5
# 1: GATE Inc.
Investing in people Top high-growth organization has been climbing Zweig Group’s lists for past few years; leaders attribute success to culture that’s been in place since its founding.
comparable compensation, empowerment, and a path toward meaningful ownership. These are the values and belief-system on which GATE is based. WHAT MAKES GATE HOT? Gibson founded the company with the vision of a respectful work environment where staff were heavily invested in with train- ing and development opportunities, mentorship, above-board compensation, and a chance for mean- ingful ownership in the company. He believed that this servant-leadership-based environment would drive the success of both individuals within the company and the firm as a whole. “GATE was set up from day one to be a Best Firm to Work For,” Lee Jordan, operations manager, says. “This means that we are able to attract and keep motivated, dedicated, and enthusiastic staff in an industry that is otherwise famed for its high staff turnover and mobility. By maintaining this cul- ture, we have developed a reputation for being an “Winning Hot Firm, as well as placing in the Best Firm to Work For yearly, proves that you can run a high-performance organization and create a best-firm culture.”
By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent
A fter progressing up the Hot Firm List for the past few years (63rd, 47th, 37th, 29th, 19th, and then third), GATE Inc. (Houston, TX), a 250-per- son, oil and gas engineering consulting firm, has fi- nally earned the top spot. “Being the No. 1 Hot Firm has been a goal of GATE for more than five years. This represents the com- mitment of our staff to our clients and the value our clients place on our work,” Grant Gibson, founder and CEO, says. “Winning Hot Firm, as well as plac- ing in the Best Firm to Work For yearly, proves that you can run a high-performance organization and create a best-firm culture.” GATE’S MISSION. Most consulting firms have the same mission – engaged employees, trust-based relation- ships with clients, growth, and profitability. But Gibson felt that in order for GATE to succeed, the focus should be on how to best implement these goals, versus focusing on a mission statement that no one can remember. He says that the bottom line is that “it starts with the people.” Investing in them via training and de- velopment; creating a culture of success; and pro- viding a respectful place to work, interesting/chal- lenging responsibilities, mentoring by senior staff,
See GATE , page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 3, 2015, ISSUE 1114
Made with FlippingBook Annual report