Always Going for “Extra”

Aerial photo of Prepare for Success event at ProVia's Strasburg facility

Early in the history of ProVia our founders shared an appreciation for the concept of “lagniappe” (pronounced lon yop or lan yap), which means “something given as a bonus, or extra gift.” This was one of our driving forces when serving customers, employees and our community, “to give what we have agreed to, and more, but never less.” Through the years this has become an important part of our company culture, and infiltrates many of the things we do.

A Way of Life

This sensibility is right at home at our headquarters in Ohio’s Amish country, where “giving more” is a way of life. For instance, when meals are shared together (such as at our monthly ProVia Values company meetings), this typically involves a bountiful spread of food offerings. It’s a time-honored tradition to fuel ourselves well to meet the demands of the day.

ProVia employees line up for breakfast at a monthly corporate event.
Breakfast is Served: Employees line up for a hearty breakfast at one of our monthly ProVia Values meetings.
Charcuterie board at ProVia company Christmas event.
Just for Starters: A bountiful charcuterie board at one of ProVia’s annual Christmas banquets.

Enhancing Customer Service

As an example of serving customers, last year our Customer Experience team rolled out a specialization program where our Service representatives are dedicated exclusively to assigned product categories, to deepen expertise and enhance the level of service customers are receiving from ProVia. We build our teams based on product knowledge (doors, windows, siding, stone, or roofing) then further categorize the door and window team members based on three stages of an order. This program is designed to not only enhance our service offerings but also to increase efficiencies.

A ProVia customer service representative looks at her computer while on the phone with a customer
Customer Service Specialization: Providing ProVia customers with access to highly-experienced professionals with deep levels of product expertise.
A ProVia customer service representative smiles as he talks on the phone with a customer
Service with a Smile: A hallmark of ProVia customer service.

Serving Community

One example of serving our community is an annual program called Prepare for Success. During back-to-school season we give away backpacks filled with school supplies, hygiene items, headphones and more to make sure each student has what they need to be prepared for the upcoming school year. We also celebrate the day with fun activities, games, and refreshments. As you can see in the photos, this has become a popular event.

Aerial photo of Prepare for Success event at ProVia's Strasburg facility
Prepare for Success: Students and families line up to participate in ProVia’s annual giveaway of needed back-to-school items.
Free backpacks stuffed with school supplies line the lunchroom at ProVia at annual Prepare for Success event
Backpacks filled with school supplies, ready for pickup by local students at ProVia’s annual Prepare for Success event.

Special Extras

When it comes to employees, we offer special “extras” such as the Family Day we recently held at the end of July. For this event we invite all ProVia employees and their families, which is defined as everyone that lives in their household. This year we offered two choices: a Cleveland Guardians baseball game or a trip to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and we had roughly 1,200 people attending each of these events. We’ve had such a great response to this over the years, and it just keeps growing.

A Culture of Giving More

All of these things provide just a few snapshots of daily life here at ProVia, what we stand for, and the culture of “giving more” that drives our actions. I’m grateful to our founders for setting this aspiration in motion, and to our leadership team for supporting this on behalf of all those we serve.

Last Updated: September 5, 2023

Joe Klink

By Joe Klink

Executive Director of Corporate Engagement

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