O.C. Tanner (company)

O.C. Tanner Company is an employee recognition company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company maintains offices in Canada, England, Singapore, Australia, and India, and is one of the largest manufacturers of retail and corporate awards in the United States. The company made the medals for the 2002, U.S.-hosted Winter Olympics.

O.C. Tanner
IndustryEmployee Recognition
FateExtant
Founded1927 (1927) in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
FounderObert C. Tanner
Headquarters
Salt Lake City
,
United States
Area served
International
Key people
Carolyn Tanner Irish, Chairwoman of the Board Dave Peterson, President & CEO
Number of employees
1600
Websiteoctanner.com

History

O.C. Tanner was founded by Obert C. Tanner in 1927. The company started off by selling class rings and pins to high school and college graduates.

In 1981, the company benefited directly from an addition in the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which increased the tax deduction on employee recognition awards.[1] These benefits were still in place as of 2018.[2]

In preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics, O.C. Tanner was commissioned by the United States Olympic Committee to create the medals for the winning athletes in each event.[3][4]

The OC Tanner retail jewelry store in downtown Salt Lake City

In 2003, O.C. Tanner acquired the Hansen Planetarium building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the building was previously used as the Salt Lake city library until the 1960s, when it was renovated to become Hansen Planetarium. Following the purchase, O.C. Tanner renovated the building to serve as a new company main jewelry store. The new store opened in 2009.[5]

In 2014, O.C. Tanner announced Tanner Labs, a new research and development arm of the company. The company intended to increase software innovation in the company workforce.[6] O.C. Tanner switched focus from a manufacturing company to a software company providing clients with recognition software for their employees. O.C. Tanner was an early innovator in the recognition software space, and is seen as a major player.[7]

In April 2019, O.C. Tanner annouched india-based employee recognition company Kwench Global Technologies Pvt Ltdwas acquired to combine the global footprint of O.C.Tannerand the software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology platforms of Kwench to enhance value to the small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide[8]. The acquisition led to the rebranding of the Kwench business to Thanks[9]. The domain "Thanks.com" was first registered by O.C. Tanner in 1998 with the domain registrar WHOIS.Thanksis now a business and brand of O.C. Tanner operating out of the global headquarters of O.C. Tanner, but has expanded the brand globally to North America, United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and maintains a large presence in India[10].

In May 2019, O.C. Tanner designed a copper spike replica of the original Golden spike ceremonially driven at the joining of the First Transcontinental Railroad. This was in conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebration of the joining held at Golden Spike National Historical Park. Following the ceremonies, the spike was placed on display in the Utah State Capitol.[11]

Obert Tanner remained actively involved with the company until his death in 1993. His daughter, Carolyn Tanner Irish, is the current chairperson of the board.

Philanthropy

Since the 2000 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, O.C. Tanner has donated gold rings to athletes and support staff for the US Olympic and Paralympic teams.[4]

O.C. Tanner annually sponsors the O.C. Tanner Gift of Music, a series of free concerts held in conjunction with the Utah Symphony and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. These concerts were initiated by Obert Tanner and Gordon B. Hinckley, future president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the 1970s as a way to give back to the community.[12] These concerts are held on Temple Square in Salt Lake City and feature the Utah Symphony, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and various vocal artists over the years.

During the coronavirus pandemic, O.C. Tanner converted part of its manufacturing capacity to make personal protective equipment for medical personnel.[13]

gollark: `#define null void`, QED.
gollark: 99 cents a pen? How ridiculous.
gollark: If you set up an account your money can be invested in this.
gollark: Well, gender is actually gaseous and can spread across borders easily. They're calling for hermetic seals across borders to prevent this.
gollark: The opinions of "Jesus", current occupant of Site 2-Alpha's containment cells, are not relevant.

References
  1. Shanker, Thomas. "OTHER BUSINESS; FLATTER DEDUCTION FOR THE GOLD WATCH HANDSHAKE". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. Miller, Stephen. "Achievement Awards Still Deductible—Within Limits—Under Tax Act". shrm.org. SHRM. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  3. Jensen, Derek. "Medal security so tight 007 couldn't crack i". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  4. Nico, Lisa. "Salt Lake-based O.C. Tanner donates Olympic rings". kutv.com. KUTV. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  5. Wadley, Carma. "O.C. Tanner: A gem of a building". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  6. "O.C. Tanner introduces new think-tank called Tanner Labs". abc4.com. ABC4. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  7. "Global Employee Recognition and Engagement | O.C. Tanner". O.C. Tanner - Appreciate Great Work. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  8. "O.C. Tanner Acquires India-based Employee Recognition Company Kwench". O.C. Tanner - Appreciate Great Work. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  9. "Thanks - Employee recognition made fast, easy, and simple". O.C. Tanner - Appreciate Great Work. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  10. "Request information about Thanks | Thanks". www.thanks.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  11. Williams, Carter. "Utah unveils new copper spike for 150th anniversary of transcontinental railroad". ksl.com. KSL. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  12. Lloyd, R. Scott. "Tabernacle performance: Musical offering to community". thechurchnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  13. Raymond, Art (2 April 2020). "From high-end jewelry to high-demand medical gear: O.C. Tanner revamps to help fight COVID-19". Deseret News. Retrieved 17 April 2020.

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