Madison, Wisc., October 25, 2017 The Star of Madison Awards is the city’s most popular voting contest that recognizes Madison’s most valued people, places and things. Every year, winners are determined by all votes cast in Dane County communities and beyond.

After winning all eligible Star of Madison awards for the 8th year in a row, Nonn’s CEO Adam Nonn discusses what it means to be Madison’s favorite place for home-interior projects:

This is the 8th year in a row that the city of Madison has voted Nonn’s number one in all eligible categories. What does it mean to receive this kind of recognition from your community?
“We couldn’t be prouder. These awards just show that people truly appreciate what we do. And that means the world to us.”

The Star of Madison awards are some of the most meaningful awards to win, as they are community-driven. Apart from the award-winning services you provide, how else is Nonn’s active in the community?
“Well, we have a really great program called “Nonn’s Cares” that incentivizes our employees to volunteer for charities and non-profits. Just this past spring we ran a food drive that raised $2,000 and over 1,400 lbs. of food for food shelters. Also, our flooring team recently went over to the Wisconsin offices of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and installed new carpeting. So we try to stay active year-round, one way or another.”

Are the Star of Madison awards something you actively strive for, or are they just a happy coincidence that comes from providing such great service?
“Honestly, they’re just a happy coincidence. Don’t get me wrong, we’re extremely proud to win, but we just try to do right by our customers. And that seems to do the trick.”

What are the types of core values that you as a CEO try to instill in your employees? What inspires them to provide such award-worthy customer service year after year?
“As a CEO, I have five core values that I try to ingrain in each of our team members. Passion, positivity, usefulness, integrity, and leadership. If you’re passionate, positive, and provide people with useful solutions, there’s just no way you can go wrong. And it’s clear that our team is doing a phenomenal job at upholding those values.”

Despite having received Star of Madison Awards the past 8 years, Nonn’s has seen a lot of success over the past few years specifically. What do you see as the contributing factors for your recent success?
“I think it’s our continued investment in the company, customers, and the community. For example: As a company, we made the sustainable decision to install solar panels on our Middleton location, which reduces our carbon footprint by around 80%. We also hosted a “Summertime Soirée” at our newest location in Waukesha, which was a fun appreciation event for our Nonn’s Insiders. And we’re also very active with Habitat For Humanity by donating products to the local ReStore. We’ve been named their “Donor of the Month” a few times this year—we try to help out as often as we can. In the end I think it’s finding that balance of investing both time and money in those three areas.”

Having won 4 different Star of Madison Awards in the category of retail means that Nonn’s provides a lot of different services to a lot of people. How are you able to maintain that level of quality in all four categories at once? How have you been able to achieve consistency over the last 8 years?
“Well, we try to create a similar experience for everyone who walks through the door, regardless of what they’re looking for. We really just try and show our customers that we care. It’s really a team effort.”

Looking past this year’s awards, what are some of the things that Nonn’s will be doing to keep the quality consistent? How will you keep your reputation as Madison’s favorite place for home improvement projects?
“I think the most important thing will be to stay true to who we are. To keep offering big box prices and boutique selections; to keep showing our customers that we truly care; and to continue to invest in our organization and our community. If we can do that, then I’ll consider Nonn’s a success.”