Article at a glance:

• Work doesn’t have to be a necessary evil—it can be fulfilling, meaningful, and even joyful.
• Redmond was built on the belief that work should be a place of growth, collaboration, and purpose.
• We challenge traditional workplace norms, focusing on strengths, team effectiveness, and personal development.
• Our culture is an ongoing experiment in creating a workplace where people truly thrive.

Time to read: 4 minutes

In our world, it’s an accepted “truth” that work is a necessary evil. It’s exhausting. We live for the weekend. TGIF, right? There’s even a restaurant chain named after it.

We’ve all seen (and laughed at) jokes and memes about meetings that could be emails, about slamming your laptop shut until Monday, and generally about hating work.

This all makes complete sense, because there’s plenty wrong with the workplace right now. Many companies don’t walk their talk and try to get as much from their own employees as possible while giving as little as they can get away with in return.

But what things could be different? What if we could love Mondays as much as Fridays? What if there was a restaurant called TGIM?

So, at Redmond, we strive to find the answer to the question: What if work was one of the good things in life?

The Stubbornness to Know it Could Be Better

How did we start down this path?

Rhett Roberts, CEO and owner of Redmond, grew up on a farm in Sevier County, Utah. Rhett’s father herded cattle, bought and sold horses, and worked as a farrier throughout Rhett’s life, and he loved it.

This was typical for Rhett’s farming community because the thing about farming is that most people don’t get into it for the money; they do it because they like it. So Rhett was surrounded by people who worked hard and loved what they did. Work wasn’t just a way to sustain life or a dreaded activity, but part of a great life, like family, rest, and spirituality.

Because Rhett came from a community where work was an important part of a life well-lived, he knew that type of workplace was possible, even if everyone around him was counting the days until retirement.

He knew work could be different. And he wasn’t alone.

Collaboration to Create Something Greater

Milo and Lamar Bosshardt had started Redmond Minerals in the 1950’s because they needed the money after a hard drought, but also because they wanted to help people with the minerals on their property. They mined the salt deposit and grew the business, all with the intention to be a force for good in the community.

While earning his MBA, Rhett needed a job. He stayed close to home, with a company in Redmond, the next town over. His stepmother had worked at Redmond Minerals for years and connected him to the company, where he started work as a consultant.

Rhett bought Redmond in 1999. The Bosshardts knew he was the person to partner with while not only preserving the original intention, but multiplying it.

Rhett and the Bosshardts believed work can not only provide a paycheck and benefits, but purpose, community, and a way to be helpful and develop our strengths and passions. When we bond together into groups and companies, we can do so much more together than we could apart. This is why humans form communities and organizations. Because deep down in our DNA, we know this.

When we love our work, we do better work, which means customers’ lives are enriched and the company succeeds. Everyone wins.

So Redmond began an experiment: what if work was actually a place where we could find our greatest opportunities, fulfillment, personal development, and deep, lasting connection?

The Redmond Experiment

“Work can be the vehicle for so much growth and the chance to come together with people you love working with and do something that's meaningful and that makes a difference that matters. I believe that's possible for us.” - Rhett Roberts

We set out to create a workplace that’s different and challenges our idea of work.

The kind of place where contribution is a joy and not a burden. A place where we can develop strong relationships that last a lifetime. Where people can bring their whole selves to work.

To enable this, we have to leave behind old, limiting paradigms that hold us back.

Instead of the typical workplace pecking order, we believe in collaborating to maximize our strengths.

We trade carrots and sticks for passion for contribution, individual achievement for team effectiveness, and a corporate ladder for success tracks for all.

Here, our main work is the growth of our people. We let our results come from that.

We want our people to make a good living and, more importantly, live well. We believe everyone can find meaning and long-lasting success if they are willing to take a journey of growth and discovery.

How?

So…how do we actually do this?

What sets Redmond apart from other organizations who claim to be different, who stencil their core values on the wall and put a ping-pong table in the break room and have unlimited PTO?

Our culture is the answer to that question.

We’re not perfect. We never expect to be. We’re figuring this out as we go, but we’re intentional in everything we do. With our mission as the beacon, we walk into the fog together and figure out how to create a workplace where we challenge paradigms and elevate the human experience, starting with our own people.