#10 TRU
Having a work-life balance is crucial, of course--no one wants to live at the office. However, when your office feels like family, it's a pleasure to go to work. At TRU, a marketing research firm specializing in tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings, a family atmosphere is what has kept the firm humming--and growing--for the past 30 years.
"The CEO keeps tabs on everyone's life--stuff completely unrelated to work," says Senior Creative Services Coordinator Ben Garbe. "It shows he really cares about each one of us." Ben says that to this day, CEO Peter Zollo calls after each employee's flight to make sure they got in okay. "It feels like a family here."
For Zollo, it's all in a days work. "There's just something special about TRU that's hard to put into words: it's about a group of committed people who want to win and do so together--and have more fun along the way and satisfaction in the end because of teamwork and friendship." Zollo says his satisfaction comes from both the business and the people. "Yes, we take great pride in being the world's leading brand when it comes to youth research and insights. But, there's probably nothing I'm more proud of than watching friendships develop and continue, based on our culture and how we work together."
The work is invigorating for Generation Y, partly because they're the very people TRU specializes in. "Right off the bat, our emerging employees are able to contribute to the success of projects," Zollo says. "Our Gen Yers get to work with some of the world's best marketers and meet with some of the world's largest brands. They get a wide variety of experience and responsibility."
There's many perks, too. Last year, Zollo decided to move the TRU offices downtown from Northbrook to the Merchandise Mart so employees could have a shorter commute. The news was announced in an office meeting by telling employees the annual holiday party would be near the office. Faces fell--Northbrook isn't known for its nightlife. Then Zollo flashed a picture of the Merchandise Mart and announced that the party would be next to their new offices. The effect was memorable.
For Kit Nordmark, a Market Research Manager, the new downtown HQ is only one of the locations she calls "the office." "Some days I will wake up and go straight to the airport to catch a plane." National and international travel is often an opportunity to meet clients that represent the world's largest brands.
"TRU really embraces Generation Y," Nordmark says of her work family. "Our voice is heard here."
