Family: Who We Are From The Ground Up

The Devotion of the Demere Family 

While the Demere family is the head of Colonial Group, at its heart are dedicated employees known as the Colonial Family. The company started with an idea from a man who could be best described as an entrepreneur, but the company became what it is today because of a family who cares more about reinvesting in the business than in their own fortunes. Colonial grew to become a company embraced and empowered by over 2,200 fiercely loyal employees, most of whom will attest that there is little delineation between those who carry Demere blood in their veins and those who carry the Colonial bloodline in theirs.

These initiatives support our team in both attracting and retaining the right talent so we can continue to take care of our growing family.

Attracting Talent: Strategic Recruitment Efforts

Colonial understands the importance of connecting with our communities to provide opportunities for individuals to join our team and reach their full potential. We are continually investing in our pipeline to find the next generation of employees to continue our business for the next 100 years and beyond. Throughout the year, we partnered with Woodville-Tompkins Career Academy, Benedictine Military School, Groves High School’s Maritime Program, Savannah Technical College, Savannah State University, and Georgia Southern University introducing students to Colonial’s portfolio of companies and the wide variety of career opportunities available to them.

Additionally, our recruiters attended over 30 career fairs and outreach events this year to ensure job seekers are aware of our current openings and opportunities. 
 

Staying Healthy: Employee Wellness Efforts 

Colonial Group provides a variety of employee wellness programs designed to improve the health and well-being of our employees, including:

• On-site health clinic
• Annual biometric screenings and health risk assessments
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Various on-site wellness events throughout the year to support employee well-being such as flu shots and mammography screenings
• Wellness credit towards insurance premiums
• YMCA gym reimbursement

Our Talent Development team offered six new wellness eLearning modules this year (104 completions) that addressed topics such as:

• Mental Health Month
• Psychological Safety
• The Well-being Mindset

Staying Current: Workplace Resiliency & Identity

Colonial's Talent Development team offered six new eLearning modules this year (69 completions) to include:

• National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Jewish American Heritage Month
• Invisible Disabilities: Recognize Invisible Disabilities

Colonial Chemical Solutions, Colonial Oil Industries, and Colonial Terminals collectively reviewed their Operator roles, which resulted in positive changes to their pay structure and job descriptions:

• Added a level 4 for the operator roles (previously had three)
• Pay grades shifted from H6 to H10 up to H7 to H12
• Revamped the supervisor role to have broader site-related responsibilities.

Talent Management

In May 2023, our team deployed Colonial’s first-ever employee engagement survey to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement. The leadership team reviewed the data collected and created the following action plans:

• Communication: Enhance two-way communications to ensure alignment, acknowledgement of concerns, and effective dissemination of information about the company’s goals and objectives across the organization.
• Accountability: Set clear expectations for roles, support and develop team members to excel in their roles, and be disciplined in ensuring individuals are meeting expectations of their roles.
• Development & Recognition: Acknowledge more frequently our great people and the great work that gets done each day.

Additionally, the Talent Development team offered 68 various eLearning modules to all employees on subjects such as leadership development, self-development, and business acumen. More than 428 employees received an 89% completion rate as they engaged with the content in these modules. As a whole, our company averaged 7.5 module enrollments per learner.

Enmarket Efforts

With nearly 1,300 employees, Enmarket’s retail team accounts for more than half of Colonial’s total employee count. The HR team created a Leadership Fundamentals training for store managers (District Managers, General Managers, and Assistant Managers) that included 10 leadership development eLearning modules. These were assigned to 289 learners with an 89% completion rate.

The leadership team also considered additional ways to remain competitive in the hiring market, conducting compensation surveys and analyses to make an informed decision on store-level pay to be implemented in 2024. Additionally, the team reduced management work schedules from 50 hours a week to 45.

In an effort to strengthen recruiting efforts, Enmarket implemented a new realistic job preview process, providing candidates the opportunity to gain exposure on the job and understand expectations prior to accepting an offer. For current employees, management created a Golden Leaf program to recognize Enmarket stores and employees for outstanding achievement in the areas of customer service, sales, mystery shopper scores, etc. Leadership gave out awards for Top Store, Top Employee, Top QSR Manager, Top General Manager, and Top Kitchen Manager.

Read Chapter Six