The Greatest Boss Contest Runner-Up
Kevin Lyons-Tarr
President & CEO
4imprint
Oshkosh, WI
For-Profit Organizations Category
Nomination Essay
To describe Kevin in a few words is difficult as it doesn’t seem enough to describe the kind of man and leader that he is – what immediately comes to mind are words like “ethical, innovative, caring, humble, genuine”. We are only as good as the sum of our combined efforts and the Golden Rule are things he believes in. Kevin was recently voted the Most Powerful Person in the promotional products industry by his peers. Any award that he receives is shared with everyone – he believes it comes about because of the great work we are doing as a team.
When the economy took a downturn, Kevin was determined to stay the course and find other opportunities within our company for team members so we wouldn’t have to layoff anyone. We have emerged a stronger company thanks to his leadership. During new-hire orientation Kevin talks with new associates about the things we believe in as a company. He also gives out his cell phone number and home phone number in case anyone needs to talk with him. In addition, he came up with the idea for our charitable giving program called one by one(R). Each business day we give out $500 worth of promotional products to a charitable organization that has applied for the donation.
This is a company-wide nomination. The comments below are from associates who were asked “Is there anything unique or special about this company that makes it a great place to work?
1) Our President, Kevin Lyons-Tarr, is the most unpretentious, compassionate, professional and intelligent leader a company can ask for. As much as he turns the accolades back to the associates, it truly does start from the top. Without him at the helm, we would not be nearly as successful or driven to succeed. His passion for 4imprint is contagious! We all want to strive for greatness because he instills it in us. I am blessed to work here!
2) I feel the biggest advantage for 4imprint as a whole is the fact that Kevin Lyons-Tarr has come up through the ranks in this company, just like any other employee. He wasn't hired for the position he now holds as President.
3) Our CEO, Kevin is a down to earth kind of guy and will talk to you about anything, whether it be personal or business and truly is compassionate! He truly cares about you! And has gone the extra mile for some. I have heard this only, I've never the experience anything personally, but know of a few people he has helped
4) The CEO Kevin Lyon-Tarr personally thanks you and knows each employee by name- his "office" has glass walls literally and the door is always open- he has no secretary & also personally speaks to customerno handing off anything to anyone else
5) Our president gives his cell phone number to everyone in training and he doesn't mind if you call him! In 2009 when times were tough and we didn't qualify for our normal profit sharing bonus he sent us all a $20 gas card and signed everyone's card with a personal note. 400+ people! He sets the tone for the organization and all the rest of us follow! He is a great leader.
6) Kevin, our CEO, is the most humble man. He knows your name and you are not a number. This alone makes everyone want to do their job and do it to the best they can. He cares not just about his employees, but their families too and knows how important our families are.
