Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 8)

IN THE NEWS Incentives in a Recession PAGE 12 Jim Feldman says the incentive industry can prosper during the coming recession Suppliers Honored PAGE 14 Winners of the Sixth Annual June Briggs Award gathered at Sardi’s on the Great White Way last month Changes Coming Two big leadership changes hit the incentive industry in January, one unexpected and one planned BY LEO JAKOBSON T he surprise news came on Jan. 8, when Marilyn Carlson Nelson announced that she will step down as CEO of Carlson Companies, the Minneapolis-based firm started by her father, incentive pioneer Curtis Carlson, at the end of this month. She will be replaced by Hubert Joly, the current CEO of business travel management Separately (and less surprisingly), Rick Blabolil, president of Rosemont, Ill.–based Marketing Innovators International took over as president of the Incentive Marketing Association. Carlson’s New Boss Joly has been “tasked with carrying forward our strategy to expand Carlson’s global brands and operations around the world,” Carlson Nelson said during her announcement at her family firm’s headquarters. Carlson Companies Inc. traces its roots to the Gold Bond Stamp Company, the customer loyalty firm Curtis Carlson started in 1938 with a $55 loan. With nearly 200,000 employees in 150 countries, and revenues of $37 billion, Carlson Companies’ holdings also include Regent Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants as well as Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), Carlson Marketing, consulting firm Peppers & Rogers Group and a number of other leisure and casual dining companies. “I think that the marketing services business is a very important business for us. It is part of our DNA, our heritage,” Carlson Nelson told Incentive. “It is a business Hubert is looking forward to learning more about, particularly the loyalty piece; he knows a bit about the meetings continued on page 10 What Employees Want Most important workplace benefits to employees: • Health insurance plan . . . . . . . . . . .84 • Job security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 • Environment with clear policies and procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 • Retirement or pension plan . . . . . . .76 • Flexible, family-friendly workplace . .71 • Getting quick decisions on work issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 • Working with talented managers . . .68 • Potential for promotions . . . . . . . . .66 • Being creative and intellectually stimulated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 • Amount of total compensation . . . .65 % % % % % % % % % % Hubert Joly takes over Carlson Companies from Marilyn Carlson Nelson firm Carlson Wagonlit Travel and the first nonfamily member to be named CEO. Carlson Companies’ holdings include leading incentive provider Carlson Marketing. Carlson Nelson will remain chairman of the privately held firm. SOURCE: CENTER FOR STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE 8| Incentive | February 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - February 2008

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

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