Culture Matters: Colleagues And Comrades At Kinney Group

INDIANAPOLIS – A Hoosier cloud technology company is emphasizing its unique culture to help attract and retain talent. Ben Fuelberth, an advisor with FirstPerson in Indianapolis, says Kinney Group Inc. has stayed true to its roots “even as they’ve continued to grow.” Our Culture Matters segment this month features the company, which recently secured a $6 million round of funding.

The company plans to add close to 90 jobs by 2019. Fuelberth says Kinney Group focuses on a team atmosphere, referring to its employees as colleagues and taking on initiatives to support fun activities for those located at the Indianapolis headquarters or remotely. As Kinney Group continues to bring on new employees, Fuelberth says integrating them with the existing work force is increasingly a focus. “Every new hire gets what they call a ‘Kinney Comrade,'” Fuelberth adds, “and it’s just a member of their team, another colleague, that’s assigned to them — normally not from their department — who helps them get acclimated, sends them a book and a note, nice personal hand-written message prior to them starting with Kinney Group. Makes them feel part of the team right away.”

The other features of Kinney Group culture include an “Earth Team” that tends a nearby garden and works with local high school in the community. Employees are given 16 hours of volunteer time per year. Fuelberth says the company also embraced the “work hard, play hard” mantra, with committees and events designed for employees to “do things that are important to them.”