Case Study: SkyWest Airlines achieves a culture of recognition and meaningful milestone celebrations with O.C. Tanner

SkyWest Airlines - Customer Case Study

SkyWest Inc., the St. George, Utah–based airline that grew from three planes and 20 employees to a fleet of about 693 planes and 20,000 employees, faced the challenge of celebrating CEO Jerry Atkin’s 40-year tenure in a way that honored his leadership without making the event solely about him. Leadership wanted the milestone to reinforce SkyWest’s team-focused culture and recognize the many people and moments that built the company.

Working with recognition partner O.C. Tanner (a relationship in place since 2004), SkyWest created personalized presentations, commemorative postcards highlighting company milestones and Atkin’s sayings, a career achievement award and handcrafted belt buckle, and introduced Yearbook to deepen meaning. The employee-driven celebration — with notes, team involvement and shared stories — strengthened connections, reinforced a “we’re all in this together” culture, and made the milestone feel both humbling and broadly celebratory across the company.

SkyWest Airlines

Jerry Atkin

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer