Honored
Leader: Henry S. Givray, Chairman and CEO
Company Name: SmithBucklin Corporation
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Nature of Business: Association management
Founded: 1949
Revenue: $80 million
Growth Rate (2005): 12 percent
Number of Employees: 650
Average Tenure: 5.5 years
SmithBucklin, founded in 1949, is the world's largest association management and professional services company. Henry S. Givray worked for the company from 1983 to 1996 and returned in 2002 as its CEO. As a result of his leadership during the past four years, SmithBucklin has experienced significant growth in revenue, expanded to include over 650 employees and added new clients and initiatives at a record pace. Last June, Givray led the company through a complex ESOP transaction which offered every employee, regardless of position or compensation, an equal opportunity to experience the fulfillment and reap the rewards of ownership. As a result, SmithBucklin became 100 percent employee owned. Givray encourages open communication through e-mail and town hall meetings and will even stop people in the hallway to get feedback. "The man loves this company and wants to hear what is wrong as well as what's right," an employee commented.