Canyon Coolers manufactures ultra-durable, high-performance coolers and ice chests for extreme adventures. Since 2011, this grassroots garage operation in Flagstaff has grown from making coolers for Grand Canyon river trips to stocking the shelves of 500 brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
Offering group benefits is a meaningful way Canyon Coolers has been able to give back to its employees. With the support of our team, their employees have them! Anthony Ward, the COO of Canyon Coolers, was kind enough to share his experience working with us to provide his team with benefits.
Let's Get to Know Anthony
What do you do for fun?
I probably lose about half my weekends in the year to hitting up Snowbowl and other ski resorts. In the summer, we enjoy hiking around Flagstaff, getting up to the different national parks around us, and camping.
What about work is fun?
I love developing new products and working with the team to troubleshoot the different problems that come up with being a growing company. But I would say some of the more exciting things is a new product development. We just released a new line of coolers in July that has been pretty exciting for us.
Whether professionally or personally, what is one thing you’re proud of that happened in the last 3 months?
Our new Outfitter Series coolers range from 22 quarts to 125 quarts, with a total of five different models in the lineup. They have been completely redesigned, allowing us to double down on the features our customers loved while also introducing several new improvements and upgrades. It’s been a long time coming, and seeing the launch is incredibly exciting.
What advice would you give yourself at age 18?
If I could give my 18-year-old self some advice, it would be to step away a bit from the traditional focus on book smarts and dive into the more practical aspects of business and design earlier. There's so much you learn in the industry that isn't covered in school, and getting that real-world exposure sooner would have been invaluable.
What’s your favorite season in Flag, and why?
Winter. I love the snow because I like skiing!
Learn More About Canyon Coolers
How long have you been in business?
13 years now. We started in 2011.
How many employees do you have?
Nine full-time employees.
What benefits do you currently offer to your employees?
Medical, retirement, long and short-term disability, dental, and vision.
The Value of Offering Benefits to Your Team
Why is it important to you to be able to offer benefits to your employees?
We're a small team, so our culture is incredibly important and we care a lot about each other. We believe that taking care of our employees goes beyond salary. It's not just about compensation; it's about providing security and peace of mind. Plus, it’s important to offer benefits to stay competitive in the job market.
What was the greatest challenge of being able to offer benefits to your team?
Outside of cost, probably the biggest thing is the extremely overwhelming amount of options with healthcare. It can be hard to try and find the one that's best suited for your team. That was something that made us really appreciate working with Benefit & Financial Strategies because Veronica made it super easy to go through the different options and make sure that we were able to take care of our employees and our business.
What do you love about working with Benefit & Financial Strategies?
The team is great over there! We work with Veronica, and she was really thorough in getting our information and working with our timelines. As far as setting up healthcare, you can tell that she pays a lot of attention to our account and our input. It was really easy to find a plan that we felt good about and worked well for our company and employees.
Interested in Group Benefits for Your Business or Organization?
Get in touch with Benefit & Financial Strategies today to learn more about how we can help you provide group benefits for your employees!
Statements provided herein are from current clients, which may not be representative of the experience of all clients, individuals are not compensated for providing testimonials.