Backup Power Company Named to the Bay Area Top Workplaces List for the Sixth Straight Year

CD & Power was once again selected as one of the top places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area. “We know our job is never done when it comes to investing in our people,” explains Jill Collaro, President. “We’re honored to have won this workplace recognition, for the 6th year in a row. It motivates us to keep stepping up our game!” Being named a Top Workplace confirms for management that the investment in our employees is noticed and appreciated, and it encourages us to invest even more.

Investing in Our Employees

Offering extensive training has helped us attract and retain great employees. In 2018 we launched “Tall Bald Guy University” (TBGU for short), in honor of the company founder Chuck Uischner. “We’ve continued to prioritize training and development because we saw how well it worked for our dad, frankly,” explained Don Uischner, company Vice President and Jill’s brother. “It has been the cornerstone of a positive culture and our ability to deliver great service. TBGU is our way of formalizing this commitment to our employees.”

To help build trust and lasting bonds within our teams, we host fun activities throughout the year. In addition to the traditional Christmas party, we conduct an annual barbecue competition, have treated spouses to a wine country trip for champagne tasting, and bring people together for an annual shooting contest, among other events. An annual favorite of employees is our “Theme Day” – usually in August – that is different every year to match a theme that we establish each winter. Recent themes:

• “Dream Day” included an airplane flyover at our outdoor pool event with chair messages, hair/nail person, a magician, bartenders and catered lunch
• “Ready, Willing & Able Day” involved a surprise train ride from Martinez to old town Sacramento for a crab shack lunch and return – partying all the way

This year’s theme day (ReMarkable Day) was adjusted, but figured out how to make it memorable. Already, we reinvented our annual barbecue by sending each employee an Omaha Steak dinner. In our day-to-day work, we inject a little fun, like wearing crazy hairdos to web meetings. Even some of the guys who haven’t been able to get their haircut wore pigtails!

Over the years we have also built kinship within our team by working together for the benefit of our community, our veterans, and children around the world. Each year we invest time and money to collect food during local food drives, purchase care packages for active-duty military and veterans, and support programs that help impoverished children around the world.

Response to COVID-19

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented all CDC recommended procedures to keep our people and our customers safe. Many of our employees work from home on equipment that we provided. For people that need to visit or work from the office, we rotate days in order to make social distancing easier. We provide all employees with masks, sanitizer, and gloves. Our field technicians have thermometers in order to check themselves daily before starting work. We have been blessed to be able keep our doors open and our employees safe and working.

Along with all the changes during the pandemic, company President Jill Collaro initiated a new “HOPE” campaign. She believes strongly in hope and shares this with all, including the community! She sent monetary gifts of support and HOPE stickers, on behalf of CD & Power, to people nominated by employees who have been affected by the pandemic. For several years large inspirational banners have been hung on the outside of our facility – the latest and current one being “HOPE”. Incredibly, we’ve received several calls of appreciation from people who drive by our facility. Jill says “hope for the future, because that is where we are going, and hope is on the horizon for us all.”

“Lastly, we end all meetings with a “1-2-3, Ripple!” (shout out and hand gesture that highlights a former employee’s legacy and positive “ripple” affect). It’s a fun way for us all to end the meeting on a positive note, and to remind us all, that just like that little ripple in the pond, we can have that same ripple affect everywhere we go.  We recently celebrated 35 years of ReMarkable business. We are blessed to still be here, with a fantastic workforce that we will continue to support, inspire and celebrate with always. So, as we say…….”1-2-3 Ripple!”