Martha Kimura goes on the road every other year, touring.
Her audience: Employees of the far flung Akron-headquartered ACRT Inc., a company that helps utilities manage the vegetation near power lines.
Kimura is the benefits specialist with ACRT, and a primary part of her job is to meet with employees during benefit enrollment periods to discuss “what’s changing, what’s staying the same ... what do they need ... It’s always good to touch base with our employees.”
The company has hundreds of foresters — who consult with the utilities — in the field. That means sometimes the meetings “are literally me and a bunch of guys in an Applebee’s parking lot.”
The employee-owned company has about 500 staffers nationwide.
Kimura joined other human resources professionals this fall who were recognized at the 2013 HR Awards for Northeast Ohio. She was the Compensation & Benefits winner. The awards are presented annually by ERC (Employers Resource Council), a Northeast Ohio membership organization that provides HR services to employers, and the Cleveland Society for Human Resource Management, a professional group.
Kimura, who lives in West Akron, joined ACRT in 2008, was recognized for working with ACRT executives and an outside broker to map out benefit offerings, administer the benefits and coordinate wellness activities, among other tasks.
Her efforts in helping to organize an employee honors program and a survey of employees were noted. The honors program brings employees outside Akron to the area to meet with executives and learn about the company’s history and mission. “When they go back to the workplace, they can share our message with their coworkers,” she said.
The survey is anonymous; employees are asked about work satisfaction, among other issues. Kimura was thrilled that 85 percent of employees participated in the last survey. “We have a very engaged workforce,” she said, explaining that a 60 percent response rate is considered high. Kimura noted that many employees are out in the field and “have to make a special effort to get in front of a computer and fill out the survey.”
Kimura, a native of Cleveland, previously worked in human resources at an area company that helped other businesses with their shipping.
Prior to that, she worked in payroll duties for the nonprofit Jewish Family Services in Beachwood, with 600-plus employees. She also worked in HR at Beech Brook, a nonprofit behavioral health agency in the Cleveland area that serves children, teens and families.
She started in HR at a drugstore chain in New York City. “A job opened up in human resources. I knew nothing about human resources, but they gave me a chance and I loved it,” she said.
“It’s a heady thing being able to help people with benefits. I have an effect on people in my role in HR. The business decisions that I make have a good effect on people.”
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.