Fredericton-Based LuminUltra Wins National Recognition For Benefits Program
FREDERICTON–A Fredericton-headquartered water testing company has earned national accolades for its efforts to help employees strike a healthy work-life balance.
LuminUltra Technologies Ltd. was named one of Canada’s top small and medium employers by Toronto-based HR publisher Mediacorp Canada–and was the sole New Brunswick-based company to receive an award.
“It’s kind of validating all the work we’ve done,” said Christy Bitcon, senior director of human resources and administration. “It showcases some of the things we do internally to make it a really great place to work.”
LuminUltra develops tests and reagents for environmental, industrial, and diagnostic water testing. The company was selected for a robust program of vacation, flex and volunteer time, a target-based bonus program, a retirement-matching plan, and learning opportunities for its employees.
“We’ve got a great team that’s helped us get to this point. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this award without the team; it really celebrates how we’ve grown over the last five or six years. We want to make sure our team can balance their outside interest and personal commitments with their work,” Bitcon said.
Bitcon has been integral in developing LuminUltra’s competitive policies since joining the firm in 2015. These policies, the result of seven years’ worth of work, began with LuminUltra’s bonus program.
“There were other bonus programs prior to that but not based on key performance indicators. So, we implemented a target-based program for all staff, opened up the employee contributions to RRSPs that first year, and were able to add a matching component a couple of years later,” she said.
Bitcon noted that the vacation, flex and volunteer time plans were added three or four years ago and that the company developed the mentorship programming in the last year to ensure the team can grow with the company.
Bitcon said LuminUltra, which employs about 125 people, has grown a great deal in the last two years, hiring for more than 60 full-time positions.
The company is actively looking to hire scientists in research and development and engineers – as well as finance, purchasing and warehouse staff – in New Brunswick, Canada, the United States, and Europe.
LuminUltra was founded in 1995 and operates in six countries, with customers in over 100 nations. In Canada, LuminUltra operates in two Fredericton-based facilities, as well as facilities in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta.
The company has most recently kept busy testing water for the virus that causes Covid-19, and the Legionella virus.
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].