SIH received this award by providing an employee-centered environment where people feel valued for who they are and what they do. This is not an award you buy; it's one you earn.

We're talking about people in their 30s wanting to take a sabbatical and see the world, go back to school, fix up a house or have a baby. The attraction that 401(k) accounts will have for people who can't touch them until they're in their 60s won't be as strong as the attraction of an employer participation program where employees can access those funds earlier in their lives. They'll want to make some of their dreams come true earlier rather than later.

It's all about the level-and sincerity of employee appreciation. Workers who feel taken for granted will not stick around when they have other choices.

Engagement is an emotional issue. If workers are not appreciated by their superiors and co-workers, the emotional bonds holding them to the employer weaken. They become much more receptive to other employment opportunities where they will be valued.

People have to recognize that the arts are a major industry and need to be at the table for the recovery plan, ... There is no way for these local economies to recover unless we invest in the cultural life. Culture was Louisiana's second-biggest economy, right after oil. These organizations have suffered enormous losses.

That environment down there has forced people to get very ingenious.