“It’s not about the loans we do; it is about the hearts we change and the people we help.”
Twenty-six Wisconsin companies were named to a listing of the best places to work in the country, including one Madison-based business landing in the No. 1 spot.
Top Workplaces USA is a national listing of large organizations and companies with operations in multiple markets. The listing, compiled by research partner Energage was released Thursday.
It is the first year that Energage has complied a national listing. Energage is the Journal Sentinel’s partner on its annual Southeastern Wisconsin Top Workplaces.
Madison-based Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. was No. 1 on the Top Workplaces USA ranking for companies with more than 2,500 employees.
Fairway, which was was founded in 1996, employs more than 8,400 people nationwide. The mortgage company has more than 500 branch locations across the United States.
“We are committed to the individual success of every employee, which means we will always support them in reaching their career goals,” said the nomination for Fairway. “We believe in instilling confidence in those around us, building knowledgeable consumers and self-assured team members. We empower people to be creative, make decisions and think outside the box.”
Fairway was one of 26 Wisconsin companies on the national listing. Other Wisconsin-based companies named as a Top Workplace include wellknown employers like Associated Bank, Advocate Aurora Health, Kwik Trip and UW Credit Union.
Southeastern Wisconsin companies like Boucher Automotive Group, Cielo, Johnson Financial Group, Fort HealthCare, Inpro, and MahlerClean were also recognized.
“During this very challenging time, Top Workplaces has proven to be a beacon of light for organizations, as well as a sign of resiliency and strong business performance,” said Energage CEO Eric Rubino. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward. Top Workplaces draw on realtime insights into what works best for their organization, so they can make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their people and their business.”
Organizations with at least 150 employees in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam were eligible to participate. More than 1,100 companies participated in the program.
The winners were determined through the Energage employee engagement survey results from the previous 12 months ending in December 2020. The employee survey results are compared to industry benchmarks.
Fairway offers employees inclusive benefit plans, learning opportunities and other resources. It launched a new diversity and inclusion role in its human resources department to help create a more diverse workforce.
Employees also get discounts on home mortgages with better rates and reduced origination fees. Fairway celebrates employees on their birthday, work anniversary and Valentine’s Day with flowers or cookies.
“We strive to be humble, foster growth and knowledge for everyone at the company and for our clients, have fun, create an amazing experience for our teammates and our customers,” Fairway’s nomination said.
The company said it is growing rapidly with loan volume up more than 62% from the same time last year.
Fairway lists its priorities as faith, family and work — in that order.
CEO and Founder Steve Jacobson is known for saying, “It’s not about the loans we do; it is about the hearts we change and the people we help.”
Here are the other Wisconsin companies on the Top Workplaces USA list: Associated Bank, Green Bay Kwik Trip, La Crosse
TDS Telecommunications, Madison
Boucher
Greenfield
Cielo, Brookfield
Johnson Financial Group, Racine ETE Reman, Milwaukee
For HealthCare, Fort Atkinson Inpro, Muskego MahlerClean, Brookfield Summit Credit Union, Grove
UW Credit Union, Madison Van Horn Automotive Group, Plymouth
Ascendium Education Group, Inc., Madison
Bank Five Nine, Oconomowoc Best Version Media, Brookfield Continental Properties Company, Inc., Menomonee Falls
Cooperative Educational Service Agency #1, Pewaukee
Derco, A Lockheed Martin Company, Milwaukee
Excel Engineering, Inc., Fond du
Lac
Automotive
Group,
Cottage
Good Karma Brands, Milwaukee SoftwareONE, Waukesha
VJS Construction Services, Inc., Pewaukee
Weed Man Lawn Care, Middleton Wimmer Communities, LLC, Hales Corners