How Companies Are Curating a “Cool Culture”

Company culture has become integral to attracting ad retaining top talent, and companies are looking for ways to craft a cool company culture that will bring in young professionals. Developer Tri Pointe Group and six of its divisions was recently recognized as one of the top places to work in Orange County, thanks to its strong company culture that values employees and clients. We sat down with Doug Bauer, president of Tri Pointe Group, to talk about how the company has curated a cool culture and how creating a strong culture impacts the firm’s mission.

GlobeSt.com: What are your tips for success when it comes to creating a “cool company culture”? Doug Bauer: A cool company culture starts with being true to the values at the heart of your company, having a purpose that your team is passionate about and constantly listening to and acting on employee and customer feedback. Our purpose is to build life-inspiring homes. It’s our highest calling and toughest mission, and a journey we take on in partnership with our team. We strive to maintain a culture that fosters continued growth, at both a personal and professional level, for each and every team member. A combination of think tanks, social gatherings outside of work, and various philanthropic projects help create an environment people want to be a part of. Overall, we’re creating life-changing experiences for our customers and our team.

GlobeSt.com: How can you ensure success across all of your divisions? Bauer: One of the core tenets of our culture is the ‘best of big and small.’ The agility, local insight and trusted relationships of regional home builders combined with the resources and thought leadership of TRI Pointe Group help make us a unique player in the marketplace. Our divisions enjoy bringing a nimble, entrepreneurial approach to maximizing opportunities in their local markets. It’s this best of both worlds approach that drives success across the company.

GlobeSt.com: How does your company culture impact design and development? Bauer: We focus on customer-driven design and innovation to appeal to discerning home shoppers across price-points, while positioning each of our regional homebuilders as a premium lifestyle brand in its local market. Where we build, what we design and the overall experience we create, all spring from a deep understanding of what our homebuyers want and how they live. We research, mine data, and conduct workshops so we can create solutions that become an integral part of our customers’ lives.

Our role does not stop with the development of well-designed homes, but also focuses on being a responsible neighbor and extending a helping hand. We strive to give back to the local communities in which we live and build, and focus on environmentally responsible business practices. A good example of this is our LivingSmart program that blends the design, development, construction and operation of homes to provide healthier, more comfortable living environments with lower operating costs.

GlobeSt.com: How do you ensure employees are well trained? Bauer: We have a robust onboarding and performance processes ensure the success and growth of top talent, whether through advanced training or additional educational opportunities through our tuition-reimbursement program.

We promote cross-divisional collaboration in sales, marketing, construction, purchasing, community and home design, customer care, and design studios. We do this through a series of hosted think tanks and summits to enhance staff understanding of best practices, expand leadership and expertise, and create goals to improve results and foster continued employee growth. One such event is the annual TRI Pointe Group Sales and Marketing ‘Think Tank,’ an interactive educational event for the company’s sales and marketing leaders aimed at expanding collaboration among all team members and moving the company forward in its goal of being a family of premium lifestyle brands on par with the leading retail brands outside the home building industry. Previous Think Tanks have included visits to Google, REI, Pirch, Restoration Hardware, Local Motors, Facebook and more.

GlobeSt.com: How do you ensure your team is highly motivated and brings a strong approach? Bauer: Our people are some of the most passionate in the industry. To stay a step ahead, we identify, measure and adopt best practices among our team members and pinpoint opportunities for further refinement. In doing so, we can break through conventional industry practices and old habits, create opportunities to push the envelope, and explore new ideas in home design, features, and experiences. We encourage a curious, open-minded approach in our company culture and continuously reward each of our team members with various incentive programs.

GlobeSt.com: What about retention efforts? Bauer: We have a combined voluntary and involuntary turnover rate of approximately 14%—a startlingly low number in the industry. We’re very fortunate to source 25% of our new team members through referrals from our existing team, which really helps us to perpetuate our culture. We hire slowly to ensure we have the right people, and we retain our talented team members by inviting them to help make a difference and by empowering them to be change-agents by using an entrepreneurial spirit to bring their best thinking and energy to the collective cause. In doing so, we help our team members advance our vision of home building, home buying, and home ownership to the next level with integrity, drive and teamwork.