A little employee pampering helps fuel prosperity

Massages. Spa days. Trips to the movies. Midday rounds of Trivial Pursuit.

This is not just the stuff of employee daydreams, but rather the perks offered by some of the winners of 2011's Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Small Business Excellence Awards.

The chamber's sixth annual awards luncheon Thursday at the Rio celebrated small businesses in five categories, including Green Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, Small Business of the Year with less than five employees, Small Business of the Year with less than 25 employees and Women/Minority-Owned Business of the Year. The theme uniting the small-business success stories was employee appreciation.

During an introductory video to the best business with 25 employees or fewer category, peals of laughter rang out from the crowd of about 250 chamber members as Gerety & Associates CPAs owner Dan Gerety extolled the virtues of his firm, which include regular visits from a masseuse and a yoga instructor.

"Our employees work so hard," Gerety said after winning the award. "We have a lot of due dates, so it's a stressful job. You've got to relieve the tension."

Gerety has offered perks to his 18 employees since he started the company in 2004.

Another winner, Baskow & Associates Inc. owner Jaki Baskow, also places a premium on employee happiness.

"If your employees are not happy, you're not going to get a great product and your clients are not going to get great customer service," she said.

Baskow, who took home the award for best women/minority-owned business, employs 21 workers at her 2948 E. Russell Road headquarters, which was a residence before she converted it into an office. It's a family atmosphere, she said, with afternoon board games, ice cream sundaes and lunch-and-movie outings when the office closes early for the day.

When the economy plummeted, Baskow took a 30 percent pay cut rather than lay off staff.

The award winners credited their employees for their success, but they also thanked the chamber for providing health insurance and networking opportunities, particularly as the economy continues to batter businesses of all sizes.

"Supporting and doing business with each other is kind of what we're all about at the chamber," said chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Kristin McMillan.

Award winners Gerety and Baskow are already business partners -- Gerety & Associates handles Baskow's accounting.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at
cmcgarry@lvbusinesspress.com or 702-387-5273.