Case Study: Russell achieves top-talent attraction and higher employee engagement with Kudos

Russell Builds on People-First Strategy to Stand Out in Construction

Russell, a 250–500 employee construction and development firm with offices in Davenport, St. Louis and Olathe, faced the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent while keeping field and office teams connected as it pursues aggressive growth (aiming to double by 2025). To support its people-first strategy, Russell enlisted Kudos and its Recognition + Rewards program (a Kudos client since 2019) to embed peer-to-peer recognition into onboarding and daily workflow.

Using the Kudos platform and mobile app, Russell built a values-driven, non-hierarchical recognition program accessible to everyone—from the CEO to new hires—which reinforced development and safety behaviors. The result: broad adoption across the company, approximately 78% of employees reporting weekly recognition, over 80 new hires in 2021, continued high-performance delivery (more than $3 billion in projects across 33 states) and reinforced safety achievements; Kudos played a central role in driving this measurable cultural and engagement impact.

Russell

Jill Niebuhr

Talent Acquisition Manager