Wdesk for investor relations gives Winnebago peace of mind

It was always a tense three hours. While a third-party vendor prepared and formatted her company’s 8-K report, Sheila Davis watched the clock and hoped for the best. As Public Relations and Investor Relations Manager at Winnebago Industries, America’s number-one motorhome brand, Davis is in charge of supplying company information to investors.

With every 8-K produced, she had a small window between 6–9 a.m. to file each one after the news release was issued, but before the conference call with investors and the media. Any delay in the process and Winnebago incurred extra costs for missing the deadline.

Despite Davis’ careful planning, the process didn’t always go smoothly. One quarter, the vendor missed the filing deadline, causing Winnebago extra costs and time. “I really don’t like surprises like that,” says Davis.

A trusted partner

At the time Winnebago’s financial reporting team began utilizing Wdesk to file its SEC reports, they also recognized how helpful Wdesk would be for Davis, and introduced her to the solution. After seeing the benefits, Davis was sold.

Now that she uses the Wdesk for investor relations reporting, Davis has complete control over her filings.

“With Wdesk, I have everything ready to go when it’s time to file. Right after I send out the news release, I finalize the 8-K filing. It only takes a few minutes.”

Davis estimates that using Wdesk saves her several hours each time she files, plus she’s eliminated outsourcing costs.

With Wdesk, I have peace of mind.

— Sheila Davis, Public Relations and Investor Relations Manager

Additional benefits

Fast filing isn’t the only benefit of using Wdesk. The application streamlines the process of creating, reviewing, and proofing the earnings releases, and news releases Davis produces.

The data in those documents is linked to the company’s Wdesk workbook, so when Davis pulls numbers to populate her reports, she knows they’re accurate.

“The linking in Wdesk has saved a lot of time because we don’t have to change each number in three or four places. I just verify the link.”

The fact that Wdesk is cloud based gives Davis an extra sense of security because users don’t need to email the documents to each other or print them out for review. Only authorized individuals have access to the files.

“Do you know how easy it is to type someone’s email address and have the computer populate the wrong name?” asks Davis. “There are just so many ways reports can accidentally be sent in a non-confidential manner, and that’s a big security issue.”

In total, Wdesk helps Davis achieve her number one goal. “Quality is the biggest issue for me. Our new releases have to be perfect from an accuracy standpoint. And with Wdesk, I have peace of mind.”