50 BEST WORKPLACES
What does it take to become a company that workers want to be part of? Good pay and good perks are certainly part of it. But more than that, these are companies with a sense of purpose, a sense of humor, and leadership that makes the two work together.
How We Selected the Best Workplaces
A GREAT CORPORATE CULTURE isn’t something you can buy. It’s organic; it has to be cultivated. Inc.’ s Best Workplaces celebrates companies that actively strive to build vibrant and engaging cultures. More than 1,600 companies applied this year—three times as many as last year. Together with my company, Quantum Workplace, a leader in employee-feedback software, Inc. assessed these companies according to their employeeengagement and people practices.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT is a measure of the behavioral and emotional connections workers have with their companies. Each participating company administered an employee survey on issues like career development, communication, trust in leadership, team dynamics, and individual needs. Employees answered 30 questions using a six-point scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. To have its results qualify, each company had to achieve a statistically significant response rate based on employee count. Survey scores account for employer size to level the playing field between small and large businesses.
OUR FINDINGS SHOW that honored companies had a set of baseline employee benefits. Health insurance, dental insurance, and retirement plans aren’t extras. They’re table stakes. Employers are also sweetening the employee experience with benefits like longer maternity leave, paternity leave, innovative health and wellness initiatives, and flexible scheduling.
TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE AUDIT, Quantum Workplace used proprietary measures to identify data irregularities that suggest the survey was compromised. Companies that were suspected of trying to unduly influence the ultimate score were removed. In all, 169,000 workers are included in this survey, making it one of the broadest research studies of its kind. The 50 highest-scoring companies are included on these pages.
PERHAPS WHAT WAS MOST ENCOURAGING in this process came from open-ended comments. These would take thousands of pages to print, but one insight stood out: Strong company cultures breed stunning individual and team performance. Workers at the best companies don’t view their employers as sugar daddies. They aren’t mesmerized by whatever giveaways seem to be the latest fad—be it gourmet lunches or beer fridges. Phrases like “Do my best work” and “I work on an amazing team” were seen countless times, indicative of the virtuous circle of culture and performance. —GREG HARRIS, CEO, QUANTUM WORKPLACE
Globalization Partners
FOUNDED 2012 LOCATION BOSTON INDUSTRY BUSINESS SERVICES CEO NICOLE SAHIN EMPLOYEES 33 SALES $20M-$50M GroundFloor Media FOUNDED 2001 LOCATION DENVER INDUSTRY PUBLIC RELATIONS PRESIDENT RAMONNA ROBINSON EMPLOYEES 16 SALES $2M-$5M Health Catalyst FOUNDED 2008
LOCATION SALT LAKE CITY INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO DAN BURTON
EMPLOYEES 494 SALES $50M-$100M Hireology FOUNDED 2010 LOCATION CHICAGO INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO ADAM ROBINSON EMPLOYEES 116 SALES $5M-$10M Hudl FOUNDED 2006 LOCATION LINCOLN, NEB. INDUSTRY SPORTS TECHNOLOGY CEO DAVID GRAFF EMPLOYEES 381 SALES $20M-$50M Intelliswift FOUNDED 2001 LOCATION NEWARK, CALIF. INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO PAT PATEL
EMPLOYEES 25 SALES $50M-$100M LiquidAgents Healthcare FOUNDED 2003 LOCATION PLANO, TEXAS INDUSTRY HEALTH CARE RECRUITING CEO SHELDON ARORA EMPLOYEES 80 SALES $50M-$100M
Logical Position
FOUNDED 2010 LOCATION LAKE OSWEGO, ORE. INDUSTRY DIGITAL MARKETING FOUNDER, CO-CEO MICHAEL WEINHOUSE EMPLOYEES 252 SALES $5M-$10M Metric Theory FOUNDED 2012 LOCATION SAN FRANCISCO INDUSTRY DIGITAL MARKETING CEO KEN BAKER
EMPLOYEES 67 SALES $10M-$20M
Mobile Solutions
FOUNDED 2008 LOCATION CENTENNIAL, COLO. INDUSTRY AUDIO COMPONENTS CEO JIM JOHNSON EMPLOYEES 54 SALES $2M-$5M Neighborhood Loans FOUNDED 2005 LOCATION LOMBARD, ILL. INDUSTRY FINANCE & INSURANCE PRESIDENT RENO MANUELE EMPLOYEES 141 SALES $20M-$50M
Nordic
FOUNDED 2010 LOCATION MADISON, WIS. INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO BRUCE CERULLO EMPLOYEES 734 SALES $100M-$500M Power Design FOUNDED 1989 LOCATION ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. INDUSTRY ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING CHAIRMAN MITCH PERMUY EMPLOYEES 1,243 SALES $100M-$500M
Power Digital Marketing
FOUNDED 2012 LOCATION SAN DIEGO INDUSTRY DIGITAL MARKETING CEO GRAYSON LAFRENZ EMPLOYEES 33 SALES $5M-$10M Power Home Remodeling FOUNDED 1992 LOCATION CHESTER, PA. INDUSTRY CONSTRUCTION CO-CEO & PARTNER ASHER RAPHAEL EMPLOYEES 1,600 SALES $100M-$500M
Quality IT Partners
FOUNDED 2000 LOCATION MOUNT AIRY, MD. INDUSTRY IT SERVICES CEO MARK DEBNAM
EMPLOYEES 12 SALES $2M-$5M Reliance Partners FOUNDED 2009 LOCATION CHATTANOOGA, TENN. INDUSTRY FINANCE & INSURANCE CEO ANDREW LADEBAUCHE EMPLOYEES 57 SALES $2M-$5M
RoundTower Technologies
FOUNDED 2007 LOCATION CINCINNATI INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL SERVICES CEO STEPHEN WEST EMPLOYEES 305 SALES $100M-$500M Seismic FOUNDED 2010
LOCATION SAN DIEGO INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO DOUG WINTER
EMPLOYEES 177 SALES $20M-$50M Service Express FOUNDED 1986 LOCATION GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO RON ALVESTEFFER EMPLOYEES 335 SALES $50M-$100M Silverline FOUNDED 2009
LOCATION NEW YORK CITY INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT CEO GIREESH SONNAD EMPLOYEES 112 SALES $20M-$50M Simpli.fi FOUNDED 2010
LOCATION FORT WORTH INDUSTRY PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING
CEO FROST PRIOLEAU EMPLOYEES 188 SALES $50M-$100M Smashtech FOUNDED 2015
LOCATION SAN DIEGO INDUSTRY IT SERVICES CEOS ANWAR HUSAIN & OMAR IMANI
EMPLOYEES 31 SALES $20M-$50M Spire Group FOUNDED 2012 LOCATION CLARK, N.J. INDUSTRY ACCOUNTING MANAGING PRINCIPAL THOMAS ANGELO EMPLOYEES 38 SALES $5M-$10M Study.com FOUNDED 2002 LOCATION MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. INDUSTRY EDUCATION SERVICES CEO ADRIAN RIDNER EMPLOYEES 99 SALES $50M-$100M Terminus FOUNDED 2014 LOCATION ATLANTA INDUSTRY SOFTWARE CEO ERIC SPETT
EMPLOYEES 90 SALES $2M-$5M
Tier1 Performance Solutions
FOUNDED LOCATION 2002 COVINGTON, KY. INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT CONSULTING CEO EMPLOYEESGREG HARMEYER182 SALES $10M-$20M Treeline FOUNDED 2001 LOCATION WAKEFIELD, MASS. INDUSTRY SALES FORCE RECRUITING CEO DAN FANTASIA EMPLOYEES 20 SALES $2M-$5M United Shore Financial Services FOUNDED 1986 LOCATION TROY, MICH. INDUSTRY FINANCE & INSURANCE PRESIDENT/CEO MAT ISHBIA EMPLOYEES 1,935 SALES $50OM-$1B USGreentech FOUNDED 2009 LOCATION CINCINNATI INDUSTRY SPORTS TECHNOLOGY PRESIDENT VALERIE WEBSTER EMPLOYEES 11 SALES $5M-$10M Winslow Technology Group FOUNDED 2003 LOCATION WALTHAM, MASS. INDUSTRY SOFTWARE & IT PRESIDENT SCOTT WINSLOW EMPLOYEES 34 SALES $20M-$50M Wpromote FOUNDED 2001 LOCATION EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. INDUSTRY DIGITAL MARKETING CEO MICHAEL MOTHNER EMPLOYEES 265 SALES $20M-$50M