Grand Trunk, makers of goods for the road, is “eating its own dog food,” so to speak, with its new Adventure Traveler program for employees in 2016. Co-founders Kevin Kaiser and Jon Neff recently announced each of the brand’s 16 employees will receive a cash reward of $2,500 to be used explicitly toward the trip of a lifetime. The brand will also ensure employees travel in style and comfort by providing its best selling travel gear for the journey and has also added five additional days of PTO to help make employee travel dreams a reality.
Kaiser and Neff know that Americans typically work longer days and enjoy less vacation time than ever before, while economic pressure and information overload contribute to a myriad of health issues and stress. Even with paid vacation time, many employees don’t use time off for travel or fully disconnect from the daily grind because employees can work from anywhere at anytime. Grand Trunk’s Adventure Traveler program is meant to reward employees for their hard work and dedication by making it possible to travel and enrich their lives.
The idea started as a friendly competition meant to inspire employees to lead an adventure filled life. Management asked employees to submit an essay detailing their trip of a lifetime – where and how they would travel, and why. The goal was to pick the most creative trip and award the winner with a $2,500 travel stipend.
“There was no way to pick just one winner,” says Kaiser, co-founder and COO with Grand Trunk. “Each essay was meaningful, and every one of our employees works hard and deserves to be rewarded for their part in making Grand Trunk the great company it is today.”
In 2015, Grand Trunk was named 2597 on the 2015 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America. The brand has experienced 142-percent growth over the past three years thanks to excellent customer service and thoughtfully designed products. “Our success is thanks in large part to our hardworking team,” adds Neff, Grand Trunk co-founder and CEO. “We want to pay it forward with our Adventure Traveler program, while encouraging our employees to get out there and experience the wonders of the world.”
Co-founders Kaiser and Neff met during a backpacking trip in Thailand in 2001. Their shared adventures during those months of travel sparked a lifelong friendship and brought to market Grand Trunk’s goods for the road. “We want our employees to feel that same connection; to experience different cultures and the spirit of adventure. Grand Trunk represents more than just a job. It represents a way of life and I want to share that stoke with my team,” concludes Kaiser.
Needless to say, the Adventure Traveler program has been very well received by employees with several trips already underway, including New Zealand, Guatemala and Japan. “I will be checking off another country on my dream travel list with a snowboarding trip to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido,” exclaims John ‘JB’ Bollaert, graphic designer with Grand Trunk. “This program allows me to go off the beaten path and combine my passions for the outdoors with exploring foreign cultures. I am so grateful to Grand Trunk for the opportunity to push my own limits and travel halfway around the world to ride the best powder on earth!”
