Cardigan

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Cardigan supported me with the ATX HR Meetup. We are an HR meetup in Austin, Texas, backed by a community of HR Professionals and thought leaders, infused with the spirit of Austin, and Powered by Passion—Passion for People, Partnership, Possibility, and Place.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

We wanted to understand from our members why they’re members. We wanted to know what differentiates us. Finding out why they joined would help us set the tone and help meet their expectations, support individuals, teams, companies & our community. We needed key awareness regarding what drives membership.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Harold (CEO & Co-Founder) asked us a number of questions to find clarity in what we needed. We needed to be aligned with our goal. Their team went away and interviewed members of our community. They also interviewed sponsors of our company and people who compete with our community to get different perspectives. We wanted to see if why we started the community, and what we hoped to achieve would match our members’ perspective.

In the end, they circled back and showed us all of the feedback on the trends and research. After the presentation, they went ahead and delivered a proposal. Then they designed brand campaigns for us to make everything come forward.

The branding work included identifying our brand and designing a logo with other assets. We created PowerPoint overviews with different statements from individuals about their passions and connections. We connected those with our community’s values. This work helped us identify our four P’s: passion for people, passion for possibility, passion for place, and passion for partnering. We also ended up with social media work and swag like t-shirts, koozies, and masks.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Harold and Shannon (Co-Founder & COO). We also had a designer that worked in the background but was copied on all of the emails.

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

Their curiosity and enthusiasm made them stand out. I remember Harold sharing ideas from the start. He was so willing to help us because he believed in what we were offering. He also came and spoke at one of our sessions and was so enthusiastic about helping. His passion for what we do and wanting to be a part of helping us stood out.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Cardigan started in March 2019. Harold continues giving his expertise and feedback when needed.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I would say increased membership and brand recognition. We now have over 1,600 members and a logo.

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

They were top-notch. There were one or two occasions where we had to move our meetings, but they were completely transparent and prepared for our meetings. It all felt very seamless working with Cardigan.

Initially, we did only phone calls, but then it transitioned into email. We also had Zoom meetings to review the findings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I thought everything was buttoned-up. Harold helped us define the scope and next steps. They went off and did quick prototypes, giving us enough to make decisions. We had a clear process that made it easy to make critical decisions. We now have tools and assets we didn’t before.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. We were incredibly fortunate to partner with them and drafted our brand and key messages.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a brand and everything upfront isn’t enough. It’s a great starting point but always keep evolving. Always look at ways to grow and change the partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a grocery retail company that’s regionally-based in Texas. I lead the recruiting team for our three divisions: corporate, warehouse transportation, and store operations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

We have a construction and design department that’s world-class in terms of the technology utilized and the designs they created. We wanted an opportunity to tell their story from a visual perspective for passive candidates in the market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us map out what the video would look like, aiming to make it as enticing as possible. We worked together to tell the true story of how our stores, buildings, and restaurants are designed from a constructivist perspective. They weaved company culture elements into the video as well to showcase to candidates that they have the opportunity to be part of the process.

The engagement started with consultancy conversations to determine the correct medium to highlight the opportunity. We landed on video and started brainstorming which employees to feature and different shots they could gather. From there, they collected footage and had leaders speaking on why they joined our company. They outlined their plan with a vision board, traveled to our various locations to collect footage, edited, and produced the video for us.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two of their employees and an external videographer. 

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

Both members of their team were previously employees of our company. There was already a cultural understanding of the business, and we knew that they would really listen to our goals. I was blown away by how quickly they were able to package the project plan. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They completed the entire project in December 2018.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

At the time, we had over 10 positions that we needed to fill for that organization. Using the video, we were able to increase our response rate of passive candidates in the market who might not have noticed us before. Several of our leaders posted the content on their social media platforms, and we received hundreds or even thousands of views on the video in just a few days. People responded well and learned more about our company’s story. We quickly closed positions and accessed a broad audience. 

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

Because they were willing to lean into the work from the start, the process was really expedited. They handled everything and took ownership of the process. We checked in with them regularly and had constant touchpoints. I was grateful to have their expertise and creative eye because they’re experts in their field. They managed the project extremely well. If I had any questions, I could easily reach out over call or text.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They spent time listening to why we wanted to accomplish certain tasks. More than any company I’ve worked with, they strived to see the bigger picture. That allowed them to add their creativity and consultative spirit to the project. They got at the essence of who we were as a company, covering everything from career progression, culture, and daily responsibilities. The content and creativity came together to accomplish everything we were looking to achieve.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything went so smoothly, and our leaders were very happy. I don’t think they could’ve done anything differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring them in to explain the problem and reasoning for the project. Give them exposure to your culture, position in the market, and more. They spoke with our leaders, which was helpful as well. We were also all very glad that we gave them the license to bring their creative ideas to the project. It came out better than we anticipated.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing director for Austin Parks Foundation. We’re a nonprofit organization that fills the funding and resource gap for parks in Austin, Texas. I’m in charge of all of our marketing, graphic design, social media, and our website.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

Cardigan came on as a facilitator for our staff-facilitated retreat to get us on track with goals and our vision for the year.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cardigan came up with a few different activities for us, including the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment. They helped us break out into groups to talk about how our communication comes out in those different personality groups. The team facilitated discussions around how we can work together better by knowing these personality types. 

We have our mission statement, but they helped us create a why statement for the year that explains why we do the work that we do, how we’re all contributing to that, and why these are important to us. We reflected on why these values surfaced from each of our work responsibilities and how to contribute towards the mission.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Harold (CEO) to create an outline for each day and with Shannon (Co-Founder & CCO) who did vision planning as well as health and wellness.

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

I met Harold through Leadership Austin, a professional organization we’re both a part of. We got to talking about some of the services that Cardigan provides, specifically internal communication culture, or culture mapping. At that point, we were looking for a vendor for facilitation, so I asked him to submit a proposal and it was awesome.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2019–February 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We do a lot of staff surveys and we saw a lot of positive feedback regarding the activities and goal outcomes achieved. We come back to those activities each quarter to make sure we’re still on track towards our vision.

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

Cardigan had excellent project management skills. We always heard back from them in a timely manner and they were awesome about following up even after we finished the project to make sure everything was still good to go. They communicated completely over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The scope of their abilities was very impressive. Even though we mainly used them for facilitation, they did a lot of cultural and internal communication building, so it was nice that they had so much experience and breadth of work to be able to back up the facilitation of creating those things even in a one-day session. We definitely got what we paid for out of the facilitation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so; they were wonderful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with what you’re looking for. Cardigan is great about understanding big issues and distilling them down into identifiable goals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the people business partner of AlixPartners. We’re a global management consulting firm. I help oversee about 100 consultants on our team that I help manage and ensure that they’re well-taken care of on a day-to-day basis.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

I hired them for their corporate training services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We participated in a couple of their sessions. However, I’ll highlight one in particular, the mindfulness and executive presence one, for these purposes. Cardigan came out and gave a training for all of our newly promoted consultants who had advanced in their career. It was a two-part session.

The first session was on executive presence where they talked about face-to-face meetings, over-the-phone meetings as well as how to dress, look, and talk the part. The second part of the session was on wellness, mindfulness, and how being present when engaging with people is important. This included discussion about paying attention, putting the phone down, and doing deep breathing.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with two people.

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

I’ve known one of the owners for about 15 years and have followed him throughout his career. When I saw that they had this company, I thought it was a great opportunity to partner on the training.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $15,000 plus travel accommodations.

What is the status of this engagement?

The session was in February 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The session was really good, powerful, and informative. Some of it I had seen before from other presenters so it wasn’t all new information but I really like how they presented it.

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. They hosted a couple of meetings beforehand to understand what I was looking to get out of the sessions. We corresponded often through email and had a prep meeting in advance once they arrived on location.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a wide array of knowledge and expertise. The session was really helpful in terms of what we were looking to get out of training our people on. They were really easy to connect and communicate with.

Are there any areas they could improve?      

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to engage with them, be open and upfront in what you’re looking to accomplish from the meeting. Their advice is really good. It’s important to tailor their advice to your organization. They’re very willing to learn and accommodate your particular needs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former head of talent acquisition and director of recruiting for HEB, a grocery retailer.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

First, we needed help with rebranding our career website and creating a level of interest. We were hiring nationwide for corporate talent, specifically digital talent, as well as for our stores.

Secondly, we needed help with orientation and onboarding. Our biggest challenge was that we needed to figure out how to engage corporate employees that started at the company and get to know what their experience was before starting at the company.

Additionally, we wanted to figure out what kind of orientation would help them understand the business and acclimate to the company culture.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cardigan first conducted research about what the candidates are interested in and created personas. They distilled that research down to the most salient points and then worked to help us totally rebrand our career services platform and build a new website with targeted messaging for each of those personas. The team did R&D, strategy, and copywriting with us.

For the orientation project, Cardigan also conducted research and determined where the gaps were. They helped us identify key project activities and the timeline, and then they created all of the content. We had two different launches of our website, both of which the team helped us with.

What is the team composition?

I worked specifically with Shannon (Co-Founder & CCO) and Harold (Co-Founder & CEO). 

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

I had worked with Shannon and Harold at HEB, years before. I was really impressed with their communication acumen and messaging. We chose them because they had experience working at our company, and they understood our culture.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from about October 2017 to early 2020. The onboarding working started in 2018 and we had it up and running in the summer. The website work went from 2018–2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Cardigan did a good job of creating a plan that would help us understand what our target audience was looking for. We were very confident in the quality of their work, and at the conclusion of the project, we were very happy.

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was world-class. They were focused on delivering the highest quality strategy and research, as well as copy and content. They were easy to work with and my team enjoyed working with them. 

Harold and Shannon were easily able to navigate working with me and the executives at the company right down to the individuals who executed the work. Cardigan was able to make changes quickly, and they were nimble. They also held us accountable when we made decisions.

Additionally, they worked very quickly to help us figure out how to attack our problems, which I appreciated. Cardigan did a really good job of helping us understand the process by explaining it to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was incredibly quick to understand our problem and adjust accordingly. There are some consultants who show up and try to tell you to do things the way they’ve always done them.

Harold and Shannon do an incredible job of trying to understand your organization. They’re sharp and able to tell you what you need. Additionally, they’re incredibly empathetic and understanding. I can’t say enough about how talented they are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we had some questions about how we would do things, but because they were so easy to work with, it was easy for us to make changes and adjustments. They were willing to be true partners throughout the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just do it. They’re incredible and highly talented. Cardigan can help you with a lot of project challenges, and they’re smart, talented professionals. I highly recommend them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an HR consulting firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cardigan?

We had two projects with Cardigan. We already had a corporate identity and branding well-documented, but we wanted to redesign the website to have that all tied together with the look, colors, and layout.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the website, we gave them information and content. They did make recommendations on where things should be placed and what pieces of information could be shortened. Their team took our Joomla site to WordPress, which allows us to manage it internally.

We also hired them to do health & wellness training for us. They created monthly and quarterly content to augment health & wellness programs. That included everything from stress management and strength training to healthy eating during the holidays.

They provided us with interesting content and practical examples. One of Cardigan’s teammates came out to demonstrate strength training exercises and yoga poses. 

What is the team composition?

For each project, we worked with two different people.

How did you come to work with Cardigan?

I’ve known one of the owners and her father for 30 years. Pre-Cardigan, we were using one of the owners to do all of our social media for four to five years. When she started her own business, they were already a known firm for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

For the health & wellness work, we’ve been working with them since 2018. The website redesign took place from January–July 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The team was on time and on budget for both projects.  The website has been live for over a year, and we still receive positive comments and feedback on the site’s redesign. The Health & Wellness program was renewed for a second year.

How did Cardigan perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly responsive. The client is never waiting for an answer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cardigan’s depth of experience makes them stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we continue to use them. They’re fantastic.