Doing it right, doing it twice: Dragon Edge Group gets Best Place to Work winning streak

Dragon Edge Group (DEG), the company behind the popular Beach Hut Sunscreen and Cycles Laundry Detergent, once again received the Best Place to Work award for the second year in a row, recognizing its excellence in the workplace, making it one of the top companies in the Philippines.

This recognition by the world-renowned Best Places to Work, in partnership with Best Companies Group, honors companies with the highest standards of excellence in human resource (HR) practices and employee experience. The organization assesses employee culture and treatment in companies around the world, factoring in employee conditions, compensation and benefits, motivation, relationship, training, well-being, career development, leadership, and culture.

“We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to serve our customers and work alongside amazing teams. This award belongs to the DEGsters, who are passionate, hardworking individuals committed to our mission in spreading joy, excellence, and positivity through our products,” says Dennis Balajadia, Dragon Edge Group Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.

The back-to-back win is a testament of DEG’s commitment to excellence and sustaining a positive employee culture, which is beneficial to creating remarkable brands and products.

Dragon Edge Group’s fearless husband-and-wife founders Emily and Dennis Balajadia receive their second Best Place to Work award from Yones Candra, Best Places to Work Customer Success Manager.

Excellence in leadership and employee culture

Since 2005, Dragon Edge Group has been creating remarkable brands that bring more joy to people’s lives. Behind the company’s success is a passionate team led by equally passionate leaders that ensures only the best-quality products reach stores and our homes.

Beyond its products for customers, DEG also fosters a positive work environment and unique company culture that encourages new ideas and innovative thinking among employees. This has become a cornerstone of success within the company as DEG employees and leadership, also known as “DEGsters,” As a result, “DEGsters” develop their creativity and grow their potential in line with their core values to work with integrity and excellence, practice tamang diskarte and making sure things are done on time, take care of customers, and to be humble.

DEG provides leadership programs and initiatives for employees, where they can support the growth of employees to become strong leaders in the company. DEGsters are also given the chance to get their Master’s degrees from prestigious universities, like Ateneo Graduate School of Business and Wharton School.

Opening communication with employees is also key to DEG’s success. By talking to employees and receiving constructive feedback, the company was able to improve certain fields in their company culture, such as adding a retirement package to its benefits for DEGsters who are nearing this stage in life.

“We listen to our employees and we take note of feedback that would help us improve as a company, as long as it’s aligned with our values,” says Emily Balajadia, Dragon Edge Group Co-founder and Mother of Marketing.

Producing remarkable brands and innovations

Dragon Edge’s first product was a bottle of Beach Hut Sunblock in 2006, which was the first and only local spray-on sunblock at the time. This innovation pushed them to create other brands that challenged the status quo, and became the pioneers of many products, such as the first baby detergent Cycles and the first natural baby bottle and nipple cleanser, Cradle.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, DEG quickly responded by creating and distributing COV-X alcohol in just 11 days to help communities to stay safe and healthy.

The top priority is letting DEGsters’ express their creativity. Founders Dennis and Emily Balajadia believe that the best ideas come from “relaxed, informal settings.” This encourages the team to think outside the box to come up with attention-grabbing campaigns for their brands. This has led to some of the wildest ideas, like Beach Hut becoming the first sunblock to fly to space in 2017, which was crafted during a company drinking session.

The company has also expanded nationwide, and is already selling products in Indonesia since 2006. Not only did this allow DEG to branch out further, the expansion also created many opportunities for employees to help grow the company, while also growing within it themselves.

Dragon Edge Group founders Dennis and Emily Balajadia talk about what they’ve done to improve employees’ wellbeing, and how DEGsters were key in their decision-making process.

 Doing good work for the community

DEG’s fearless approach allows the company to tackle challenges head-on through innovative solutions that elevate customer experience. As part of Beach Hut’s brand initiatives, the brand opened Beach Hut Bar in Boracay in 2012. It gave vacationers a spot to enjoy the beach vibe with good music and signature cocktails, while protecting them from the sun’s harmful rays. Beach Hut also introduced the first sunscreen vending machine in Caticlan Airport and Boracay to keep tourists protected from the sun.

The company also takes a creative approach in implementing CSR initiatives for communities. Running for five years, Beach Hut Sunscreen is on a mission to support and develop grassroots women’s football, empowering young girls to follow their dreams both on and off the field.

This year, the brand hosted the first-ever Women’s Beach Football Festival, showcasing the brand’s dedication to empowering Filipina athletes.

DEG is also leading the way in sustainability with the thrust of saving the earth for the younger generation with the launch of eco-friendly packaging, recycling bins, and Cycles and Cradle refilling stations.

Dragon Edge Group goes beyond creating game-changing products. Being recognized as a two-time Best Place to Work awardee emphasizes how they prioritize a culture of joy and celebration, translating into a passionate team that thrives on achieving and spreading positivity. This ultimately creates a ripple effect into DEG’s employee benefits, CSR initiatives, and how they push to improve the quality of life of their customers and communities. As Dennis declares, “This is just the beginning. We have set the standard with our Best Place to Work awards, and it is now up to us to uphold and surpass it.”

For more information about Dragon Edge Group and its brands, visit their official website.