Other, less formal workplace initiatives include an in-house
recreation committee that plans parties everymonth, and a beach
club that has access to a condominium inCocoa Beach, Fla. Also,
tie-dye T-shirts are what Plympton labels as the Optimax
“corporate uniform,” further tying into a leadership mindset that
insists on effort, but recognizes performance and welcomes
individuality.
“It embodies the culture and the attitude here that it’s not about
how you dress, it’s about what you can do and the value you can
bring. Everyone has natural talent. People that are in positions to
leverage their talents will be superstars, sowe really try to focus on
alignment andpositive attitude.”
Optimax was one of 10 mid-sized companies – those employing
between 125 and 399 – recognized by Rochester’s Democrat &
Chronicle newspaper in its 2014 listing of the region’s top
workplaces.
Survey feedback included phrases like “I am allowed to make
suggestions and carry out improvements” and “Outside training directly related to the products I
make,” the latter of which speaks directly to a policy enacted to make sure the company’s staff
stays on the cutting edge.
The creative spark that led to the founding of Optimax first appeared in the late 1980s, when a
group of workers at Kodak – which was then Rochester’s largest employer – were searching for a
method that would enable them to more quickly produce prototype optics. They did it,
Plympton said, with a combinationof innovative computer-controlled technology and attitude.
The founders ultimately began coming up with those technological building blocks while
May 2014
| BusinessWorld | 179
