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Chamber Unveils Rankings for Top 100 Best Places to Work in Indiana

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These companies made people the priority in their workplaces with policies and practices geared toward employee satisfaction and success. And tonight, they were honored as the top 100 companies on the 2017 Best Places to Work in Indiana list.

Winners were selected in four categories. Taking top honors:

  • Small companies’ category (between 15 and 74 U.S. employees): Luther Consulting, LLC, a Carmel-based public health software company
  • Medium companies’ category (between 75 and 249 U.S. employees): Gregory & Appel Insurance, property and casualty risk management and employee benefit firm in Indianapolis
  • Large companies’ category (between 250 and 999 U.S. employees): Indianapolis-based Blue 449, an open source media company
  • Major companies’ category (1,000 or more U.S. employees): technology giant Microsoft Corporation, which has a local office in Indianapolis

Both Luther Consulting and Microsoft are repeats; this marks a record sixth time for Microsoft to take top honors. Meanwhile, Gregory & Appel Insurance and Blue 449 make their first-place debut.

“These four companies excel in respecting their employees, providing them with the tools to be successful and offering careers – not just jobs,” states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.

“Every company on this list understands the positive business impact of making employees feel valued. We are pleased to recognize them for such model work environments.”

Winners were sorted into four categories: small, medium, large and major companies. Out-of-state parent companies were eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

The 2017 Best Place to Work in Indiana companies range in Hoosier employee count from 15 (SMARI, a consulting firm in Indianapolis) to more than 1,700 (Horseshoe Casino in Hammond).

At the dinner, presented in partnership with Hylant, representatives from all designated companies received Best Places to Work awards of excellence.

Organizations on this year’s list that have displayed sustained excellence during the program’s 12-year history received additional recognition with Best Places to Work in Indiana Hall of Fame and Pinnacle designations.

Hall of Fame companies are those that have been named a Best Place to Work in Indiana at least two-thirds of the time in the program’s history; a total of 15 organizations on the 2017 list meet that criteria. Two companies – Edward Jones and Katz, Sapper & Miller – have made the Best Places to Work list all 12 years of the program.

The Pinnacle designation is reserved for those that have finished first in their category three or more times in a five-year period. The four Pinnacle companies are Edward Jones (tops in the large employer category from 2006-2008); Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C. (first in the small employer category from 2011-2014); Microsoft (tops in the major employer category in 2013-2014, 2016-2017 and in the large employer category in 2011-2012); and Sikich LLP (first in the large employer category from 2013-15).

More information about the Best Places to Work companies is available via a special section of the May/June issue of the Indiana Chamber’s BizVoice® magazine, a statewide publication released tonight and accessible online at www.bizvoicemagazine.com.

Other program partners are Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, the Best Companies Group, Indiana State Council of SHRM and the Wellness Council of Indiana.

In addition to Hylant, Best Places to Work in Indiana is sponsored by: Moser Consulting; Eaton Corporation; Hancock Regional Hospital; Human Capital Concepts; OurHealth; and Smithville.

The Best Places organizations were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. The Best Companies Group, which handled the selection process, oversees similar programs in 29 other states.

All companies that participated in the 2017 Best Places to Work program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees. In turn, this report can be used in developing or enhancing employee retention and recruitment programs.

For more information on the Indiana Chamber’s Best Places to Work program, go to www.bestplacestoworkIN.com.

The full list of the 2017 Best Places to Work in Indiana companies by ranking:
*Hall of Fame companies

**Pinnacle companies

Small Companies (15-74 U.S. employees)
Company / Primary Indiana Location
1. Luther Consulting, LLC / Carmel
2. SMARI / Indianapolis
3. E-gineering / Indianapolis
4. JA Benefits, LLC / Bedford
5. DK Pierce / Zionsville
6. American Income Life Indiana / Indianapolis
7. Indiana CPA Society / Indianapolis
8. eimagine / Indianapolis
9. Hanapin Marketing / Bloomington
10. Cripe / Indianapolis
11. mAccounting, LLC / Indianapolis
12. Jackson Systems / Indianapolis
13. Leaf Software Solutions / Carmel
14. Lakeside Wealth Management / Chesterton
15. University High School of Indiana / Carmel
16. CleanSlate Technology Group / Carmel
17. Visit Indy / Indianapolis
18. Bloomerang / Indianapolis
19. Weddle Bros. Construction Co., Inc. / Bloomington
20. Williams Creek / Indianapolis
21. The Skillman Corporation / Indianapolis
22. Magnum Logistics, Inc. / Plainfield
23. Pondurance / Indianapolis
24. Lessonly / Indianapolis
25. Apex Benefits / Indianapolis
26. Schmidt Associates* / Indianapolis
27. Indesign, LLC* / Indianapolis
28. Delivra, Inc. / Indianapolis
29. Community First Bank of Indiana / Kokomo
30. BLASTmedia / Fishers
31. Inovateus Solar LLC / South Bend
32. LHD Benefit Advisors / Indianapolis
33. Grote Automotive Inc. / Fort Wayne
34. CENTURY 21 Scheetz / Multiple locations
35. Sharpen / Indianapolis
36. netlogx LLC / Indianapolis
37. Oak Street Funding LLC / Indianapolis
38. Emarsys North America / Indianapolis
39. FirstPerson / Indianapolis
40. T&W Corporation / Indianapolis
41. General Insurance Services / Michigan City
42. VOSS Automotive / Fort Wayne
43. Conner Insurance / Indianapolis
44. Peepers by PeeperSpecs / Michigan City
45. OfficeWorks / Fishers
46. Ambassador Enterprises / Fort Wayne
47. Network Solutions, Inc. / Granger
48. Goelzer Investment Management, Inc. / Indianapolis
49. Design Collaborative / Fort Wayne

Medium Companies (75-249 U.S. employees) (21)
1. Gregory & Appel Insurance / Indianapolis
2. Purdue Federal Credit Union / West Lafayette
3. National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) / Indianapolis
4. Software Engineering Professionals (SEP)* / Carmel
5. IDSolutions / Noblesville
6. American College of Education / Indianapolis
7. First Internet Bank / Fishers
8. Elements Financial Federal Credit Union / Indianapolis
9. Merchants Bank of Indiana and PR Mortgage & Investments / Carmel
10. J.C. Hart Company, Inc. / Carmel
11. Blue Horseshoe / Carmel
12. Allegient, LLC / Indianapolis
13. SkillStorm / Indianapolis
14. HWC Engineering, Inc. / Indianapolis
15. Sheridan Community Schools / Sheridan
16. Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Wabash Valley / Terre Haute
17. WestPoint Financial Group* / Indianapolis
18. Indiana Oxygen Company / Indianapolis
19. Moser Consulting, Incorporated / Indianapolis
20. PAN Performance Assessment Network / Carmel
21. Peoples Bank SB / Munster

Large Companies (250-999 U.S. employees) (19)
1. Blue 449 / Indianapolis
2. FORUM Credit Union / Fishers
3. Kemper CPA Group LLP / Multiple locations
4. Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP* / Indianapolis
5. Impact Networking / Indianapolis
6. Sikich LLP* ** / Indianapolis
7. SmartIT / Indianapolis
8. Duke Realty Corporation* / Indianapolis
9. Blue & Co., LLC* / Carmel
10. Hylant / Multiple locations
11. Hosparus Health / New Albany
12. Monarch Beverage / Indianapolis
13. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company* / Fort Wayne
14. Ontario Systems / Muncie
15. IPMG / West Lafayette
16. Traylor Bros., Inc. / Evansville
17. Centier Bank / Merrillville
18. AssuredPartners NL / New Albany
19. American Structurepoint, Inc. / Indianapolis

Major Companies (1,000+ U.S. employees) (11)
1. Microsoft Corporation* ** / Indianapolis
2. Edward Jones* ** / Statewide
3. Colliers International / Indianapolis
4. Horseshoe Casino / Hammond
5. Salesforce* / Indianapolis
6. Aerotek / Multiple locations
7. Blackboard, Inc. / Indianapolis
8. RCI* / Carmel
9. Turner Construction Company / Indianapolis
10. Capital Group* / Carmel
11. Cushman & Wakefield* / Indianapolis

Top 100 Best Places to Work in Indiana Ranked!

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chamber peepsHoosier organizations with a strong workplace environment were recognized Thursday at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. Before a crowd of 1,200, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce unveiled rankings for the 100 companies that made the 2016 Best Places to Work in Indiana list (released in February).

Winners were selected in four categories. Taking top honors:

  • Small companies’ category (between 15 and 74 U.S. employees): Luther Consulting, LLC, a Carmel-based public health software company
  • Medium companies’ category (between 75 and 249 U.S. employees): Mainstreet, a national group specializing in real estate development, value investments and health care; located in Carmel
  • Large companies’ category (between 250 and 999 U.S. employees): CPA firm Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP, headquartered in Indianapolis
  • Major companies’ category (1,000 or more U.S. employees): technology giant Microsoft Corporation, which has a local office in Indianapolis

It marks the first time that Luther Consulting, Mainstreet and Katz, Sapper & Miller head their respective groups. It’s also a return for Microsoft to the top spot, where they have been a record five times.

“A big congratulations to the No. 1 organizations. Their leaders and each company on this list understand how important it is for the success of a business to have a culture that respects and values employees,” states Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar.

“These businesses demonstrated that in a variety of ways – from fostering open communication and teamwork to providing training opportunities and more unique job benefits. We are pleased to acknowledge the efforts of all 100 honorees.”

At the dinner, presented in partnership with Hylant, representatives from all designated companies received Best Places to Work awards of excellence.

Organizations on the 2016 list that have displayed sustained excellence during the program’s 11-year history received additional recognition with Best Places to Work in Indiana Hall of Fame and Pinnacle designations.

Hall of Fame companies are those that have been named a Best Place to Work in Indiana at least two-thirds of the time in the program’s history; a total of 15 organizations on the 2016 list meet that criteria. Two companies – Edward Jones and Katz, Sapper & Miller – have made the Best Places to Work list all 11 years of the program.

The Pinnacle designation is reserved for those that have finished first in their category three or more times in a five-year period. The four Pinnacle companies are Edward Jones (tops in the large employer category from 2006-2008); Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C. (first in the small employer category from 2011-2014); Microsoft (tops in the major employer category in 2013-2014 and in the large employer category in 2011-2012); and Sikich LLP (first in the large employer category from 2013-15).

More information about the Best Places to Work companies is available via a special section of the May/June issue of the Indiana Chamber’s BizVoice® magazine, a statewide publication released tonight and accessible online at www.bizvoicemagazine.com.

Other program partners are Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, the Best Companies Group, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana State Council of SHRM and the Wellness Council of Indiana.

In addition to Hylant, Best Places to Work in Indiana is sponsored by: Moser Consulting, Inc.; University of Indianapolis; Comcast Business; Conner Insurance; Eaton; Formstack; Human Capital Concepts; Kings Island; OurHealth; Smithville Fiber; and Trilogy Health Services.

The Best Places organizations were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. The Best Companies Group, which handled the selection process, oversees similar programs in 27 other states.

All companies that participated in the 2016 Best Places to Work program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees. In turn, this report can be used in developing or enhancing employee retention and recruitment programs.

For more information on the Indiana Chamber’s Best Places to Work program, go to www.bestplacestoworkIN.com.

The full list of the 2016 Best Places to Work in Indiana companies by ranking:

*Hall of Fame companies

Small Companies (15-74 U.S. employees) (48)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

1. Luther Consulting, LLC / Carmel
2. E-gineering, LLC / Indianapolis
3. Indiana CPA Society / Indianapolis
4. American Income Life Indiana / Indianapolis
5. JA Benefits, LLC / Bedford
6. Delivra, Inc. / Indianapolis
7. Hanapin Marketing / Bloomington
8. Diverse Tech Services / Indianapolis
9. Inovateus Solar LLC / South Bend
10. Lakeside Wealth Management / Chesterton
11. Visit Indy / Indianapolis
12. Conner Insurance, Inc. / Indianapolis
13. Magnum Logistics, Inc. / Plainfield
14. VOSS Automotive / Fort Wayne
15. Formstack LLC / Indianapolis
16. PolicyStat / Carmel
17. Apex Benefits / Indianapolis
18. Oak Street Funding LLC / Carmel
19. eImagine Technology Group / Indianapolis
20. MVO USA, Inc. / Indianapolis
21. Wessler Engineering / Indianapolis
22. IDSolutions / Noblesville
23. The Skillman Corporation / Indianapolis
24. Schmidt Associates* / Indianapolis
25. SmartFile / Indianapolis
26. netlogx, LLC / Indianapolis
27. Guidon Design Inc. / Indianapolis
28. Found Search Marketing / Indianapolis
29. Community First Bank of Indiana / Kokomo
30. CloudOne / Fishers
31. Diverse Staffing / Indianapolis
32. Design Collaborative, Inc. / Fort Wayne
33. Cripe / Indianapolis
34. United Leasing, Inc. / Evansville
35. BLASTmedia / Fishers
36. Bohlsen Group / Indianapolis
37. Leaf Software Solutions / Carmel
38. Bloomerang / Indianapolis
39. OrthoPediatrics / Warsaw
40. Network Solutions, Inc. / Granger
41. Pathfinders Advertising & Marketing Group, Inc. / Mishawaka
42. Goelzer Investment Management, Inc. / Indianapolis
43. BlueSky Technology Partners / Noblesville
44. Weddle Bros. Construction Company, Inc. / Bloomington
45. Indesign, LLC* / Indianapolis
46. LHD Benefit Advisors / Indianapolis
47. Accutech Systems / Muncie
48. FirstPerson / Indianapolis

Medium Companies (75-249 U.S. employees) (21)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

1. Mainstreet / Carmel
2. Performance Services / Indianapolis
3. Software Engineering Professionals (SEP)* / Carmel
4. J.C. Hart Company, Inc. / Carmel
5. Moser Consulting / Indianapolis
6. Purdue Federal Credit Union / West Lafayette
7. Project Lead The Way, Inc. / Indianapolis
8. WestPoint Financial Group / Indianapolis
9. Allegient, LLC / Indianapolis
10. Sheridan Community Schools / Sheridan
11. First Internet Bank / Indianapolis
12. HWC Engineering / Indianapolis
13. Gibson / South Bend
14. Indiana Oxygen Company / Indianapolis
15. Blue Horseshoe / Carmel
16. Heritage Petroleum, LLC / Evansville
17. Butler, Fairman & Seufert, Inc. / multiple locations
18. OurHealth / Indianapolis
19. Merchants Bank of Indiana and PR Mortgage & Investments / Carmel
20. Bierman ABA Autism Center / Indianapolis
21. Peoples Bank SB / Munster

Large Companies (250-999 U.S. employees) (19)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

1. Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP* / Indianapolis
2. Traylor Bros., Inc. / Evansville
3. FORUM Credit Union / Fishers
4. Sikich LLP / Indianapolis
5. Kemper CPA Group LLP / multiple locations
6. IPMG / West Lafayette
7. Duke Realty Corporation* / Indianapolis
8. Hylant / multiple locations
9. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company* / Fort Wayne
10. The Kendall Group / Fort Wayne
11. Monarch Beverage / Indianapolis
12. Appirio / Indianapolis
13. Ontario Systems / Muncie
14. Magna Powertrain / Muncie
15. SmartIT / Indianapolis
16. Blue & Co., LLC* / Carmel
17. Mike’s Carwash / Fort Wayne
18. Centier Bank* / Merrillville
19. MOBI / Indianapolis

Major Companies (1,000+ U.S. employees) (12)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

1. Microsoft Corporation* / Indianapolis
2. Horseshoe Casino Hammond / Hammond
3. Edward Jones* / statewide
4. Colliers International / Indianapolis
5. Eaton / South Bend
6. Salesforce* / Indianapolis
7. Aerotek / multiple locations
8. RCI* / Carmel
9. Hilliard Lyons* / multiple locations
10. Cushman & Wakefield* / Indianapolis
11. Total Quality Logistics / Indianapolis
12. Capital Group* / Carmel

Microsoft Hopes to Help You Avoid the Nosy “Gmail Man”

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After touting Google+ last week on this blog, it’s only fair that I also mention Microsoft’s efforts in its new Office 365 email program. According to PR Daily, the video below was shown by Microsoft at its annual global sales conference. Actually makes a pretty important point about personal privacy:

E-gineering, Microsoft Take Top Honors at 2011 Best Places to Work Awards

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Companies striking the right balance of taking care of employees while operating a successful organization were recognized tonight at the Indiana Roof Ballroom by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The group unveiled rankings for the 70 companies from throughout the state that made the 2011 Best Places to Work in Indiana list (which was released February 22). The awards dinner was presented by Comcast.

Two Central Indiana companies walked away with top honors. E-gineering, a technology consulting firm on the northeast side of Indianapolis that began operations in 2000, garnered first place in the small to medium-sized employer category. Among large employers it was the Microsoft Corporation, whose local office has delivered business consulting on software and technology solutions for more than 20 years. Both companies are new to the top spot; for E-gineering, this is the first year participating in the program.

Five companies — Ash Brokerage (Fort Wayne), Columbus Regional Hospital, Edward Jones (statewide), Katz, Sapper & Miller (Indianapolis) and KPMG (Indianapolis) — have made the Best Places to Work list all six years of the program’s existence.

The top companies in the state are determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. Winners were selected from two categories: small to medium-sized companies of between 15 and 249 U.S. employees, and large-sized companies consisting of 250 or more employees nationwide. Out-of-state parent companies were eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

The Best Companies Group, which handled the selection process, oversees similar programs in 21 other states.

"E-gineering and Microsoft embody what strong workplaces should look like – they are rooted in respect, teamwork and good communication, and, where possible, promote professional growth," states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar. "All the organizations honored tonight are exemplary employers that foster a positive and productive work environment."

See the full release here.

Image is Everything in a Greener World

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So who’s the greenest of them all? If perception is reality, then AdvertisingAge has the answer. This report illustrates who’s done the best job of being — check that — appearing to be the greenest companies around.

Burt’s Bees and Whole Foods lead the 2010 ImagePower Green Brands Survey’s list of top 10 U.S. brands perceived to be the greenest, with Aveeno and Microsoft joining the list this year. The fifth annual study also found that in the U.S., people are more concerned about the economy than the environment, while in developing countries, such as Brazil and India, the environment takes precedence.

Making the top 10 brands list in the U.S. after Burt’s Bees and Whole Foods were, in order, Tom’s of Maine, Trader Joe’s, Google, Aveeno, S.C. Johnson, Publix, Microsoft and Ikea.

The survey, released this week, was done by WPP companies Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates and Penn Schoen Berland in partnership with Esty Environmental Partners, a corporate environmental strategy consultant. They did online interviews from Feb. 27 to March 24 with 9,022 people in the U.S., Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, U.K. and, for the first time, Australia.

The survey found that more than 60% of consumers around the world said they want to buy from environmentally responsible companies. In the U.S., though, 35% of those surveyed said they plan to spend more on green products, down 4% from 2009. That reflects the U.S.’ focus on economic worries. "Almost 80% of the [U.S.] consumers said they were more concerned about the economy that the environment. That’s the highest of any other country," says Russ Meyer, chief strategy officer for Landor, San Francisco.

In developing countries, however, the split goes the other way. Of those surveyed in Brazil, for example, 72% were concerned about the environment while 25% cited the economy. "India’s got a split like that, too—59% and 32%," Meyer says. "It’s interesting to see. There’s a bit of a Western bias that the West is further advanced in thinking about sustainability. India, China—those economies are already on their way to mending, and not so in Europe and the Americas."

‘Searching’ for the Top Global Brand

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An annual study of the most valuable global brands finds tech companies leading the way. Not surprising, I guess, as consumer loyalty is at the heart of brand value — and consumers are dedicated to their technical tools and toys.

The top four in the "BrandZ Top 100 report" from research firm Millward Brown Optimor: Google, IBM, Apple and Microsoft. Apple and IBM enjoyed the biggest increase (among the top 10) in value over 2009 at 32% and 30%, respectively. The rest of the top 10: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Marlboro, China Mobile, General Electric and Vodafone.

Other tech brands that exprienced strong growth included Verizon (No. 20), SAP (No. 21), AT&T (No. 22), Samsung (at No. 58 with 80% brand growth) and Sony (No. 94).

A common trend among many companies was the utilization of social media to build brand awareness. It didn’t make the top 100, but one of those social media tools — Facebook — did show a brand dollar value of $5.5 billion.

Google was number one for the fourth straight year. The research firm interviewed more than one million consumers worldwide in addition to analyzing each company’s financial and business performance.

10 E-mails to Delete

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Not all e-mail scams start with the easy to detect con: “I’m a rich Nigerian prince who needs your help moving millions of dollars. And guess what – I’ll give you a hefty sum of money if you just help me out and provide your bank account number.”

Cnet’s Tech Republic (a site for IT pros) recently blogged the top 10 e-mail scams to watch out for. And some of them look remarkably similar to legitimate messages.

Here are a few to be wary of:

  1. Fake Facebook “friend” messages mimic the real deal. Pay attention to the text in the “to” and “from” fields – if it doesn’t look right, don’t click on the links. Also, make sure the URL is facebook.com (or whatever social networking site the message claims to be from) before clicking. 
  2. Virtual holiday cards are a nice way to send friends or clients an inexpensive greeting (the Chamber started creating its own two years ago). Scammers quickly picked up on the growing popularity of these though. Bogus holiday cards likely won’t tell you the name of the sender; instead it will say something like “A friend sent you a card.” Tech Republic recommends doing a web search of the card service before clicking on the greeting.
  3. If you’re not expecting a package, be leery of e-mails from what appears to be a delivery service. Scammers are sending messages from what appear to be FedEx, UPS and others that say a package could not be delivered because of a problem with the shipping address. The e-mail asks you to fill out an attached form so the parcel can be delivered. Instead of a package, you’ll end up with a computer virus from clicking on the attachment. 

Others on the list: fake admin messages; fear-mongering messages; account cancellation scams; threats from the government; "you’re a winner!"; census survey says…; and in Microsoft (or Apple or Dell or HP) we trust. Read the full list and details on how to avoid these scams on the Tech Republic web site.