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Indiana Chamber Unveils Rankings for the 125 Best Places to Work in Indiana

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce honored a record 125 companies tonight at the 2018 Best Places to Work in Indiana celebration dinner, with rankings announced in four categories.

Taking the top spot:

  • Hanapin Marketing, a Bloomington-based digital marketing company – small category (between 15 and 74 U.S. employees)
  • E-gineering, a technology consulting firm on the northeast side of Indianapolis – medium category (between 75 and 249 U.S. employees)
  • Blue 449, an open source media company from Indianapolis – large category (between 250 and 999 U.S. employees)
  • Edward Jones, an investment firm with branch offices throughout the state – major category (1,000 or more U.S. employees)

It’s Hanapin Marketing’s first-place debut, while Blue 449 is a repeat honoree from last year. E-gineering and Edward Jones are no strangers to No. 1; they last took top honors in 2015 and this marks the third and fifth time, respectively, in leading their category.

“These four companies are the gold standard for creating a successful culture in which employees can thrive. Company leaders particularly understand the importance today of work-life balance, treating workers with respect and offering benefits or perks that really resonate,” states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.

“Attracting and keeping a talented workforce is top of mind for all Hoosier employers. Every company on the list made people the priority in its workplace, backing that up with policies and practices geared toward employee success and satisfaction.”

The companies received the Best Places to Work award of excellence at a dinner held at the Indiana Convention Center and sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College.

Winning companies ranged in employee count (at the time of application) from 16 to more than 1,700. Out-of-state parent companies were eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

Organizations that have displayed sustained excellence during the program’s 13-year history are also awarded 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 60% of the time in the program’s history; a total of 20 organizations on the 2018 list meet that criteria. Two companies – Edward Jones and Katz, Sapper & Miller – have made the Best Places to Work list all 13 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 in the program’s history are: Edward Jones, Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., Microsoft and Sikich.

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, HR Indiana SHRM and the Wellness Council of Indiana.

In addition to Ivy Tech Community College being the event sponsor, Purdue Global is the spirit sponsor and FirstPerson is the opening reception sponsor. Platinum sponsors are CareSource and Moser Consulting. Silver sponsors are Comcast, Eaton Corporation, Formstack, Human Capital Concepts, OurHealth, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and Smithville. Visibility sponsors are Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc., Delta Dental of Indiana and ESCO Communications, Inc.

These top companies in the state were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. The Best Companies Group, which handled the selection process, oversees similar programs in 25 other states.

All companies participating in the 2018 Best Places to Work program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees, who are surveyed anonymously.

The report is often 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 2018 Best Places to Work in Indiana companies by ranking:

*Hall of Fame companies
**Pinnacle companies

Small Companies (15-74 U.S. employees) (57)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

  1. Hanapin Marketing / Bloomington
  2. Sharpen Technologies Inc. / Indianapolis
  3. eimagine / Indianapolis
  4. That’s Good HR / Indianapolis
  5. Big City Cars / Fort Wayne
  6. University High School of Indiana / Carmel
  7. Lakeside Wealth Management / Chesterton
  8. * Cripe / Indianapolis
  9. * Indesign, LLC / Indianapolis
  10. Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) / Indianapolis
  11. * Apex Benefits / Indianapolis
  12. Leaf Software Solutions / Carmel
  13. Visit Indy / Indianapolis
  14. Magnum Logistics / Plainfield
  15. mAccounting, LLC / Indianapolis
  16. Wessler Engineering / Indianapolis
  17. Goelzer Investment Management, Inc. / Indianapolis
  18. T&W Corporation / Indianapolis
  19. The Garrett Companies / Greenwood
  20. * FirstPerson / Indianapolis
  21. JA Benefits, LLC / Bedford
  22. Insurance Management Group / Marion
  23. Probo Medical / Fishers
  24. Jackson Systems / Indianapolis
  25. RQAW / Indianapolis
  26. LHD Benefit Advisors / Indianapolis
  27. OfficeWorks / Fishers
  28. Peepers by PeeperSpecs / Michigan City
  29. The Skillman Corporation / Indianapolis
  30. Community First Bank of Indiana / Kokomo
  31. BlueSky Technology Partners / Noblesville
  32. CleanSlate Technology Group / Carmel
  33. Hamilton County Tourism / Carmel
  34. Clinical Architecture / Carmel
  35. Brite Systems / Indianapolis
  36. Greenlight Guru / Indianapolis
  37. DK Pierce and Associates / Zionsville
  38. Guidon Design / Indianapolis
  39. Nix Companies / Poseyville
  40. BLASTmedia / Fishers
  41. Accutech Systems / Muncie
  42. Pondurance / Indianapolis
  43. Sigstr / Indianapolis
  44. Grote Automotive / Fort Wayne
  45. VOSS Automotive / Fort Wayne
  46. Merritt Contracting / Lebanon
  47. netlogx LLC / Indianapolis
  48. General Insurance Services / Michigan City
  49. Bloomerang / Indianapolis
  50. Inovateus Solar LLC / South Bend
  51. Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc. / Indianapolis
  52. Springbuk / Indianapolis
  53. ClearObject, Inc. / Fishers
  54. OrthoPediatrics / Warsaw
  55. CENTURY 21 Scheetz / Multiple locations
  56. Public Safety Medical / Indianapolis
  57. RESOURCE Commercial Real Estate / Indianapolis

Medium Companies (75-249 U.S. employees) (30)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

  1. * E-gineering / Indianapolis
  2. Formstack / Indianapolis
  3. Oak Street Funding LLC / Indianapolis
  4. Moser Consulting / Indianapolis
  5. Blue Horseshoe / Carmel
  6. Gregory & Appel Insurance / Indianapolis
  7. American College of Education / Indianapolis
  8. First Internet Bank / Fishers
  9. Lessonly / Indianapolis
  10. Emarsys North America / Indianapolis
  11. * Software Engineering Professionals (SEP) / Carmel
  12. Weddle Bros. Construction Co., Inc. / Bloomington
  13. J.C. Hart Company, Inc. / Carmel
  14. HWC Engineering, Inc. / Indianapolis
  15. CREA, LLC / Indianapolis
  16. Visiting Nurse and Hospice of the Wabash Valley / Terre Haute
  17. * Schmidt Associates, Inc. / Indianapolis
  18. Parkview Wabash Hospital / Wabash
  19. IDSolutions / Noblesville
  20. * Elements Financial Federal Credit Union / Indianapolis
  21. Midwest Mole / Greenfield
  22. Peoples Bank SB / Munster
  23. Butler, Fairman & Seufert, Inc. / Indianapolis
  24. Morales Group, Inc. / Indianapolis
  25. * United Consulting Engineers / Indianapolis
  26. United Way of Central Indiana / Indianapolis
  27. ESCO Communications / Indianapolis
  28. Merchants Bank of Indiana and PR Mortgage & Investments / Carmel
  29. Fort Wayne Rescue Mission Ministries, Inc (DBA The Rescue Mission) / Fort Wayne
  30. Envelop Group / Indianapolis

Large Companies (250-999 U.S. employees) (25)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

  1. Blue 449 / Indianapolis
  2. Kemper CPA Group LLP / Multiple locations
  3. Onebridge / Indianapolis
  4. ** Sikich / Indianapolis
  5. Hylant / Multiple locations
  6. * FORUM Credit Union / Fishers
  7. The Kendall Group / Fort Wayne
  8. * Katz, Sapper & Miller / Indianapolis
  9. IPMG / West Lafayette
  10. Appirio, A Wipro Company / Indianapolis
  11. * Centier Bank / Merrillville
  12. * WestPoint Financial Group / Indianapolis
  13. Carbonite / Indianapolis
  14. Parkview Whitley Hospital / Columbia City
  15. * Blue & Co., LLC / Carmel
  16. Parkview Noble Hospital / Kendallville
  17. * Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company / Fort Wayne
  18. American Structurepoint, Inc. / Indianapolis
  19. Bastian Solutions / Indianapolis
  20. Parkview Huntington Hospital / Huntington
  21. MutualBank / Muncie
  22. Ontario Systems / Muncie
  23. Aluminum Trailer Company / Nappanee
  24. Pacers Sports & Entertainment / Indianapolis
  25. * Monarch Beverage / Indianapolis

Major Companies (1,000+ U.S. employees) (13)
Company / Primary Indiana Location

  1. * ** Edward Jones / Statewide
  2. * Horseshoe Casino Hammond / Hammond
  3. * Salesforce / Indianapolis
  4. Aerotek / Multiple locations
  5. CareSource / Indianapolis
  6. Ameristar Casino + Hotel East Chicago / East Chicago
  7. Total Quality Logistics / Indianapolis
  8. Perficient / Carmel
  9. Colliers International – Indianapolis / Indianapolis
  10. Kronos Incorporated / Indianapolis
  11. Comcast Corporation / Multiple locations
  12. First Merchants Bank / Muncie
  13. * Capital Group / Carmel

Lipstick on a Pig: Office Perks Won’t Build Your Company’s Culture

By Matthew Crissman

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the Onebridge break room with my colleagues enjoying a beer. After nearly 3 years here, it’s still an unusual feeling: I distinctly remember teachers and professors stressing about the importance of being professional. I was instructed on multiple occasions to polish my online presence as well: don’t post any photos that even suggest that I was consuming alcohol (no Red Solo Cups!). It’s all still a bit surreal.

I love giving tours of the Indianapolis office. Rounding the corner on the Northwest stretch of I-465 in Indianapolis where I-465N becomes I-465E, there is a normal office building adorned with an aquamarine sign displaying the Onebridge logo. Most people imagine it’s filled with offices and a cubical farm, a traditional office. Once inside, there’s suddenly a look of astonishment on their face as they see what is contained within the unassuming edifice. As we progress through the building and I point out the treadmill desks, gym, waterfall garden, snack wall, collaboration areas, games, industrial-size beer fridge and more, most people go speechless with incredulity. On more than one occasion, I’ve been met with the phrase, “I can’t believe you guys manage to get any work done!”

Onebridge provides a lot of perks; More importantly, we’ve built a phenomenal culture. They’re not the one in the same.

I read a lot of articles telling business leaders how to attract and retain top talent. I also read many more focusing on strategies to attract millennials. Each new article proposes a new variation of the same old strategies with a slight twist to create a new façade. Many businesses make sweeping generalizations about vaguely-defined demographics in the hopes of attracting top talent and the up-and-coming millennials which, by the way, aren’t even a real thingCompanies are competing to build the coolest offices with the most features in the hopes of attracting the best of the best. If GoogleApple and Epic are doing it, shouldn’t we? Sure, if you like burning money.

Don’t get me wrong. I, like most, love free snacks and an onsite gym. On more than one occasion, I’ve forgotten my lunch and fell back on some mixed nuts and goldfish crackers to tide me over until dinner. But these aren’t the reason I choose to work with Onebridge. You could fill a building with the latest and greatest technology, build video-game themed rooms, cater lunch every day, and even host an office puppy party, because perks and culture are not the same thing. I’m glad Onebridge provided the drink in my hand, but more importantly, I love that Onebridge trusts that I’ll drink responsibly and still perform at an exceptional level.

Great office perks should be the symptoms of a great company culture; they can’t be the cause. To build a great culture, leaders need to treat people like people and provide them with what they want and the tools they need for success. I would argue that most everyone wants the same basic thing: to be treated like adults who are smart and worthy of respect. We seek meaning and autonomy in our work, and we want to be compensated well. If you want to add an Xbox to your break room, go for it. But without addressing the underlying culture, you’re just putting lipstick on a pig.

The culture at Onebridge is built on our Core Values: Service, Mindfulness, Appreciation, Results and Trust. This is instilled and exemplified from the top down and from the bottom up. It is because of this permeating culture that people choose to work with us, and we’re able to bring in top-performers and continually grow, enabling us to provide so many great perks. A good litmus test to evaluate a company’s culture is to ask: If the company eliminated all its perks today, would employees still want to come to work tomorrow?

I, unequivocally, would; Instead of trying to appeal to me as a millennial, Onebridge appeals to me as a person.

What makes your company a great place to work?

About the Author
Matthew Crissman is a Senior Recruiter at Onebridge who aims to solve the pain that businesses feel when their teams are missing key IT expertise by connecting organizations with candidates that are a fit both technically and culturally. He doesn’t want to just put a body in a seat. Through a consultative approach, he aims to provide industry expertise regarding the IT Labor Market and connect organizations with the best talent to solve business-critical problems.

Share Your ‘Best Places’ Story

If you’ve ever been stuck in a terrible working environment, you know a good one when you find it. The difference could not be more obvious – not only how the employer treats employees, but how happy co-workers are to be working together to accomplish a singular mission.

Since the Indiana Chamber of Commerce hosts the Best Places to Work in Indiana program, we are obviously not putting ourselves in the race to be named one of the top workplaces in the state. We love shining the light on the companies that are true difference-makers in their industries; those that are innovating and making Indiana a better place for not only the products or services they provide, but for their employees to live, work and play.

Each year we highlight many of the companies on the Best Places list in BizVoice magazine. Through interviews and interactions with employers and employees, one of the themes that is evident is the personal connections happening at these companies. Employees are more than just a number. More than just a workforce.

To shine the spotlight even brighter, we’re going to be sharing some of our personal stories with you over the next three weeks as we gear up for the Best Places to Work in Indiana celebration on the evening of May 3. (You can go ahead and reserve tables or tickets here.)

And we want you to share your stories with us and with our followers on social media. If you’re interested in sharing why your workplace is special to you, please take a short video of yourself, tag us @IndianaChamber and use the hashtag #BPTWIN in your posts. We’ll retweet and share those so others can see what makes your company a great place to work.

As an example, here’s my story about why I’ve been proud to work at the Indiana Chamber for the last seven years.

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Keep an eye out for more and we can’t wait to hear from you!

Don’t forget to register for the Best Places to Work in Indiana event on May 3. Find more information at www.indianachamber.com/specialevents

Throwback Thursday: Senior Staffers Still Going Strong a Decade Later

I recently came upon the Indiana Chamber’s 2003 Annual Report. In reviewing our old products, a snapshot of our web site at the time and the overall design elements in our marketing materials, I discovered a lot can change in 10 years.

However, what struck me most was what hasn’t. On this page featuring our senior staff leaders at the time, you see Darla Barnett (CFO), Jennifer Elkin (Senior VP), Mark Lawrance (Senior VP) and Jim Wagner (Director of Business Development). What’s quite intriguing is that all of those people are STILL on the Chamber staff in 2013. (The page also lists our former VP of Labor Relations George Raymond as the fifth senior staff member — who just retired from the Chamber last year.)

Hopefully this speaks to our workplace culture that our most experienced employees are with us for the long haul, and it’s a pleasure to work in their company.

And speaking of workplace culture, we look forward to honoring other Indiana companies for their efforts at the 9th Annual Best Places to Work in Indiana Awards Dinner on May 1.

Celebrating Workplace Best Practices: FORUM Exemplifies Going the Extra Mile

The 2012 Best Places to Work in Indiana companies (70 in total) will be honored at an awards dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom tonight. Many practices go into creating a positive work culture – one of them is fostering teamwork and fellowship, which can be achieved many ways.

For FORUM Credit Union, a first-time honoree, that often takes the shape of giving back to the local community in Hamilton County.

An internal group, FORUM Spirit, coordinates activities and the staff votes on the charity of choice for an entire year.

They once bought a van and packed it full of supplies for the Dayspring Center (a family homeless shelter). The nine FORUM board members also contribute.

“That year, the board chipped in for 12 $100 gas cards so Dayspring would have that for every month. So when you see that from the ultimate leadership, that speaks to the employees,” shares chief operating officer Jenny Budreau.

In 2012, the charity is the Agapé Therapeutic Riding Center in Cicero, which serves approximately 200 clients per week.

Offers Anne Wiseman, vice president of human resources: “Our employees really embrace it. We can make much more of an impact if we’re focused on one group a year. Also, we want our employees to embrace our charities of choice and things that we are doing as an organization because it builds camaraderie with employees – you have a common goal.”

FORUM and its employees also spring into action when needed. When the devastating tornados hit Southern Indiana in February, those working in the call center volunteered, on company time, to a local television outlet to man the phones for the station’s fundraiser.

Best Places to Work Winners Are …

In this time of primarily doom, gloom and unfortunately a little more doom, it sure is nice to be able to tell some positive business stories. Our Chamber communication staff is doing just that in putting together the Best Places to Work in Indiana issue of BizVoice magazine.

Everyone rightfully touts the line that people are what make their company what it is. Only those that back it up, however, with visible actions are the ones that develop the strongest of workplace cultures. These are the organizations that have people knocking on their door wanting to be part of the team, along with earning deep loyalty from existing associates.

The 70 companies being honored at the May 5 awards dinner have been identified. We’ve found businesses that go beyond just generous benefits and flexible work arrangements. Leadership shows it cares, with employees responding with strong productivity and commitment. Leading the way at the top of the small/medium and large company lists are … you didn’t really think I was going to tell, did you?

You’ll need to come to the dinner or catch the BizVoice, debuting at the end of the May 5 event, for the actual rankings. All the companies, however, are winners. Congratulations to them — and thanks for providing us some good news.