobody does it alone! As Vice-Chair, I get a front row seat to many of the happenings here in Lake County, especially among local businesses. Lake County is truly an extraordinary place to live, work and play!
