At the beginning of 2002, Ventana received the First Annual Tucson Workplace Excellence Award for a medium sized business. Over 100 companies based in the Greater Tucson area were nominated in the categories of best large, medium sized or small companies to work for. Ventana was selected as the recipient of the award by a panel of judges sponsored by Tucson Newspapers and the Society for Human Resources Management of Greater Tucson (SHRM-GT).

Award recipients must not only epitomize, but be a “cut above the rest” in each category according to Andrea Nuzzo, President of SPHR-GT. She went on to say that “[Ventana’s] commitment to organization-wide communication and values reinforcement, creative rewards and recognition programs for outstanding behaviors such as problem solving and innovation” were key factors in the judges’ decision. The award was presented at a luncheon touted as a celebration of Tucson’s most progressive employers.

Ventana’s management team and its extraordinary strategic planning, execution, and communication capabilities provide an excellent example of how successful companies are run. Goal-setting begins with the Management Team jointly agreeing upon a common set of annual goals and projects tied to our Strategic Business Plan and values, and includes cross-functional, multi-tiered task forces accountable for achieving agreed-upon deliverables, along with published metrics to measure organizational progress. Objectives range from the obvious, financial, customer, strategic growth, to becoming a “Best-In-Class” employer. Strategic goals cascade down the organization, involving functional and cross-functional teams that create linked objectives. Progress to goal measures are consistently tracked and posted on-line and throughout our global locations.

Ventana values, expectations, strategies and company history are shared with all new employees in an in-depth New Hire Orientation program led by all members of our Management Team. Ventana’s CEO personally owns and champions our values, holding his executives and all employees accountable for compliance. For example, he routinely shares his expectations with employees in large and small group forums, using a values-based matrix to emphasize his point.

Employee communication from the Ventana Executive Management Team comes in a variety of forms consisting of: Quarterly All Employee Meetings, where financial performance, business objectives and company strategy are shared; company–wide voicemails/emails on current issues/announcements; and periodic ‘town hall’ meetings with employees to discuss updates, changes and/or to address employee issues. The Ventana Vista (employee newsletter) always includes an informational article by the CEO. These forums allow two-way communication in which employees receive and are encouraged to provide pertinent information.

Yet another of Ventana’s many strengths is our dedication to providing a desirable, flexible and accommodating work environment. Ventana’s HR team has focused on developing innovative reward and recognition programs. Recent initiatives include:

     • A Technical Career Path which provides individual contributors an opportunity for advancement,      eligibility for annual stock option grants and title/salary commensurate with managerial peers up to and      including Corporate Vice-Presidents.

     • A Patent Award program which recognizes the accomplishments of Ventana inventors and      encourages continued innovation to expand Ventana’s intellectual property portfolio.

     • An Outstanding Achievement Grant Award Program that recognizes non-managerial staff in the      areas of cost savings, revenue growth, problem solving, organization/coordination, customer service      and/or innovation. This provides an opportunity for nominated employees to receive stock option      grants and thus obtain an equity stake in Ventana.

     • ‘Be a Ventana Star’ peer recognition program identifies coworkers who have achieved excellence,      gone above and beyond the norm, or demonstrated outstanding performance. Quarterly award      winners are reviewed by the CEO and presented at All Employee Meetings. One annual winner is      chosen and receives a getaway weekend for two.

Ventana currently provides several services aimed at helping employees maintain the work/family/health balance:

     • Employees may take advantage of arrangements for job sharing, telecommuting and flexible hours      based upon position and mutual decision.

     • There is a subsidized, on-site cafeteria service providing breakfast, lunch and catering for special      events. Menu options include heart healthy, grilled and chef’s choice items. Friday’s are “Family Day”      and employees are encouraged to invite their families. To benefit children, highchairs, toys and      disposable bibs are available.

     • On-site lockers and showers allow employees to walk, run or bicycle in the picturesque Oro Valley      area on the way to work and/or during lunch breaks. Bicycle lockers are also supplied to keep      equipment safe.

At Ventana, our corporate mission is to provide innovations in science and medicine to improve the quality of life. We not only strive to improve the quality of life for the patients that are touched by our innovations but also to help improve and balance the lives of each of our employees. Our Human Resources team is dedicated to providing the tools and programs necessary to help Ventana employees maintain the work/family/health balance that is so important to us all. They have a proven track record of successful program implementation and maintenance and are the undisputed champions of Ventana’s Tucson’s First Annual Workplace Excellence Award.