Creating a Vibrant Culture with Premier Nutrition

We write about the topic of culture a lot. We believe a vibrant culture provides a collaborative environment for brands to thrive. Your brand is the single most important asset to differentiate you from your competitors consistently over time. It needs to be nurtured, evolved and invigorated by the people entrusted to keep it true and alive. Without a functional and relevant culture, the money invested in research and development, product differentiation, marketing and human resources is never truly maximized and is often wasted because it’s not fueled by a sustaining and functional culture.

In our conversation with Darcy Horn Davenport, President of Premier Nutrition Corporation (PNC) we discussed the results of our recent brand positioning work together.

At PNC, culture is a big deal. When you walk in the door you can instantly feel the good energy, the positivity and the passion their people emulate. Everyone at PNC is all-in. Their culture is built on four values that are the foundation the company sits on and the behavior that Darcy and her executive leadership team model.

1) The PNC team are builders. They challenge the status quo and are constantly thinking about what’s next and how to do it better.

2) They are champions of positive nutrition. They encourage and support an active and healthy life for their customers and themselves.

3) They are better together. They value each member of the team and know that success is only achievable through the team’s collective efforts.

4) They ring the bell. The PNC office has a cow bell that’s used to celebrate the small victories as well as the big wins.

To further strengthen these cultural tenets and inspire the PNC employees, Bulldog helped develop the PNC Builder Workshop Series. Each quarter, a thought leader is invited to the PNC office to lead a presentation and immersive session on an aspect of leadership and building a business or a brand. Neil Grimmer, Co-Founder of Plum Organics, talked about how he has been a “builder” in his successful career. And, Lucy Postins from The Honest Kitchen recently shared her experiences as an “accidental entrepreneur” and her relentless pursuit of positive pet nutrition. 

The idea behind this workshop series is to learn from others, give PNC employees a break from their day-to-day work and spark insight into how one can view work differently and make an impact on the world. The workshops have been very successful and have inspired countless PNC employees to approach their lives differently inside and outside of the office.

As part of our branding work together, PNC launched ‘The Year of Good Energy’, which includes specific programs that support the company’s purpose of Bringing Good Energy to the World. Most of PNC’s employees are very passionate about philanthropy and Darcy wanted to foster a company culture that gives back to the communities where she and her team live, work and play—and from this The Good Energy Give Back Program was born. PNC holds regular give back days, in which employees donate a half-day to give back to a local Bay Area charity or cause together, as a company. This summer, the entire PNC team went to Emerson Elementary School in Oakland to revamp the school’s entire outdoor space. In addition, PNC has a Volunteer Grants Program that provides a monetary incentive for PNC employees to volunteer and an annual PNC company donation made to a charity of choice voted on by all PNC employees.

Before working with Bulldog, PNC was already managing an amazing portfolio of healthy products and operating with good energy. They just needed a little help to bring this guiding principle to life—and that’s where Bulldog stepped in. PNC has always been a motivated team, but now they’re inspired around a common purpose from which their company culture is building and growing.