Evergreen Company of the Year™

Get to Know O.C. Tanner, the Inaugural Evergreen Company of the Year™

Here at Tugboat Institute®, we recently announced our first ever Best Evergreen Companies™ list as well as our first ever Evergreen Company of the Year™ award. Today, we’d like to introduce you to O.C. Tanner, the inaugural Evergreen Company of the Year. O.C. Tanner represents excellence across all of the Evergreen 7Ps® principles, and we are proud that they will carry this title and stand forever as the first in what we expect will be a long list of wonderful Evergreen® companies. Understanding O.C. Tanner and what makes them so deserving of this award is a wonderful way to better understand Tugboat Institute and the Evergreen movement. Let’s take a moment to get to know them better.

History of O.C. Tanner

O.C. Tanner was founded by Obert Clark Tanner, in 1927. The company, which originally made seminary graduation pins and class rings, was founded on the twin pillars of beauty and kindness. In the early days, Obert sold his wares out of the back of his car, but in the 66 years he led the company, he succeeded in growing it to $214M in revenues.

When he started the company, Obert was a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah; he believed deeply in education and in the dignity and worth of people. Obert’s dedication to education remained steadfast throughout his lifetime. As soon as the company was able, or perhaps even a bit before, Obert made sure that they gave back to the community regularly. He favored supporting educational institutions and programs, and even today, O.C. Tanner maintains close relationships with educational institutions and programs of all sorts.

Before he stepped down from leadership of O.C. Tanner, Obert understood that if wanted his beloved company to remain grounded in the values that meant so much to him, he would have to plan for it. He created a visionary Transition Document that laid out the guidelines and processes that would guide ownership and leadership succession far into the future. His ability to grasp and articulate the importance of staying private in order to maintain culture and a commitment to Purpose was far ahead of his time. But he succeeded; Obert’s spirit and vision remain alive and palpable in the company today.

Guided by his dedication to beauty and kindness as well as his commitment to creating a superior product, Obert developed the motto that is still often repeated today; “let’s get a little better every day.”

Leadership at O.C. Tanner

Tugboat Institute® got to know this remarkable company through Dave Petersen, who served as CEO for more than 15 years. Dave became a member of Tugboat in 2021 and has been a wonderful community member. Right in line with the values and spirit of the company he led, Dave has contributed a great deal to our community. His contributions culminated in his agreement to host Tugboat Institute @O.C. Tanner in 2022. A group of about 100 Tugboat members spent two and a half days in Salt Lake City, learning with and from Dave and his team, including Scott Sperry, who was COO at the time. During our visit, we began to get to know Scott, and were impressed by his deep commitment to strategy and to building structures that ensure the company will endure for the long term. In the past year, Scott has stepped into the CEO role, and we are thrilled to get to know him better in the coming years. After serving the company so well for so long, Dave has transitioned into the role of Vice Chair of the Board, where, along with Stephen Tanner Irish, Obert’s grandson, he continues to contribute to this extraordinary company.

Who is O.C. Tanner today?

The Evergreen Company of the Year™, by definition, represents the pinnacle of excellence across the Evergreen 7Ps principles. O.C. Tanner is indeed excellent across them all, but four of them are worth calling out specifically here.

When it comes to Pragmatic Innovation, there is no better example. Though they started out making pins and class rings, today, O.C. Tanner is the global leader in software and services that improve workplace culture through meaningful employee recognition experiences. They have literally transformed from a manufacturing company into a global leader in SaaS, all while remaining true to their identity and their purpose of celebrating and honoring people. This is the kind of innovation that is key to building companies stay relevant and that will last 100 years or more.

When it comes to keeping the company Private, O.C. Tanner is also an exemplar. First, Obert understood the extent to which this was critical, as well as the extent to which it could be at risk if steps were not taken to protect its private status. Second, he understood that the riskiest moments in any company’s life are the moments of transition – both ownership and leadership – so he zeroed in on those when he created his Transition Document. Although it dates back to 1977, this document stands as a unique and powerful example of how clear leaders and owners must be if they intend to preserve their companies for the long term. Almost 50 years later, it still serves as a model for many leaders who seek to accomplish the same.

When we speak about Purpose, we recognize that there are almost limitless possibilities for the shape and scope this might take for different companies. However, we explicitly understand that the Purpose of an Evergreen company will be authentic and will aim to make life better for its employees, their families, their communities and the world. O.C. Tanner’s purpose is clearly and simply stated: “We help people thrive at work.” The excellence they have achieved comes not from the statement itself. While it is authentic, ambitious, and clear, alone, it does very little. The excellence lives in the way the purpose is infused across all aspects of the company, from products, to processes, to policies, to work with clients, to projects in the community, to relationships, and beyond. It is not simply why they exist; it is who they are.

Finally, O.C. Tanner is exemplary when it comes to People First. People First is not only the foundation of their culture and philosophy, but it is also literally their business. Scott Sperry spoke to this in O.C. Tanner’s recent press release, following the announcement of the award. He said, “Our purpose is to help people thrive at work. I’m proud to work alongside a team and with clients that truly believe in this mission.”

We are honored to count Dave, Stephen, and Scott, as well as many of their colleagues at O.C. Tanner, among our friends at Tugboat Institute. And we could not be more thrilled to share them with you through this profile, as our first Evergreen Company of the Year.