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2023 has been an amazing year for Redmond in so many ways!
Revenue was up at least 126% (as of early November), we hired 80 new associates, and we have more ideas and runway for growth than ever!
Business success is great, but that’s not the only way in which we’ve progressed.
We’ve grown as individuals, as teams, and as a force for good in the world. We’ve learned a lot and developed our culture this year. We’ve done so much to support our mission of elevating the human experience!
Reflection is one of our core values and our main way of measuring progress. After all, you can only see how far you’ve come by looking at where you started, not how far you have left to go. (Isn’t it weird that we tend to do it the other way around?)
So we wanted to reflect on this year, what we’ve learned, and the journey we’ve taken. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see what we’ve covered this year!
2023 in Review: What We’ve Learned
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Here’s a roundup of culture topics that we talked about in meetings and on the Redmond Experience blog and social media accounts! These concepts can set you up for a successful and happy 2024, full of growth.
January: “It starts with ‘Why’” by Simon Sinek
Why do you resonate with some leaders? Why do some habits stick while others don’t? Why do you buy from some companies and avoid others? Here’s why the purpose behind actions and movements is far more compelling than facts and features, and how to use this information to get motivated in your everyday life.
February: “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown
Vulnerability is crucial for creating connections with other people, but it can be scary! Here are some tips for getting a little more comfortable with vulnerability so you can better connect with those around you.
March: “What Frogs in Hot Water Can Teach Us About Thinking Again” by Adam Grant
We’re often reluctant to rethink things or update our opinions to accommodate new information. But rethinking is important! Here’s how to rethink so you can stay in line with your values, see the signs that it’s time to change course, and know when to quit.
April: “How Falling Behind Can Get You Ahead” by David Epstein
We’ve all heard that anyone can put 10,000 hours into anything to become a master at it. But is that even true? And does that actually lead to real success? Here’s why dabblers might have an advantage, and why it’s okay if you haven’t found your “thing” yet.
May: JK Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Speech
In her Harvard Commencement speech, J.K. Rowling extols the value of failure, imagination, empathy, friendship, and how they all tie together and contribute to a meaningful life. Here’s why these elements are so integral to our fulfillment and how to make them part of your learning and growth.
June: “Stop Trying So Hard: Accomplish More by Doing Less” by Bethany Butzer
Too many of us chase the type of success we’re told we’re supposed to want: the huge salary, the important-sounding job, the big house, the fancy car. There’s nothing wrong with those, but what if those things don’t actually fulfill us? Here’s how to find real success with a lot less blood, sweat, and tears.
July: “Embrace the Near Win” by Sarah Wilson
At Redmond, our vision is to elevate the human experience. The thing is, we know we’ll never “arrive” at this vision, but pursue it forever! The point of mastery isn’t to arrive at a place where you have nowhere else to go and nothing else to learn. The real mastery is in the pursuit and the drive to keep learning, improving, and growing. Here’s what this pursuit looks like at Redmond and how you can get on the path of mastery!
August: “Open Jar Thinking” by Jeff Whiting
In this Ted Talk, Jeff Whiting, a Broadway director and choreographer, describes a study about jumping fleas and what it can teach us about defying limitations, whether real or self-imposed. Here’s how we use Open Jar Thinking in our Redmond culture and operations.
September: Mark Rober’s MIT Commencement Speech
Mark Rober brings his signature humor and wisdom to his 2023 commencement address at MIT, and shares a few key pieces of advice that have guided him in his life and career from a mechanical engineer at Apple and NASA to becoming a Youtube star and speaker. Here’s how the river of life, assuming good intent, and failing at Super Mario Brothers can help you make a positive impact on the world!
October: “First Step to Collaboration? Don’t Be So Defensive!” by Jim Tamm
Collaboration is a way of life here at Redmond. We can do so much more together than on our own! However, defensiveness can cause us to shut down instead of seeking solutions together. Here’s how former judge Jim Tamm recommends working through defensiveness and the fears that fuel it.
November: “Celebrate What’s Right With The World” by Dewitt Jones
Dewitt Jones was a photographer for National Geographic for many years, and in his Ted Talk he shares how photographing people and places all over the world helped him to reshape his vision and perspective from focusing on what’s wrong with the world, to celebrating what’s right.
December: Free month!
Because our normally scheduled monthly culture meeting would have fallen on the holidays, we used this month as a chance for teams to choose their own culture topic and review videos in their own team culture meetings. Happy holidays!
Retreats and Seminars
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Our monthly culture meetings and culture content are a big part of our growth and development around here, but retreats and seminars are also central to our culture!
Here’s why we invest so much time and resources into hosting these retreats.
We hosted 4 Discovery Seminars and 4 Seven Habits seminars.
The 7 Habits seminar exposes associates to the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (his work is foundational to a lot of our culture concepts!). The Discovery Seminar helps associates learn more about themselves, their strengths, and how they’re wired so that they can amplify those strengths and be more effective in their lives and work.
We also hosted 12 retreats this year!
These include…
3 Lake Powell Retreats.
2 Mountain Retreats in Heber City.
Our Reflect and Renew trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
An associate trip to Pybus Point Lodge on Admiralty Island, Alaska.
A hunting retreat in Kansas.
And a couple’s retreat, golf tour, ice fishing trip, and Deseret Ranch retreat, all right here in Utah.
Plus our Rivendell Campout where all associates were invited to attend with their families!
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Consistency and intensity are both important for forming new habits and mindsets. If our culture content and meetings are the consistency, these retreats and seminars are the intensity. Plus, these are a great opportunity to develop relationships and have fun with different people across teams and business units. These relationships make us stronger as a company and community!
This not only supports our financial success as a business, but allows us to fulfill our mission of elevating the human experience. (Which is the whole point of Redmond. Profits and finances are means to an end!)
Some other fun stats from this year:
Of course, numbers matter too! Here are just a couple ways our business units have grown this year.
-Redmond Life sold more than 4 million more servings of Re-Lyte this year than last year.
Also 1000 more TONS of Real Salt!
-Our Ice Slicer brand had its best sales year in history, thanks to a crazy winter! Teams also showed incredible collaboration to manage logistics during those busy months. It was inspiring to witness.
-Redmond Heritage Farms turned 20 this year. Our dairy herd also grew from 80 cows to 120 to meet growing demand for our raw milk.
-Western Clay added 3 super cool robots to its bagging line and upgraded its testing lab facility.
-Pybus Point Lodge is still bringing in perfect 5 star reviews!
And this is only scratching the surface.
What does it all add up to?
“Money is like fuel. Cars need fuel, but the purpose of the car is not to buy more fuel. Business is the same. The purpose of business is not to make money, it's to advance a greater purpose or cause.” -Simon Sinek
It’s fun to look at the numbers and see how much we’ve grown compared to past years. It’s cool to look at what we learned this year, but what does it all mean?
While we love learning, serving customers, and being a successful company, we never lose sight of our mission to elevate the human experience. Everything we do, all these culture topics and retreats, the seminars and even our financial success is how we get there. It’s fuel in the tank that helps us fulfill our purpose.
At the end of the day, THIS is what we’re here for.
The most important part of our reflection and celebration is centered on this vision, the whole reason we’re in business in the first place.
Never lose sight of your WHY!
Thank you for taking this journey with us!
We’re always learning, growing, progressing, and building momentum. We’re so glad you’re taking this journey with us. We can’t wait to see what 2024 will bring!
