Northwestern Mutual named 2023 ‘Coolest of the Cool’ workplace

Since 1904, Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa has been providing Iowans with insurance and financial planning services – making the company somewhat of a relic.

Though “relic” and “cool” are not often found in the same sentence, Northwestern Mutual’s modern approach to company culture has earned it the title of ‘Coolest of the Cool’ in the Corridor Business Journal’s 2023 Coolest Places to Work list.

“I would say that our firm's culture here at Eastern Iowa aligns with Northwestern Mutual's mission of promoting both personal and professional growth for all of our members,” said Kalvin Grabau Keele, managing partner of Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa.

Now a national company, Northwestern Mutual was founded in 1857 in Janesville, Wisconsin. The corporate office was relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1859.

According to Mr. Grabau Keele, the company is owned by its policyholders and has been paying dividends back to those owners every year since 1872.

Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa’s network consists of offices in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Davenport, Dubuque and Waterloo, Iowa. The network employs approximately 262 workers.

Personal and professional growth

Mr. Grabau Keele is a successful example of the company’s mission to promote “personal and professional growth.”

After studying at Iowa State University, the native Iowan completed an internship at Northwestern Mutual in Des Moines in 2005, after which he left to study in Australia for six months. When he returned, he joined the company full-time.

“I was drawn to the challenge of building a business that makes an immediate and positive impact in people's lives,” he said. “I admired the people that I was being mentored by and I really saw a future for myself being with Northwestern Mutual long term. Now 18 years later, still here.”

Mr. Grabau Keele rose to lead the Northwestern Mutual’s team in West Des Moines prior to being named managing partner of Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa, and moving to Cedar Rapids in 2020.

“I think Cedar Rapidians should feel really proud of their community, but also proud of the way that they make people feel whether they're from here (or not)," he said. “Because my family and I moved here and felt very welcomed, and I know that once we felt like we belonged, we wanted to contribute to this community.”

Company culture

This appreciation for a welcoming environment has carried over into how Mr. Grabau Keele leads, and employees have taken notice.

“One of the messages that, as the managing partner, I continuously share is that we are a firm that makes people feel welcomed, safe, and understood,” he said. “Once we understand each other, and we know the priorities and the strategies and tactics of what we're trying to accomplish, there is this sense that we share a common goal. So we have the space to agree, but also disagree, knowing that we're trying to get to the same spot. All of this happens while the individuals in the firm are having fun with each other, having fun with what they do, and have an opportunity to give back to this community that has given so much to us.”

Anonymous surveys submitted by Northwestern Mutual employees proudly touted the company’s culture and their co-workers as the main components making their workplace “cool.”

“It's highly unusual to work for an organization where everyone seems happy, everyone is smiling, everyone is excited to greet you,” wrote an employee, as a response to the survey. “While everyone here takes their jobs seriously and works with integrity and conviction, there is no lack of empathy and understanding for colleagues, clients and community.”

Some pointed to leadership and abundant communication as a source for feeling fulfilled.

“Our culture is a top priority for us, and it can be felt across the entire organization,” wrote another employee. “Our leadership does a great job of communicating overall goals to everyone within the organization and keeping us up to date on progress toward goals. In addition to professional goals, we are also intentional about the fun events that we plan for the office. We have some type of fun event on at least a monthly basis; for example, we just celebrated ‘National Chocolate Ice Cream Day’ and next week we have a group of employees attending Goat Yoga! We seem to have a good balance of professional accountability and wanting to encourage others to do their best, while still making time to have fun along the way."

An emphasis on fun and team building has made several employees feel appreciated. Many called the workforce at Northwestern Mutual a “family.”

“Our organization does a great job of making sure to incorporate fun into our workplace,” wrote one employee in the survey. “They've created a 'Fun Committee' that's always coming up with great and innovative fun ideas that includes everyone and helps build morale and partnerships with others you may not know as well.”

When Northwestern Mutual is looking to hire someone to add to their team, Mr. Grabau Keele said they are not only looking for technical skills.

“We are looking for the experience that they have, but we also consider attributes like empathy and adaptability,” he said. “We want to have alignment on values. So it is a cultural fit.”

Community involvement

Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa encourages its employees to get involved in philanthropic endeavors in their communities. The firm itself sponsors projects and partnerships with several organizations throughout the year.

In 2023, the firm made a new $500,000 promise to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

This new goal was established after Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa funded its $100,000 promise it made to the children’s hospital in 2022. That $100,000 contribution allowed for the creation of two funds – The Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa Pediatric Oncology Research Fund and the Northwestern Mutual Eastern Iowa Pediatric Oncology Nursing Support Fund.

Together the two funds will contribute to the effort to find a cure for pediatric cancers and invest in the people who are providing daily patient care.