There’s an unspoken bond between businesses. It’s an understanding that we’re all working towards success for ourselves and for our customers. Due to the pandemic, businesses of all kinds have been challenged. Collectively, we’ve watched our favorite restaurants, theatres, venues, and others close their doors, potentially forever. These fellow business owners are our clients and our colleagues. Here at VoiceNation, we believe that even beyond our walls we are together, incredible.
Supporting Our City of Duluth
In pursuit of supporting our local community, we came across the City of Duluth‘s recent campaign to support local restaurants, Eat Local Bingo. We were inspired by the variety of eateries in our community and wanted to dive in to support. As members of the community, we have a responsibility to help keep our city thriving.
First, we focused on highlighting the restaurants that the City of Duluth was. We made sure a list of restaurants was available for our awesome employees to consider for lunch plans. Additionally, the list was distributed to leadership, who often take their teams out to lunch to celebrate and team build. To further encourage support, the list was posted in our central space, The Middle.
By doing so, we hoped to not only support them financially through purchasing food but also encouraging our employees to be the word of mouth ambassadors. We all know that sharing good experiences carry a power stronger than any advertising.
Leading by Example
Taking our goal one step further, we knew we could encourage the support of small businesses by leading by example. As a result, each Monday in April, a VoiceNation leader stepped up to cater a meal for the entire office from a local breakfast spot.
One Monday morning, employees at VoiceNation got to enjoy the scrumptious bagels and sweet treats from 101 Bagels. The tables were spread with cakes, a variety of bagels, and any schmear you could imagine.
Beyond 101 Bagels, we also catered in for the office from our local Einstein’s Bagels. They sent up a bounty of bagels, sandwiches, and hashbrowns that were cleared out without hesitation. Chris Suarez, Recruiting Manager at VoiceNation, shared how “The delicious bagels and unbelievable hash browns were plentiful.”
The breakfast initiative not only benefitted the businesses in the area, but the morning meals were also a nice treat for the employees coming into work. Jessica Pham, a Junior Graphic Designer at VoiceNation, shared how “It was a thoughtful and kind gesture for breakfast first thing in the morning. I love that my workplace cares about the little things for their employees.”
Speaking on the bigger picture, Sheila Davidson, Director of US Operations, shared,“ We love our community. We had the amazing opportunity to support Duluth by seeking out local restaurateurs. This also allowed us to take the chance to uplift our employees by enjoying a meal together. This helps foster our Trustmarks and the family-feel culture we strive for.”
Then, we didn’t stop there, we wanted to document the fun! The team got an instant camera to capture the delicious eats, fun treats, and excursions. Walking into our colorful office, off Sugarloaf Parkway, you can find these photos peppered across desks, fridges, and random spaces.
What’s Next?
We’ve loved watching these photos grow, and hope to watch our Duluth community continue to thrive and grow for the many years we continue to grow here. When we host events, we look local and small first. We’re excited to continue to support these restaurants as they fuel and enhance everything the city of Duluth has to offer.