In the business and busy-ness of work and life, it can be easy to lose sight of what really matters. While this column usually explores seed treatment innovation and technologies, in this article we take pride in sharing with you what matters most to us as an organization: fostering a positive company culture.
Small Beginnings
When Kannar started in 2004, we spent seven years working out of an office the size of a small car. Then for two years we worked from an unfinished basement with bare 2x6s and insulation surrounding us. From our current 10,000 square foot facility, we’ve moved into a state-of-the-art 60,000 square foot facility that has offices for our work family of 16 (doubled in the last year plus several open positions), and production facilities to handle our huge ramp-up in sales (also doubled in the last year).
The Why Behind the Growth
The easy conclusion is that a company like this is definitely growing. However, our growth as a company is not measured in square feet gained, pallets shipped, or increased manhours. For us at Kannar, those indicators are simply results of growth, but not what matters most. Indeed, what matters most in our company is that we achieve higher fulfillment, purpose, and joy in life. These traits foster a positive company culture.
Kannar team celebrates moving into new facility
We firmly believe Kannar grows, really grows, when our work — both what we do and how we do it — improves the quality of life for all of our stakeholders, be it our work family, our customers, and our suppliers. And it makes logical sense: the more positive impact Kannar has on those we are lucky enough to align with, the more everyone will invest and engage with us. When we measure growth in terms of finding higher fulfillment and better life, we’re much better equipped to persevere through life’s inevitable bumpy patches.
A New Idea
This is a big idea! How does one achieve a goal such as improving and transforming lives and, ultimately, the world? True personal fulfillment comes when strengths, passion, and purpose overlap. As a company, we can make a meaningful difference in the world one tiny step at a time by:
- leveraging our team’s individual and collective strengths,
- by believing passionately in our direction, and
- by knowing that our role as a company is much more than just producing products for sale.
Life isn’t about completing endless to-do lists at the expense of others. It’s about making the world around us a little better. Anything else is either a distraction or an acceleration of our demise. We have only scratched the surface and there is so much more to explore. Find this article on LinkedIn and let’s continue this discussion!
If you are interested in learning more about Kannar, or being a part of our team, please contact us for more information!
Modified from publication in SeedWorld, June 2021
