Outdoor co-op recognized as a top employer every year in the ranking’s history
02.18.2020
SEATTLE – REI Co-op is again recognized as a top employer, ranking 60 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list. REI has been included on the list every year since the annual list debuted in 1998. The honor celebrates the co-op’s nearly 14,000 employees that work every day to connect REI members and customers to the outdoors.
Rankings are determined by employee feedback measured against more than 60 elements of workplace culture including trust in leadership, respect for people and team camaraderie.
“Through awakening and enabling a life–long love of the outdoors, our employees are so passionate about the work we do,” said Raquel Karls, REI senior vice president of human resources. “This passion is what continues to unite us.”
A Great Place to Work
REI is a purpose-led organization dedicated to the long-term health of the outdoors. Every year, REI closes its doors and pays employees to #OptOutside on Black Friday with family and friends. In 2019, REI took the movement a step further, rallying its members and employees to “opt to act” by joining nationwide cleanup efforts and signing up for an employee-sourced 52-week action plan to take small steps to reduce their environmental footprint. To date, REI employees have self-reported that they have cleaned up more than 25,000 pounds of trash from their favorite parks, trails and outdoor spaces.
In addition to expanding its brick-and-mortar locations, REI is also committed to growing its rentals and recommerce business. By continuing to pilot its used gear buy-back program, the co-op is working to extend the life of the products it sells and enable access to quality outdoor gear at a variety of price points. Also in 2019, REI retired its full-price mail-order catalog in favor of Uncommon Path – a print magazine designed to inspire a life outdoors through compelling storytelling.
REI employees bring the co-op’s mission to life by inspiring, educating and outfitting REI members and customers. REI’s combined pay and benefits are among the leaders in the retail industry, and employees enjoy a number of unique perks, including:
- Days off to play outside: Every year, co-op employees receive two “Yay Days,” where they are paid to enjoy their favorite outdoor activity, learn a new skill or help to maintain outdoor spaces through a stewardship project.
- Deals on gear: REI employees enjoy deep discounts on gear and experiences making it easier for them to try new products and build expertise to share with members. REI also provides employees with “adventure grants,” to purchase gear to try something new outdoors.
- Competitive benefits: REI employees receive some of the best benefits in the retail industry. Any employee who averages more than 20 hours per week over one year is eligible for healthcare and retirement benefits.
Join the REI team
As the co-op continues to grow, REI is expanding to new locations and moving its headquarters from Kent, Washington to Bellevue, Washington this year. Across the country, REI is looking to add passionate individuals to its team, including staff for its new stores opening later this year in Kansas, Montana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. REI looks for candidates who embody its values and have a genuine love for the outdoors. Interested candidates can visit http://rei.jobs/.
About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 18?million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and?outstanding customer service. REI has 162 stores in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at? REI.com, REI Outlet or the free? REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI’s active adventure travel company, a global leader that runs more than 250 itineraries across all continents. In every community where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 18?million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and?outstanding customer service. REI has 162 stores in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at? REI.com, REI Outlet or the free? REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI’s active adventure travel company, a global leader that runs more than 250 itineraries across all continents. In every community where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.