Primera’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Matt Dvorak, presented at the 2022 The Great Game of Business Conference. For 30 years, the conference has brought together industry thought leaders from around the world to learn, be inspired, and make connections that empower companies to do business differently by educating, empowering, and engaging everyone on what it takes to win at business.

Primera began playing the game and transitioned to open book management in the Fall of 2019 to coincide with the implementation of our Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). The approach is laid out in the best-selling book The Great Game of Business which introduced the world to an entirely different way of running a company. In simple terms it’s about teaching all employees the basics of running a business, empowering them to think and act like owners, sharing financials in real-time, and giving all employees a stake in the outcome through quarterly profit sharing.

“I’m a huge champion for the Great Game. I really believe that our open book management approach sets us apart in our industry,” Matt explains. “It’s a critical component of our Top Workplace culture. We’re completely transparent with all employees which encourages a different level of trust and engagement,” he continues.

Matt shared the stage with Iain Torrance, the COO of Western-Australia-based Dynapumps, and Ryan Markewich, the Founder of Vancouver-based companies Creative Roots Lanscaping and !RMark Coaching. The trio’s session “We Made Mistakes So You Don’t Have To: Lessons Learned for Ultimate Engagement” shared insights from their 1-,3-, and 13-year experiences practicing open book management. The session was built around the Game’s Ready-Fire-Aim approach – one that fosters a learning environment for all.

The 2022 Great Game of Business Conference took place from September 6th through the 9th in Kansas City, Missouri.