Company Culture: Innovative, collaborative and supportive. That’s how Todd Gabel, co-founder and CEO, describes the culture at Toddy Gear (asi/91411), adding that the company’s environment allows for maximum flexibility and growth. Leadership looks to identify and bring out the strengths of every employee to facilitate career development. “We strive for individual growth,” he says, “and remove the blinders from a specific position to enable each individual to learn more and grow professionally.”

COVID Changes: Toddy Gear uses what Gabel terms “a modified hybrid environment,” building off the home and remote working options it offered pre-pandemic. The supplier is staying adaptable to what’s best for the staff. “Since the start of COVID, we’ve focused our efforts on listening to our employees, empathizing with their greatest concerns and frequent communication.” says Gabel. “We’ve always been flexible and supportive to meet employees’ needs and will continue to do so.” Employees appreciate the company’s scheduling freedom, and in fact, gave the company a perfect score in that area on the Best Places to Work survey.

Parting Tip: “I have always believed that true success can be found in hiring people that are better at their position than you are,” says Gabel. “As a manager/leader, my responsibility is to recognize the individual talents each person brings to the table and share them with the rest of the team so that everyone can benefit. We all have weaknesses and strengths. If we can learn from each other, we all become better at our craft.”