Manatee Holdings receives ‘Committed To Engagement’ award

Manatee Holdings, a Comox Valley company that harvests geoduck clams and sea cucumbers from wild fisheries and is developing a sustainable aquaculture operation, has just added another accolade to its list of awards and recognitions.

Last month, Manatee was recognized by Engagement Multiplier, a global leader in improving employee engagement in the workplace, with its “Committed to Engagement” award.

“We are committed to creating an environment in our company where everyone involved feels a sense of engaged purpose,” says Lourdes Gant, vice-president and director of Manatee Holdings. “This includes the owners, leaders, managers, team workers, tradespeople, customers and investors. It is every business owner’s dream to be surrounded by an involved and connected team. We are delighted to receive an award that recognizes our ongoing commitment to this kind of engagement.”

In order to qualify for the award, Manatee Holdings had to demonstrate that it had implemented a process to measure engagement on an ongoing basis using a system that enables the company to take action on the feedback received. All qualifying companies had to also provide a permanent structure and mechanism for employees to confidentially and anonymously share their views, supported by a commitment by leadership to improve engagement levels.

Gant says that their company’s progression toward a more highly engaged workforce began last summer, when Manatee Holdings started implementing a process for regularly engaging its employees and encouraging suggestions from within its workforce.

“By maintaining a shared focus from our ownership and leadership teams down through to our employees, we are able to provide better service to our clients,” she explains. “We have increased our internal alignment and drive, which benefits everyone involved.”

The Committed to Engagement Award is just the latest acknowledgment of Manatee’s commitment to growing a supportive and sustainable enterprise. In 2014, the company was ranked among the Top 10 International Trade Companies in British Columbia; it made the Top 10 Best Green Business in British Columbia in 2013 and was a finalist for a 2012 Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award. Gant herself has twice been named one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in Canada.

To learn more about Manatee Holdings, visit www.sustainableaquaculture.ca. For more details on the Committed to Engagement Award, visit www.engagementmultiplier.com/awards/manatee-holdings-ltd.