Pizza day, rewards and a team culture helped Santa Ana-based Debtmerica LLC get a spot on the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list.
“The energy here is very positive,” said Lindsay Dage, administrative support for Debtmerica.
“Everyone’s here to help the next person,” she said.
Debtmerica helps people pay off debts and charges a fee when debts are settled.
New Federal Trade Commission rules prohibit upfront fees, a billing practice that was rampant in the debt settlement industry a few years ago.
Debtmerica, founded in 2006, employs more than 20 people and is adding workers.
“Turnover is low because people feel comfortable here,” Dage said. “You don’t get that corporate feel.”
Debtmerica ranked No. 19 in the small-companies category on the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list this week.
The list was compiled for the Business Journal by Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Com-panies Group, an independent workplace researcher that managed the registration process (see Methodology, page 26).
Though small, Debtmerica offers health and dental benefits.
The company also holds regular get-togethers.
One year, the company charted a yacht and cruised Newport Harbor.
Last year, employees headed to the horse races. They took Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and then a shuttle to the Del Mar Racetrack.
Many of the company’s employees also do volunteer work.
Twice a year, around the holidays and in the spring, they’ll do charity work.
They have volunteered for the Santa Ana-based Orangewood Children’s Foundation and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa, among other organizations.
The managing partners—Jesse Torres, chief executive and Harry Langenberg, chief operating officer—set the tone at the workplace.
“They’re in plain site all the time, which earns them respect,” said Jarrod Bassin, sales manager. “It’s hard to not want to match what their work ethic is.”
On top of a base salary, workers are paid commissions to enroll clients and settle debt.
They also get “spiffs”, or rewards, for meeting certain goals.
The company uses various technologies to measure employee performance, starting with the initial client conversation, Langenberg said.
“The good news is we reward more than we penalize,” he said.
The culture of team spirit ultimately serves the customer.
“We’ll hang success stories around our office,” Langenberg said. “We give awards for bringing in great client experiences.”
