Becoming an industry leader is no easy task, as many strategic elements must align for sustained success. For nearly four decades, Tredegar Corporation has focused on operational excellence and innovation to establish themselves as a pacesetter in the industrial manufacturing industry.
One of the essential components of Tredegar’s success is strong business relationships that have led directly to process optimization and growth. For more than 25 years, RSM US LLP has worked closely with Tredegar to provide timely insights, advice and long-term support for the company’s human capital management (HCM) technology and payroll functions.
Of course, a company’s most important resource is its people, and Tredegar is committed to fostering an environment where employees are supported both at work and in their communities.
“They are very caring for their employees,” says Ariana Burgess, Dayforce supervisor at RSM. “They want to get the job done, they want it done correctly and they want to keep everyone happy, from entry-level employees up to higher management. Everyone is in it for the good of the company.”
RSM began working with Tredegar in 1999 to implement a human resources and workforce management technology solution. Over the past two-plus decades, RSM has successfully supported that system and delivered critical insight on Tredegar’s people management processes. As Tredegar has grown and evolved, and as the company has experienced internal turnover, RSM has remained a trusted resource with timely advice and tailored solutions.
“Our long-term relationship with RSM has been invaluable,” says Becky Seckora, Tredegar’s director of payroll and benefits. “We began with a programmer in 1999 when we did our first payroll conversion, and he still supports us. The multiple resources that exist at RSM that can be tapped into, and the trusted relationship that we’ve gained over that long-term period, has enabled us to operate much more securely with what we do.”
When Tredegar Corporation decided to implement a new HCM platform, the company selected Dayforce and initiated an internal implementation project.
However, about 12 months into the implementation, Tredegar determined they needed additional resources internally and externally to make it a success.
“We had been working with RSM on our previous payroll platform and they were working to extract the data, and we had a couple of incredible consultants helping us with that data reconciliation to bring onto the new platform,” says Seckora. “We decided to tap into the RSM consultant group and see if they had a subject matter expert for Dayforce.”
The experienced, Dayforce-certified RSM team was able to step in and provide several critical specialists for Tredegar’s Dayforce implementation, including a project manager, consultants with deep Dayforce implementation and integration experience, and professionals who could train end users on the new system. Seckora shared that because of RSM’s support and the resulting efficiencies, Tredegar ultimately saved nearly $500,000 and finished the implementation process on time.
Seckora feels that the RSM team was a key component of the project’s success. “If I had not had RSM by my side, we would not have been successful in the time frame we needed to meet,” she says. “I feel very strongly about that. The addition of RSM and adding the project management consultant into the mix turned things around, so we knew we could see the light at the end of the tunnel and be successful.”
If I had not had RSM by my side, we would not have been successful in the time frame we needed to meet. The addition of RSM and adding the project management consultant into the mix turned things around, so we knew we could see the light at the end of the tunnel and be successful.
Since the Dayforce implementation, Tredegar has continued to work with RSM for ongoing managed services and system administration support. Because of the long-standing relationship between the two companies, strong continuity has been established within data management and decision making, along with a deep understanding of business processes and goals. This knowledge helps to guide the usage and performance of the Dayforce system moving forward.
The RSM team has been key in optimizing Tredegar’s Dayforce investment, initiating several integral changes and adjustments to support the business. For example, RSM has made changes to pay periods for groups and locations, provided guidance and system configuration support for benefits open enrollment, and provided support for year-end compliance demands.
“RSM’s continued support has been phenomenal,” says Chris Westphalen, Tredegar’s payroll coordinator. “RSM consultants are always there for us as far as what needs to be done and helping us behind the scenes to get Dayforce updated. Because RSM knows our company and knows our culture and how everything is organized, they understand from the get-go what we are trying to accomplish.”
In recent years, the RSM team has provided essential payroll support for Tredegar, giving the company confidence in their payroll processes amid frequently changing employee expectations and regulatory demands. Both Tredegar and the RSM team understand the importance of efficient and accurate payroll solutions and their influence on employee morale.
“If someone is being paid wrong, then that’s affecting the employee’s morale, and that can spread very quickly,” says Burgess. “So, you definitely want to get on top of that and make sure you’re handling things very quickly. And everyone at RSM is very into helping the client and making sure everything goes smoothly.”
To proactively align payroll with emerging employee expectations, Tredegar recently migrated to a self-service payroll strategy, guided by RSM. The new approach gives employees more access to and control over their data online, with new capabilities such as downloading paychecks and year-end tax forms and efficiently updating personal information, banking information and emergency contacts.
“[The Tredegar team is] very motivated to figure things out and they want to do things for themselves, but they want to make sure they are doing things the correct way or the most efficient way,” says Burgess. “That’s when they look to us, and then we get together and figure out their problem and the best way to handle it.”
They support the corporate management decisions all the way down to the employee level. Having RSM in the background—they’re the base and the structure that keeps us firm and confident in what we are doing, and it enables my team to learn new things.
Despite being a large organization, Tredegar has established a family feel with an emphasis on employee satisfaction. That environment is strengthened by RSM’s payroll and HCM technology insights as well as support and ongoing optimization of the Dayforce platform. With such a strong working relationship between the two companies, people processes are proactively adapted to create an effective employee experience, directly translating to continued growth and success.
“They have been with us, they have worked with us, they know what our needs are,” says Seckora. “They support the corporate management decisions all the way down to the employee level. Having RSM in the background—they’re the base and the structure that keeps us firm and confident in what we are doing, and it enables my team to learn new things.”
