Mauldin & Jenkins focused on accounting for employees
› Founded: 1918 in Albany, Georgia. Expanded to Chattanooga in 2013 when Hazlett, Lewis & Bieter, LLC, merged with the firm.
› Employees: 55 in Chattanooga and more than 330 in the company with nine locations in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: Despite all our fun, we are committed to excellence and ensure each employee can fulfill their potential through mentoring, career guidance, leadership training and opportunities for professional involvement outside the firm.
› Online: mjcpa.com
A career in public accounting often requires sorting through pages of financial ledgers and complex reports, working long hours during tax season, or having to travel to
to conduct on-site audits at different businesses. For all the challenges of the profession, the accounting firm of Mauldin & Jenkins tries to make sure its accountants have fun and are highly rewarded.
“Competitive pay and exceptional benefits mean a lot to staff and partners alike, but so do the little things,” said Jim Vaughn, a 22-year employee of Mauldin & Jenkins who heads the firm’s 55-employee office in Chattanooga. “Whether it is laughing during our Office Olympics, enjoying firmprovided dinners during busy season or letting loose at a tax party once crunch time is over, the M&J team appreciates dozens of opportunities to let off steam together and make each day fun.”
Vaughn said the company has stuck with the philosophy of founder Charlie Jenkins, whom Vaughn worked with in the past in Albany, Georgia, until Jenkins’s death.
“He believed, and I think Mauldin & Jenkins has embraced, that quality work should always come first and you hire quality people to do that,” Vaughn said.
Through six generations of ownership since the company’s start in 1918, that approach has remained the same. Mauldin & Jenkins has expanded from its Albany, Georgia, origins to start other offices or merge with other CPA firms in Atlanta, Savannah and Macon, Georgia; Columbia, South Carolina; Bradenton, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; and Chattanooga. Mauldin & Jenkins entered the Chattanooga market in 2013 when it merged with Hazlett, Lewis & Bieter, LLC, a 70-year-old Chattanooga accounting firm started in 1943.
The COVID-19 pandemic created extra challenges to building the fun culture of the CPA firm, especially last year when the company emptied out most of its 11th story offices in the Tallan building in downtown Chattanooga and sent workers home. Most of the staff returned to their cubicles and offices downtown by the start of 2021, observing safety protocols within the office. But client visits and other tasks still require working outside the office and some staff is still working remotely.
“COVID has certainly been a challenge for all of us, but we try to be flexible and figure out what works best for each individual,” Vaughn said. “We have regular company-wide meetings each week online to help encourage one another and to build our company culture.”
Pinnacle Bank puts associates first
› Founded: Pinnacle began in 2000 and acquired CapitalMark Bank in Chattanooga, which started in 2007, in 2015.
› Employees: Pinnacle has about 2,500 employees companywide and more than 100 associates in Chattanooga.
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: Pinnacle has chosen to battle against the bureaucratic and impersonal, for both associates and clients. That means we hire people who are team players and genuinely care about others. As a result, our associates treat one another like family.
› Online: pnfp.com Banking may be oriented toward money, but the leaders of Chattanooga’s fastest-growing bank said it all starts with people. Pinnacle Bank, which has quickly grown into Tennessee’s second biggest bank headquartered in the Volunteer State since its start in 2000, hires only experienced bankers and gives employees both a share of the business and a voice in how it is run.
“It’s all about the associates here, and I think that associate engagement we have is the real secret sauce that makes Pinnacle so special,” said Craig Holley, the Chattanooga market chairman of Pinnacle who heads the 110-employee operation with four offices in Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tennessee. “We put our associates first above everything because when you have excited associates who look forward to coming to work every day that’s going to lead to engaged clients.”
Pinnacle hires bankers with at least 10 years of experience and everyone at the bank shares in a common performancebased compensation system designed to be competitive with any bank for pay and shared ownership in the company. Only bankers recommended by others at the bank or in the industry are hired and, as an employer of choice for many bankers eager to have the flexibility and ownership offered at Pinnacle, the bank has no active recruiting program.
“We don’t use any head hunters and we don’t even take their calls,” said Kenny Dyer, the market president for Pinnacle in Chattanooga. “But we spend an enormous amount of time in our leadership team, from our CEO Terry Turner on down, addressing our work environment and the needs of our staff, and we strive to make this a place where people want to work.”
Holley, Dyer and Ryan Murphy, the executive vice president who oversees branch operations at Pinnacle, have embraced an employee-first philosophy since the three top Pinnacle leaders helped start a predecessor to Pinnacle, the former CapitalMark Bank, in 2007. CapitalMark bank grew to more than $900 million in assets by 2015 when it was acquired by Pinnacle for $187 million in stock.
With the acquisition of CapitalBank and other banks in Memphis and the Carolinas, Pinnacle has grown to a major regional bank providing banking, investment, mortgage and insurance products and services to consumers and businesses in Tennessee,
Georgia, Virginia, and North and South Carolina.
Reliance Partners moved quickly to respond to coronavirus
› Founded: 2009
› Employees: 175
› Why this is a Best Place to Work:
Reliance Partners brings young, energetic startup culture to an old-school industry — a
competitive advantage in an evolving market. Building upon this foundation, Reliance places considerable effort into stitching together a workplace that is both challenging and supportive where people come to celebrate work every day.
› Online: reliancepartners.com
The Reliance Partners team responded quickly to rapid workplace changes in the wake of the coronavirus, moving the entire team to telework within 72 hours.
Throughout 2020, the Chattanooga-based company that has grown into one of the nation’s biggest insurance agencies serving the trucking and logistics industries maintained a remote work across the entire business, said Laura Ann Howell, Reliance Partners chief operating officer.
“We have begun to gradually bring a small percentage of our team back into the office with enhanced safety protocols in place,” she said.
Howell said that from weekly team check-ins to virtual happy hours, daily company-wide updates, enhanced employee benefits for mental health, employee recognition programs, and ongoing career advancement opportunities, the company established a new, and remote, version of normal to engage its teleworking team.
“We leaned into our responsibility as an employer to ensure that we maintained a safe, healthy and engaged workforce,” she said.
Howell said that 2020 was a year of uncertainty and disruption, and the company faced new opportunities daily to redefine its role as an employer to protect the health and the well-being of the team.
With 2020 in the rearview mirror, the company plans to move forward with new perspectives on workplace structure, Howell said.
“As employers, it is our top priority to ensure team members feel valued and heard,” she said. “The new version of normal will include more workplace flexibility, enhanced remote working opportunities and an emphasis on work-life balance to ensure continuous professional and personal growth of Reliance team members.”
The business was founded in 2009 by Andrew Ladebauche and a group of Chattanooga logistics entrepreneurs focused on the trucking industry. The company has about 175 employees at locations in Chattanooga, Chicago, Milwaukee, Tampa, Birmingham, Sacramento and Austin.
Steam Logistics doubles down on culture as it doubles in size
› Founded: 2012
› Employees: 140
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: We take our jobs very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We like to make work fun and bring a little levity to the fast-paced, stressful environment that is ever-present in the logistics space. You will find us approachable, authentic, and without pretense.
› Online: steamlogistics.com
For Steam Logistics, the past year brought big growth along with the huge challenges the pandemic delivered. The number of employees doubled to 140, and the business grew 200% as international logistics became more complex and fraught with delays and rising costs.
That rapid growth meant thinking fast to make sure the company culture kept pace, said CEO Jason Provonsha.
“Culture exists by default or by design,” he said. “We all spent time talking about this. How do we build this for scale?”
In the early days of the pandemic, logistics largely ground to a halt, along with most other business. But it quickly became clear that moving goods around would be a high priority for consumers, Provonsha said.
“Suddenly, everyone’s at home ordering from Wayfair,” he said. “Rates went through the roof. A container that had been $2,500 was now $8,000. Next thing you know, we are going at a crazy pace. It happened so fast.”
The office closed temporarily, but began in May offering people the option to come back in and work with masks and social distancing in place.
“We all came back pretty quick, but it was very much a personal thing,” said Adam Shearer, the company’s chief financial officer. “We told people to come back if they wanted to.”
They had recently doubled their space on Market Street, and had plenty of room to do it, he adds, and in the coming months, Steam will double its footprint again, expanding from 11,000 square feet to 22,000. Steam will occupy space recently vacated by Arrive Logistics, which went to a work-from-home model.
“In certain roles, the collaborative part of the job is so important,” Provonsha said.
Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union grows, adapts in pandemic
› Established: 1936
› Employees: 415
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: As one of Tennessee’s biggest credit unions, TVFCU is owned by the 155,000 members in the Chattanooga region who rely upon the credit union for loans, savings accounts, checking, credit cards and other financial services. TVFCU employees serve a community mission and business decisions are made locally to serve the member-owners and as a growing financial institution, workers have the opportunity to develop and grow their careers in what credit union leaders said is a family-oriented atmosphere.
› Online: tvfcu.com
Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union was established in 1936 when 57 TVA employees in Chattanooga pooled $500 to create the member-owned credit union. From its roots with a single employee operating the cash drawer in his desk, TVFCU has grown to one of the biggest credit unions in Tennessee, with more than 400 employees serving over 155,000 members in 13 area counties in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.
“We’re about serving our members and our community, not making money for shareholders,” said TVFCU President Todd Fortner.
With more than $1.8 billion in assets, TVFCU is the largest credit union in the region. Janet Leamon, vice president of human resources at TVFCU, said the credit union wants to be the employer of choice for workers who are attracted by both the mission of TVFCU and the opportunities to learn, grow and have fun at work.
“Our associates are key to our success and we strive to listen to our employees and members and make this a place where people want to work and grow their careers,” Leamon said.
Personalized service has been
a cornerstone of TVFCU and most credit unions, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted most of the traditional face-to-face meetings. Like most financial institutions, TVFCU was forced to close most of its branches last spring and limit the number of people allowed in its offices.
Most of the credit union’s staff was sent home initially in the spring of 2020 and many returned to reconfigured offices spread out to maintain social distancing. For a period, TVFCU even put workers back into its vacated corporate headquarters on Market Street to allow employees to spread out and for more tellers to interact remotely with customers.
Leamon said the credit union prides itself on its innovation and technology and used that advantage to respond to the pandemic. TVFCU was the first credit union in the area to implement interactive teller machines in 2015. This technology allows for twoway communication and a touchless member experience, “which has been extremely valuable during the pandemic,” Leamon said. Video banking launched during the pandemic also skyrocketed in popularity as the community moved towards online service channels to engage with the credit union.
Text Request brings its team back together in new downtown space
› Founded: 2014
› Employees: 21
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: Being a best place to work is literally part of our mission. We believe in hard work and continual improvement, understanding how others (like customers and employees) think and feel in any given situation, continual learning and sharing that knowledge to help others grow, and making anything we create (blog posts to software and beyond) best in class. This, along with high compensation, intangible perks like autonomy and opportunity to impact the company, help us function day to day as a true best place to work.
› Online: textrequest.com
The pandemic temporarily sent everyone home from their offices on the Southside in 2020, but it’s also one of the reasons Text Request is investing in brand-new downtown digs in Jack’s Alley where employees can gather as a team.
“We really want a space that’s going to complement the culture we’re trying to build, with places to work independently, spaces to work together, common areas, downtown quick access to lunch and walking,” said Kenneth Burke, the vice president
of marketing at the company. “Culture is the only thing you build in a company without meaning to. How do we do it right if it’s going to happen either way?”
Text Request helps its customers use texting to communicate with everyone from clients to colleagues, and those services were in huge demand as everyone stayed apart in 2020. The company broke $6 million in sales, grew revenue 400%, and hired half a dozen people from May to November 2020. Moving into the 7,200 square foot space on Market Street doubles their footprint and prepares Text Request for growth.
“We have 2,500 business customers,” Burke said. “It takes more and more people to manage these accounts and serve those people and create ever-growing products for them.”
When the pandemic hit, the company shifted gears quickly, focusing on how to take care of employees while still supporting clients in crisis. The office closed initially, though it eventually reopened for those who wanted to come in masked and socially distanced.
“There was so much uncertainty all the way through it,” Burke said.
The business, which married founders Brian and Jamey Elrod launched in 2014, has grown from family to village in scale, and is focused on keeping a sense of connection and camaraderie, Burke said.
“Those in-person times pull the veil back a bit, to get to hang out and get to know someone, those moments make a huge difference to happiness and engagement and productivity,” Burke said.
Unum said insurer better connected than ever before
› Founded: 1848
› Employees: About 2,800 in Chattanooga
› Why this is a Best
Place to Work: We invest in our employees and our communities because who we are is a direct reflection of our people and the local communities we serve. Our culture of integrity and reputation of success begins with providing an environment where employees can trust they and their families can thrive.
› Online: unum.com
Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, Unum Group officials said the culture within the Chattanoogabased insurer is more connected than ever before.
Unum touts its mission as helping the working world thrive through life’s moments. With the impact of COVID-19 and shift of 99% of Unum’s workforce to remote work, the insurer took several steps to ensure employees stayed motivated during the challenging time.
Senior leaders started a series of weekly ‘quick connects’ with the entire 10,000-plus international workforce, providing an opportunity for employees to hear ongoing business and COVID-19 updates along with the ability to comment and ask questions through Microsoft Teams Live.
“It’s critical we keep a live and open channel of communication,” said Rick McKenney, Unum president and chief executive officer, in one of the company’s first CEO quick connect sessions amid the pandemic.
With the move of Unum team meetings and events to Microsoft Teams Live, well-being check-ups also were started, said Liz Ahmed, executive vice president, people and communications at Unum.
The first highlighted resources to support employees as they transitioned to remote work, company leaders said. Other sessions included topics on parenting and self-care.
According to company officials, agility amid adversity continued to be
a theme in 2020. Across Unum’s business, teams tackled new problems to better serve customers and support colleagues who continue to face care-giving and scheduling challenges.
Unum officials said that several accelerated digital solutions were developed to support business efficiency, such as a new mobile app for employees, laptops for all remote employees, an updated virtual private network, soft phones installed to enhance workspace flexibility, and a digital mail solution to reduce the number of physical mail pieces delivered and retrieved by employees.
Technology was key for Warren & Griffin amid pandemic
› Founded: 1990
› Employees: 26 companywide; 20 in Chattanooga
› Why this is a Best Place to Work: We treat clients and employees with the utmost respect. We have fun at work, we all work together to achieve the same goal. We have flexible hours, and during this crazy year we have been allowed to work from
home as much as needed. Not a single person in our office has been exposed to COVID, and we have followed every practical protocol to ensure the safety of each other, and our clients.
› Online: warrenandgriffin. com
Since the Chattanooga law firm Warren & Griffin is an almost paperless office, the technology was in place to work from anywhere when the coronavirus pandemic struck, company officials said.
The firm allowed its support staff to work from home if they wanted. While some support staff preferred to work in the office setting, Warren & Griffin followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to keep them safe.
Warren and Griffin officials said it has always been a family-first law firm, allowing employees to attend school events, recitals or sports games. John Mark Griffin and C. Mark Warren were involved with their children as they grew up, and the firm seeks to nurture that same relationship with its employees’ families, they said.
During the pandemic,
instead of family-first fun activities, the firm was more focused on familyfirst safety, Warren said. When the schools in Hamilton County first shut their doors during the pandemic, it was apparent that some employees were needed at home.
“We encouraged our staff to stay at home, work from home, and keep their family safe,” Warren said. “WG knew that things would return to normal, but it was going to take some time, and we were very patient with the work flow.”
Before the pandemic, Warren & Griffin attorneys met with every new client in person to understand the challenges and hardships they were facing. During the coronavirus, the firm lost the ability and had to adapt. The first week of the stayat-home order, Warren & Griffin downloaded Zoom to every computer and phone in the office.
“Adapting to technology aided us in seeing our clients via Zoom, allowing the firm to answer all of their questions and reassure them,” Warren said.