CEO Celia Willis takes the stage to accept KWI’s newest designation as one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work.
Oh my gosh, I’m so unprepared for this. I don’t even have a speech ready. (Just kidding, I totally do.)
Growing up, I remember watching my dad lead GCI America – he has always been an inspiration, a real force in the industry. One afternoon, when I was just 8 years old, I was enjoying some light reading with the latest edition of PR Week (as an 8-year-old does). My older siblings noticed and asked what on earth I was doing. My answer? The obvious one: Someone was going to have to take over for dad when he retired.
I’ve always imagined this day. But to actually have my company named one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, well it really is a dream come true.
I have so many people to thank. Obviously, thanks to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
I owe a big thanks to our list of amazing clients. Their belief in us and in what we offer has allowed KWI to grow beyond our literal and figurative walls. (Seriously, we just had to expand our office to fit our constantly growing team.)
Speaking of which, the biggest thanks of all goes to my team at KWI, and not just because they had to say nice things about the company in order for us to even be considered for this award. When I first took over as CEO, I had a vision for what I wanted KWI to be – a community-focused, people-first company. But I could have never achieved that on my own. My amazing employees have taken that vision and made it a reality.
In a way, this award is even more meaningful for our company because of our mission. It’s confirmation that we are on the right track and that what we are doing is effective.
We approach everything through the lens of community – within KWI and with each client account we serve. We believe it is the best way to keep people engaged and inspire them to connect with an overall purpose.
But to say that emphasizing the people rather than numbers is the right approach with any kind of confidence, it needs to be true at home first. In other words, we had to practice what we preached. (Thank goodness it worked.)
Putting people at the center of business has been the guiding principle for all our employee engagement efforts, especially during this pandemic. To me, being named one of the Best Places to Work in Atlanta is proof that those efforts haven’t been wasted.
As a CEO, I am proud that our employees feel connected enough to our company to nominate us for this award, and this sense of pride is something I want all our clients to feel.
A company is only as strong as its people. By focusing on your community of employees, you are focusing on the overall health and growth of your company.
Alright, I can hear the music is playing. I know what that means. But before I go, I just want to say thanks again to our clients and our team.
And thanks to the city of Atlanta for being such a great host to a company like ours.
And congratulations to all the other winners – you are all amazing!
Ok, ok, I’m going to get off the stage now.
