Saskatchewan's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 4
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COCONUT SOFTWARE
SASKATCHEWAN’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Saskatoon-based Coconut Software offers staff direct access to senior leadership, including frequent collaboration with the executive team and CEO.
Small Saskatchewan businesses use personal approach to retain top workers
Companies must be flexible to compete with large organizations and public sector
M
any smaller private sector
companies face a similar
challenge. They hire
promising talent fresh out
of school, develop their
skills and give them the confidence to
succeed, only to see them move on to a
larger company. In Saskatchewan, there’s a
good chance that new employer will be in
the public sector, offering a higher salary,
job security, a pension and other benefits
that a small company simply cannot
match.
What can these smaller businesses do?
The answer is to be innovative. Leverage
their agility to adapt and change. Play to
their strengths. Treat their employees like
family. That is what some of the winning
companies from the Saskatchewan’s Top
Employers (2026) competition suggest.
Melanie Scheepers, senior vice-president of people and culture at Saskatoon-based Coconut Software, says when
it comes to retaining your best people, the
personal touch is important.
“Employees choose us because they
seek an environment where they are not
just a number. They want to feel they
belong, have a direct voice in the business,
and see genuine opportunities for growth
and development.”
Scheepers emphasizes that Coconut
Software’s advantage over large corporations is direct access to senior leadership,
including frequent collaboration with the
executive team and chief executive officer.
The ability to focus on the individual is
one of the reasons why more than 50 per
cent of the 125 staff at Meridian Surveys
have been with the firm for more than 15
years, according to president Lee
Andersen.
“One of our values is people, and I think
our people feel that,” notes Andersen.
“Part of our culture is we want every
person to find success, and for everyone,
the definition of success can be different.
“Our annual performance reviews are
their opportunity to tell us what they want
and where they want to get to,” adds
Andersen, who has been with Meridian
for half of its 60-year history in
Saskatchewan.
Väderstad Industries, a farm equipment manufacturer located in Langbank,
about 200 kilometres east of Regina, uses
regular roundtables to encourage
employee participation in strategic
development and policy-making, including company benefits, training, health and
wellness.
“We have a family culture where we call
each other by our first names, regardless
of our title,” says Cathy Sweet, director of
human resources. The plant draws heavily
from nearby farming communities such as
Whitewood and Moosomin, and that’s
reflected in the company’s culture.
