Two Recognition Leaders Merge: The TharpeRobbins Company Teams Up with Hinda Incentives

Based on a foundation of innovation and success, two leaders in the managed recognition and rewards industry have joined forces. Hinda Incentives based in Chicago has been acquired by the TharpeRobbins Company Inc. headquartered in Statesville, N.C. The companies will continue to operate separately under their current leaderships, with Brett Tharpe as president and chief executive officer of TharpeRobbins and Dave Peer as president of Hinda Incentives.

“This strategic merger combines the strengths of two companies built on innovation, customer service and flexibility,” Tharpe says. “Together we will strengthen our consultative services, rewards and new programs to help our customers achieve higher levels of employee engagement and retention in an increasingly competitive labor market.”

“The collective strength of our companies and our commitment to the incentive industry will provide clients with the best possible resources when implementing reward and recognition programs,” Peer says.  “With TharpeRobbins’s expertise in the employee arena and Hinda’s expertise in the consumer, sales and channel programs, the products and services offered by each company naturally complement one another. It is an ideal fit.” 

Hinda’s focus remains on being the premier award supplier offering innovative technology and award solutions. Through infinitE℠, the 40-year-old Hinda Incentives offers millions of reward choices ranging from brand-name merchandise and digital awards to books and entertainment with flexible solutions and well-developed web platforms for program management.

TharpeRobbins is one of the first companies to bundle program design and administration with product fulfillment, thereby providing human resources professionals with one-stop shopping for employee recognition solutions. With its world-class technology, ranging from basic reporting to full system integration for service and performance awards programs, TharpeRobbins offers options that are easily configurable. 

“Today’s dynamic workforce is diverse with rapidly changing interests,” Tharpe says.  “This merger will enable us to bring ever creative solutions while identifying emerging trends. We will be able to provide even greater program configuration and corporate personalization in the products we offer, as well as in the presentation of the awards.”

For more than 100 years, TharpeRobbins’ rich history as an innovator has covered the breadth of managed reward and recognition programs.  The company fosters superior performance by creating new standards for employee recognition and rewards through imaginative solutions, cutting edge programs, flawless execution, professional service and world-class technology. TharpeRobbins built its reputation on developing customized programs to help clients reach their employee attraction and retention goals. The company is passionate about recognition because they know that an engaged workforce produces satisfied customers, which in turn produces more business. With TharpeRobbins, Recognition Changes Everything.   

The privately-held TharpeRobbins was created through the February 2007 merger of The Robbins Company, founded in 1892, and the Tharpe Company Inc., founded in 1981. The company headquarters are located on a 25-acre campus in Statesville, N.C. and include an extensive showroom and state-of-the-art distribution facility. The ISO-certified Attleboro, Mass., operations include creative services, software development and jewelry manufacturing.

Merchandise Monday: Upcoming Trends in Housewares

The “Homeworld Forecast 2013” is out and chock-full of information on housewares trends as we move into next year (can’t believe we’re already thinking about this, but might as well get on the bandwagon). As you can imagine, this study was pretty comprehensive, and its findings are vast. For the purpose of Merchandise Monday, we’ll just talk a little bit about some of the fastest growing trends and hot categories as reported in the study.

Fastest Growing Trends

• Treat makers, such as cake pop and lollipop makers, in response to the recent trend in cupcakes
• Skin and facial care appliances in response to Baby Boomers seeking that youthful glow
• Steam cleaners and multi-function vacuums as more homes move away from wall-to-wall carpeting
• Asian cutlery, which features sharper angled blades
• Grilling accessories in response to the health craze and increase in year-round grilling

It’s worth nothing that many of the fastest growing trend categories feature money-saving alternatives, such as food storage options and laundry drying racks, as well as items that add efficiency to consumers’ busy schedules, including dishwasher-safe cookware and ready-to-assemble furniture.

Hot Categories

• As Seen on TV – when is this not a hot category? Consumers love their Schticky™, ShamWow® and Snuggie™!
• Food dehydrators, steamers and juicers are hot right now in tandem with the growing interest in healthy alternatives
• At-home coffeemaking saves time and money versus standing in line at a coffee shop. Milk frothers and single-serve coffeemakers are especially hot right now
• Vacuum food storage saves money by preserving your leftovers and allowing you to take your lunch with you on the go
• Coinciding with food storage, double-wall insulated cups and mugs keep drinks hot or cold while you run errands or head to the office

Other hot categories include varieties of cookware and cutlery, ready-to-assemble accent seating, electric fireplaces and garage storage. Many consumers are looking for inexpensive ways to spruce up their homes, especially in these recession years when people are spending more time hanging out and entertaining in them.

Overall, the trends seem to be keeping with the current themes of cooking and entertaining in the home and saving money here and there where possible. And there is nothing wrong with that! After all, there’s no place like home!

Your Monthly Check-Up: The State of Corporate Wellness Programs in America

Please check out this infographic from Compliance and Safety, a vendor of safety videos. The graphic outlines some interesting statistics about workplace wellness initiatives and the growing importance of educating your employees about exercise and nutrition.

Hinda’s Own Stacey Wilson Talks to Premium Incentive Products about Employee Engagement

The latest issue of Premium Incentive Products magazine features an Employee Engagement Roundtable moderated by associate editor Deborah L. Vence which focuses on game components, social media and mobile as leading industry trends. Vence starts off by raising the point that having engaged employees leads to better service, customer satisfaction and overall profits. Hinda vice president, client services Stacey Wilson offered her input on employee engagement from the Hinda perspective.

Wilson begins by offering her observations of some of the trends taking place in employee engagement programs, namely that they are re-emerging after having dropped off somewhat during the Great Recession. “I think employers are feeling vulnerable to losing their good employees, and they need to get back to developing incentive programs that generate engagement,” she says. “Hinda is seeing a comeback of those mid-sized programs that were cut a few years back.”

She adds that she sees the trend leaning toward social media, gamification and mobile, and that it’s through these avenues that engagement will see a boost, but she mentions that “we are still trying to identify how well these initiatives will ‘stick’ in the industry.”

Wilson notes that the key is understanding that you need your employees to help build your business. Incentivizing both veteran and newcomer employees as the job market improves is imperative in order to make your business grow and prosper as opposed to flatlining.

She also points to social media as having an increasing role in the company, especially when it comes to employees who work from home and those with flex schedules. “Social media has been a key initiative in maintaining engagement among employees as well as engaging off-site workers,” she says. “The key in any engagement program is to ensure that off-site workers are receiving the same benefits as on-site. Off-site workers need to be self-motivated but need to feel as part of the team, as well.”

As a final thought, when asked about the outlook of employee engagement over the next few years, Wilson says, “I think it is important that the focus remain on the employee. The quality of your team is what is truly important.” Now that’s a concept we can all get behind!

Read the full article here.

Merchandise Monday: Party Games for the Younger Set

Who says adults should have all the fun? These new merchandise items are just for the kids. Let your teens invite their friends over this weekend and set them loose on these hot items that will get them away from the TV and interacting in some friendly competition.

Bop It! Smash and Twister Dance are the latest updates to games they’ve probably already played so much they’ve worn out, and chances are they’re Words With Friends-ing on their smart phones already. They’ll think you’re uber-cool for letting them have a party, and you’ll get some relief knowing they interact with more than a screen when they’re out of your sight.

Hasbro® Bop It! Smash

Time it right and smash the light! For teens, it's all about getting together with friends to hang out, play games and socialize. And what's better than throwing in a bit of friendly competition? With Bop It! Smash, colored lights in the center of the game unit fly back and forth while you do your best to capture one in the Zone. Three play modes make this game impossible to resist. Entertain yourself or bring it out during a party – your friends will be begging you for just one more game!

Hasbro® Twister Dance

This awesome dance game combines today's best dance music with the iconic Twister spots, providing a new way to learn hot new dances. You'll love learning dance moves by following the lights from the Twister dance console and dancing on the Twister spots. Learn to dance to hot songs by Britney Spears, Willow Smith, Ke$ha and Cupid. Each dance can be performed at three levels and beat-detection technology can teach you dances to your own music!

Hasbro® Words With Friends®

The hot social word game just got more social! For the first time ever, you can play Words With Friends in person with your favorite wordies. Use the tiles to build words on the game board and rack up the points while you challenge your friends in person. The game includes a code to redeem the Words With Friends Ultimate Play Pack to enhance your online play. The Words With Friends package comes with the game board, 104 tiles, four tile racks, a tile bag, a digital value card and game guide.

Feeling a little jealous that these games weren’t around in your heyday? Don’t worry – these games are just as fun for “big kids” as they are for your teens. Just make sure you make yourself scarce while the friends are over. Best sneak these games out of your kids’ rooms when they’re sleeping. Have fun!

They Came, They Saw, They Tweeted: Hinda’s Official Social Media Week Wrap-Up - Part II

Miss Part I? Read it here.

A particularly interesting and lively session I attended was a keynote by Jay Baer, social media speaker, coach and co-author of “The NOW Revolution: How to Make your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social” (also the title of this session). His blog, Convince&Convert, is ranked number three in the social media world and he’s consulted for 29 of the Fortune 500.

Baer pointed to social media as being the single most transformative of any technological development in the business world, as it has fundamentally changed the relationship between the business and the customer. Businesses are constantly changing to adapt to social media and the power is no longer in the business itself or in its branding – it’s in its network of connections.

Baer talked about social media as your early warning detection system when it comes to buzz about your company, and if you’re not paying attention to what your customers and potentials are saying about your brand, you won’t succeed as a business. Adopting the words “Thank you” and I’m sorry” will go miles when it comes to customer service in the social world, and companies looking to be more social would do well to incorporate these simple but powerful tools.

Finally, Baer brought up the point that social media is becoming a skill as opposed to a job – perhaps to the chagrin of the room full of social media professionals. He said that every person in the company needs to be doing social media and interacting with his or her clients, and it is not the responsibility of just one person or one department.

My favorite session was “Read Anything Good Lately? How WOM, Social Media and Recommendations Drive Media Consumption.” The panel consisted of Stacey Ballis, Carrie Goldman Segall and Nicole Knepper, three sassy, brassy women who all blog and have published books that became known largely due to social media. The panel talked a lot about how to use social media to your advantage as a new blogger or a self-published author.

Takeaways from this session include being a real person and maintaining authenticity on social media. The panel agreed that social media should be “95 percent social and 5 percent media.” Communicate with your followers, comment on others’ blogs and maintain a consistent sense of self.

Also, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Social media is important but it isn’t real life. Don’t become so involved with your fans online that you forget to walk the dog, and conversely, don’t ignore what’s going on in the social media world when it comes to your readers and fans – especially if you’re trying to sell something or promote your brand. And, as in life, you don’t need a million followers, you just need the right ones.

Another key is to write what’s in your heart and be true to yourself. Knepper, who’s blog and Facebook page are titled Moms Who Drink and Swear and who tweets @queenofcussin, probably put it best when she said, “Don’t compare yourselves to others. You will be miserable.” This is a great lesson when it comes to blogging and other forms of social media as well as out in the real world.

All three of the panelists were real, down-to-earth and hilarious. It was a fun session, and I wished it could have gone on much longer. But, all good things (including this post) must come to an end. I really enjoyed my Social Media Week experience, I learned a TON and I can’t wait for next year!

They Came, They Saw, They Tweeted: Hinda’s Official Social Media Week Wrap-Up - Part I

They say the best way to learn about something is to immerse yourself in it, and that’s exactly what over 16,000 social media professionals did as they descended upon Chicago the week of September 24. This year’s Social Media Week consisted of about 95 sessions featuring 250 speakers at 40 different venues around the city.

Personally, I represented Hinda at 12, which felt like a pretty full schedule considering the amount of information that was packed into each session, while still managing to pop into the office for a few hours in between.

I won’t get into the gory details of each session here, but I do want to point out a few highlights from what was a terrifically informative, fun and free week of social media madness.

One factor about social media that makes a lot of sense but that many people (including yours truly) probably don’t think about are the legal implications of hosting contests, sweepstakes or other online promotions that involve rules, regulations and privacy concerns.

At “Pinning and Winning: Activating Social Contests,” we heard from Linda Goldstein, Partner and Chair of the Advertising, Marketing and Media Division of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, who talked about the legal risks involved in hosting online contests, specifically compliance with lottery laws, disclosure of rules and privacy policies and intellectual property liability for content use.

“The FTC says that limited real estate is no excuse for lack of disclosure,” Goldstein said, with regard to specifically Twitter-based promotions and the fact that a tweet is limited to 140 characters. “Rules are your best defense. You don’t need to police each and every entry, but makes sure your rules are prominent and easy to read.”

(Full disclosure: I’ve spent a few years working in the legal field, so perhaps this part of the wrap-up isn’t as interesting to some readers, but it’s important nonetheless!)

Stay tuned for Part II of our Social Media Week wrap-up this Friday!