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JUNE 2016 •
PPB
• 29
GREATEST COMPANIES
TO WORK FOR 2016
WHAT EMPLOYEES SAY ABOUT CITY
PAPER
|
“I love working at City
Paper Company because of the
people,” says nominator Haley
Lasseter, who has been at the
company for two years. “Every
day feels like a gathering of close
friends and family who happen
to work side by side. There is a
great feeling of camaraderie
among employees that is not
limited by departments or titles.
This is truly the first place I have
worked in my career where we
have fun virtually every day even
when the stress levels are up, the
deadlines are looming and the
phones won't stop ringing. In
fact, I would say that is when we
have the most fun.”
City Paper Company first
opened its doors in 1897 and is
now run by the fourth generation
of the Friedman family. “Our his-
tory makes us one of the oldest
companies in Birmingham and in
the state of Alabama,” Lasseter
says proudly. “Over the years, our
owners have sustained the busi-
ness through world wars, the
Great Depression and a number
of recessions, and through it all,
the company pushed the envelope
to survive. [Last year] was one of
our best years ever in our 119-
year existence.”
What truly makes City Paper
different from other companies is
the amazing team of people that
walk its halls every day, she adds.
“The commitment, enthusiasm
and desire to succeed together as
a team, the creativity and ideas we
share and the laughter that flows
throughout our halls all translate
to our customers. As a result, they
experience a genuinely warm and
responsive City Paper team. Plus,
how many people have live music
and a dancing Santa Claus with
elves (our warehouse guys) at
their holiday party?”
HOW IT DIFFERENTIATES ITSELF AS AN
EMPLOYER
|
Lasseter says her
team loves to win. “And we love
to watch each other win. That
truly is my favorite part of City
Paper and our culture. We share
wins on a mobile app called
GroupMe, where we post new
logos and welcome customers to
the City Paper family. Ideas are
constantly exchanged through
this app as well. It generates
healthy competition, along with a
great support system.
Lasseter also credits the
company’s generosity in its com-
munity as another reason she
nominated it for
PPB
recogni-
tion. “A few years ago, at the
request of many employees, the
company created City Paper
Supports, a philanthropic divi-
sion that raises money, awareness
and donates time, clothing, food
and support to those in our com-
munity, our state, our nation and
our world,” she says.
“Homelessness, specifically
women and children who are
homeless, is a cause that I truly
believe in supporting,” she
explains. “I voiced this to our CP
Supports team and this past
December, shortly after
Christmas, our entire team
packed up boxes and boxes of
food, toiletries, clothing and toys
and brought them to Jessie’s
Place women and children’s shel-
ter, where we also served meals.”
She says it was a good feeling for
employees to be able to share
their successes and blessings, plus
a number of promotional prod-
ucts and apparel samples, with
those who needed help. In the
past few years, they have sup-
ported organizations and causes
like Child Aid Africa, Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure,
Jimmie Hale Mission Homeless
Shelter for Men, Jessie’s Place,
the YWCA of Birmingham,
United Way, YouthServe of
Birmingham, The Lupus
Foundation. “Soon we’ll be doing
our very first Habitat for
Humanity [project]. Our execu-
tive team believes that more we
grow, the greater our responsibili-
ty becomes to share our successes
with those who need it most.”
THE EXTRAS THAT COUNT
|
The City
Paper Celebration Committee
showers employees with City
Paper promo items, lunches,
birthday cakes, baby showers and
celebrations to mark anniversaries
and other milestones. The com-
pany also regularly recognizes
employees who go above and
beyond each quarter with the
City Paper Employee of the
Quarter award. “This further con-
tributes to the supportive feeling
that circulates throughout our
company,” says Lasseter. From
chili cook-offs to breast cancer
awareness walks, the team just
genuinely enjoys being together,
she says, adding that everyone in
the company, plus customers and
vendors, are all considered a part
of the City Paper family. “Many
of them have been with us for
decades, which is in itself a testa-
ment to our organization.”
Nominator
Haley Lasseter
(pictured on front row in grey shirt) is proud of the local philanthropic work supported by company
owners
Paul Friedman, Jr.
and
Mark Friedman
(back row, second and third from left) and the City Paper team.