PEABODY — Peabody-based Christianbook has gained a reputation as one of the best places to work in the state.
COO Kevin Hendrickson, son of CEO and President Ray Hendrickson, says Christianbook is all about its employees.
“Treating our people right is the most important thing we do,” he said. “They are what keeps you coming back every day. We have a job to do and it’s important we do it, but it’s as important that we enjoy doing it. It all starts with my dad and his motto, ‘One boat; one team together.’ With that we know we can count on our people to pitch in whenever we need them to.”
You name it, Christianbook sells it, from books and videos to home-schooling and Bible-study supplies, school supplies and, of course, its top-seller — Bibles. Believe it or not, Christianbook offers nearly 5,000 different Bibles for sale.
The retailer sells primarily directly to consumers. Located in a 370,000-square-foot building on Summit Street, Christianbook, founded in 1978, employs close to 600 people and also mails millions of catalogues a year.
The company got its start in the basement of Ray’s childhood home on Allston Street in Lynn.
“I never thought it would be what it is today,” said Ray, adding the company has grown to be the largest distributor of home-schooling products in the U.S.
“Homeschool is a very busy area now,” he said. “People want to send kids to school, but they are in different modes of thinking about safety. That’s pushing more people to homeschooling.”
Hendrickson said the company shut down in-person operations for six weeks when the pandemic hit, but business has been brisk since reopening.
“Business has increased significantly and we are seeing very high demand. People are seeking out deeper meaning, norms have been challenged or turned off, and people don’t want to be out there in retail brick-and-mortar-type places.”
Ray said he still honors the values he learned from the company’s humble beginnings.
“We started as a small, family-run company and still have those values today. Even with as many employees that we have, we try to run it as a small family business. We try to make them feel appreciated in everything we do.”
The company has staff appreciation weeks and birthday months. Because about half of its employees now work from home, the company mailed hundreds of special boxes to them containing an assortment of gift cards and other items.
“I don’t know if we really pulled it off perfectly, but we think it’s important to try to do the little things to make people feel appreciated,” Hendrickson said.
The company also does some big things for longtime employees. Those with 25 years under their belts receive 25 straight days off, $2,500 in cash and two round-trip tickets to anyplace in the United States or Caribbean.
“We started 15 years ago when people started to hit 25 years,” Hendrickson said. “Now we have people approaching 40 years, so the plan is for them will be four weeks off with pay, a $4,000 bonus and four round-trip tickets.”
Kevin, a 2008 graduate of Wesleyan College, said he has vivid memories of going to work with his father as a kid.
“I grew up running down these halls. Now, I have my father’s old office and my conference room is where I used to do my homework,” he said, adding that he never really felt any pressure as the boss’s kid.
“I was 25 or 26 coming into this role, and maybe folks who didn’t know me had those thoughts about being the boss’s kid, but, because I spent so much time here as a kid, I knew a lot of employees, so that helped,” he said, adding he learned from the ground up after working in every department during his first six months on the job.
“Dad is behind all of our success. I’m on a great team alongside him,” Kevin said. “His fingerprints are on everything we do. He coached me up, brought me along, and our father/son trust goes a long way.”
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
