Every other day of the year, employees at TriFactor — a material handling solutions company located in Lakeland, Florida — spend most of their time designing conveyor lines and other industrial processes for their clients.
But today isn’t like every other day of the year. Today is St. Patrick’s Day.
And at TriFactor, that means it’s a day dedicated to fun.
JJ Phelan is the chief operating officer of TriFactor. But on St. Patrick’s Day, he’s also the unofficial “Chief Fun Officer.”
As soon as employees start arriving at the facility, they are welcomed by the smell of Phelan cooking up shamrock-shaped pancakes that he serves to his workers in the company’s commissary.
When this non-traditional Irish breakfast is finished, workers scramble to search for four-leaf clovers that have been hidden throughout the facility, each of which can be redeemed for a special prize.
“This has gotten so popular that we don’t even need to make an announcement anymore,” Phelan said. “Employees come into the building looking for them!”
The St. Patrick’s Day celebration is just one of the ways the company rewards its employees for working hard all year round, according to Phelan’s wife, Ilene.
“Everyone here at TriFactor … works very hard every day, so we take advantage of every opportunity to play hard as well,” she said. “We have amassed lots of traditions around here, and most involve fun and food!”