Tell us a little bit about yourself, your role in your business and about your company.
My name is Nicole Nickel and I am the Senior Administrator and Office Manager at Crestline Coach Ltd. I am married and we have 2 grown daughters and 1 grandson. My husband is Steve and we have been together since high school (wow, 35 years already!). We both grew up in a small town in southern Saskatchewan, Assiniboia, and have lived in Warman for the last 29 years. I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1994 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majors in Finance and General Business. I have worked at Crestline for 28 years in both Human Resources and Finance related roles.
Crestline was founded locally in 1975 and is a worldwide innovative leader in ambulance manufacturing and specialty vehicles and Canada’s largest supplier of small to mid-sized commercial buses. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Crestline is part of an industry-leading group of companies; Demers Ambulances, Braun Industries and Medix Specialty Vehicles. The combined sales position the company as the second largest ambulance manufacturer in North America. Crestline is driven by world class safety and innovation and built to stand up to the most demanding performance and durability standards. Crestline exceeds and inspires today’s industry standards. The organization is committed to being a partner of choice, dedicated to safety and innovation, delivering an exceptional customer experience through empowered employees.
What is your company’s philosophy on Total Rewards?
Our company’s philosophy on total rewards is that employees are the foundation of what makes a company successful! We define Total Rewards as everything Crestline provides for our employees in exchange for their investment in our organization. It includes both the tangible rewards like wages, health related benefits and pension along with intangible benefits such as our company culture, career development opportunities and a safe workplace. As we continue to grow we want to ensure our total compensation package is competitive in the market for attracting and retaining employees and being an employer of choice.
Describe your culture. Why is your company a great place to work?
Our company is a great place to work because of our employees! We take our time with the recruitment process to hire employees that share our values and fit in with our culture. We are proud to have low turnover and a lot of long-term employees.
What is something you are proud of about your company?
I am proud of the product that we build, life-saving ambulances! It doesn’t matter what area of the company an employee works, everyone feels their contribution in the finished product.
Why does your benefits & pension plan matter? What’s the impact to your business?
Benefits and pension matter as they are big part of our total rewards offering. Family is one of our core values and having a health benefits plan including a health spending account for our employees and their families to use is important as well as a pension plan for our employees to plan for the future.
What is your most creative/ unique reward or favourite workplace benefit?
One of our favourite workplace benefits is our Social Committee. We have a great volunteer Committee that plans events throughout the year. One tradition we have had since I have been here is the monthly birthday treat; the last coffee break of the month we celebrate the employee birthdays for the month.