Two Local Companies Nationally Recognized as Best Employers

Unitron™ and MKS™ Named in Globe and Mail’s Top 50 Best Small - Medium Employers in Canada

Waterloo Region - Two Waterloo companies, Unitron™ and MKS™ and respective employees are demonstrating high levels of loyalty and entrepreneurship resulting in consecutive growth year over year. Both companies will be named to the Top 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada on February 10th. This annual survey by Queen's Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen's School of Business and Hewitt Associates, in partnership with The Globe and Mail, uses employee opinion to determine whether a company earns the status of being one of the best.

What makes them the best according to the people that work there? Employees at both companies believe their culture of innovation and the value placed on each individual’s contributions are key factors to achieving the distinction. Unitron and MKS attract and retain exceptional employees who believe in the value of the companies’ products. They also understand that their united efforts accomplish great things, which fuels a shared sense of purpose and drive. Both companies are showing consistent growth despite the recession. MKS is successfully competing against international giants like IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, and Unitron with the likes of Siemens and William Demont.

At Unitron’s Global and Canadian headquarters on Beasley Drive in Kitchener, more than 30% of the employees have been with the company for over 10 years. Unitron draws talented individuals from as many as 17 different countries. The most-cited reason why they enjoy their work has more to do with altruistic reasons than free barbeques. They feel that they are making a positive difference in the quality of lives for people with hearing loss, and that Unitron is a company that they can grow with as their own skills and career aspirations evolve.

For Ingrid MacDonald, this meant starting out as an administrative assistant in Research & Development and following a career path that led to a position as National Sales Manager of Unitron Canada. MacDonald relied on her R&D knowledge when she took on the role of Documentation Coordinator and then Software Support. She later moved into sales and product management at the company’s Corporate office. Now, as National Sales Manager, MacDonald leads Unitron Canada’s sales efforts in the Canadian marketplace.

MKS leads a global organization from offices on Albert St. in Waterloo. Like Unitron, MKS nurtures the growth of its employees, and thirty percent of the employees have over 10 years of service. Megan Hall began as co-op student in Human Resources at MKS. After graduating, she worked as an HR Consultant, eventually becoming an HR Manager. Today, Hall is the Director of HR, and proof that the company empowers its employees from within.

MKS has made its mark by being the first to introduce a coherent end-to-end platform for Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) – basically software for the control, organization and management of enterprise software development. With the escalating complexity of software found in everything from phones to fighter jets, managing the development of software is critical to the success of MKS customers. A big part of why MKS has been able to capitalize on this opportunity, and maintain an 18-24 month technology lead in the market, has been its loyal and creative employees like David Wigg, who joined the company as a developer in 1998 and has since risen to become the VP of Technology.

As a rapid innovator (15 product launches in the last 4 years), Unitron understands the importance of nurturing the creativity of its employees. Dr. Henry Luo holds 50+ patents for his industry-first innovations and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo. He creates digital algorithms that are the basis of many of Unitron’s problem-solving technologies for people with hearing loss. For Dr. Luo, the most gratifying moments are the success stories from people whose lives have been radically changed.

And what about growth potential on the horizon for these two companies? MKS has seen record levels of profitability in the last year, and industry analyst recognition for completeness of vision and superior technology. With robust product lines and baby boomers experiencing hearing loss in greater numbers, Unitron also anticipates continued growth.

Unitron and MKS believe it’s the innovative people in their organizations who will continue to drive the companies’ successive growth. The employees benefit from new opportunities, and the companies profit from their greater breadth of skills and experiences. It’s a win-win situation, and one that is gaining recognition on a national scale.