Buddy Mac Holdings LLC, dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings recently held its first annual conference, “Moving Forward Together,” in Dallas, Texas. The two-day, in-person event at the Hilton Anatole hotel included a chock-full agenda, a dynamic guest speaker, and a teambuilding session with a heartwarming surprise ending.
All Buddy Mac managers, regional managers, home-office staff, corporate franchise field consultants, and a host of vendors attended the meeting, which was employee-focused, and designed to reinforce the company values of family and culture. Buddy Mac President Ian MacDonald opened the event with a welcome, followed by a financial review from Controller Cathy Goodwin, and purchasing updates from Purchasing Director Carla Guy.
Vice President of Operations Chip Guy spoke on “The Movement” to bring Buddy’s together as one big family in order to move forward together – engaging with each other by being eager to listen, willing to argue, and always thankful.
“The focus of Buddy Mac Holdings and its future is its people,” says Guy. “We want to provide our folks with a high-quality work life and the resources they need to enjoy a great personal life, as well.”
Luncheon guest speaker Bryan Dodge gave a high-energy talk on the “Good Life Rules” – practical goalsetting wisdom to help attendees attain “the good life.” And Human Resources Director Edaena Lopez wrapped up the day’s presentations with information on recruiting and interviewing.
Prior to a pleasant evening of dinner and awards, participants engaged in a teambuilding/outreach exercise in which 14 teams literally built wheelchairs, with the top team earning a cash prize. Unbeknownst to the employees while they were working, the chairs were subsequently donated to nonprofit organization Homeless Veterans Services of Dallas on the company’s behalf.
Day Two of the event was dedicated to vendors and buying, with a morning Vendor Showcase and an afternoon Vendor Round Robin.
