Awards & Press
Ovative Named #9 and a Top 5 DE&I Company On Star Tribune’s 2021 Top 175 Workplaces
Minneapolis, MN June 17, 2021—Ovative Group has been named #9 and one of the Top 5 for DE&I of the Top 175 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. This is Ovative’s 6th time on the list, this year for the first time in the mid-sized company category.
Ovative’s Commitment to Team and Culture. In the last 12 months, Ovative has doubled in team size, increasing the importance of the organization sharing and demonstrating our core values of being genuine, engaged, driven, and accountable. Over the past 5 years, with an even greater focus in the past 18 months, we have focused on creating an inclusive environment that welcomes and attracts diverse talent. We believe these efforts are a core part of who we are and what our team expects from us and is a key driver of our results. We know there is more work to be done, as such, we have reorientated our Talent Services team to best activate on the elevation of inclusivity in all of our efforts by creating two new teams: Diversity & Acquisition (to acquire top talent) and Inclusion & Development (to retain and develop). Both teams will work to bring broader accountability to the organization and elevate inclusivity.
Erin Aberg, Senior Director of Inclusion and Development at Ovative said, “9. We ranked number 9 out of the top 175 workplaces in Minnesota. After a year like 2020, where we were all stretched to new expectations and new normal (including a 100%+ growth in our total team size), we know these results validate what we’ve long-since believed – always prioritize people. Throughout 2020, we listened to our team, we thought about our clients, and we identified meaningful ways to stay connected and support one another through an “unprecedented time” (anyone else done with this phrase?!). We are humbled to be identified as a top organization with regards to our DE&I efforts. Creating an inclusive environment that attracts and retains diverse talent is another priority that we believe in throughout the organization and through listening to the team and their desire to take action, we’ve established an initiative that provides multiple avenues to act – Champions of Change. Through our efforts of creating an inclusive environment, we continue to attract more diverse talent – we’re now 52% female and 16% BIPOC. We know there is much more to do, but we’re committed to this change and committed to listening to our team to help us get there.
Explosive Growth During the Pandemic! In addition to adding over 100 new team members, since early 2020 Ovative has signed 25 new clients across its integrated media, measurement and consulting services.
Dale Nitschke, CEO, said the pandemic pushed many reluctant senior leaders to step up their digital efforts. “Our behavior has changed, which made more companies realize they need to consider digital in a way they haven’t before.”
About the Awards. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2021 and will also be published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 20. Read the full article on the Top 5 companies for diversity and inclusion https://www.startribune.com/top-workplaces-are-learning-to-walk-the-walk-on-diversity/600068928/?refresh=true. Produced by the same team that compiles the 30-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 76,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations. The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 175 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by Energage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention. To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Nearly 3,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses.
Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, “The companies in the Star Tribune Top 175 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.”
Ovative is a digital-first media and measurement firm seeking to transform the measure of marketing success. At Ovative, we help brands move the needle. Connect with us to learn more!
