Best Places to Work in Maine: And the winners are ...
Courtesy / Kaitlin Gallagher of GingerSnap Rentals
The Best Places to Work in Maine "large company" winner is Edward Jones. Pictured, from left to right, are Amie Parker, director of Maine State Society for Human Resources Management; Peter Neelon, financial advisor for Edward Jones; Dana Connors, Maine State Chamber president; and Julie Barter Lucas, financial advisor, Edward Jones.
Courtesy / Kaitlin Gallagher, GingerSnap Rentals
Medium company winner Patriot Subaru of Saco joins Parker and Connors, from left, Amie Parker, of SHARM; Paul Hall, Kayla Bubar and Brian Beattie of Patriot Subaru; and Dana Connors of Maine State Chamber.
Photo / Kaitlin Gallagher, GingerSnap Rentals
Small company winner Maine Information Network's Dan Andrews joins Amie Parker of SHARM and Dana Connors of Maine State Chamber.
Three companies, two of them repeat winners, topped a field of 75 finalists to be named “Best Place to Work in Maine” at an awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
Edward Jones, Patriot Subaru of Saco and Maine Information Network — respectively, the large, medium and small company winners — were named top places to work in the 13th year of the program sponsored by Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management.
About 650 people, most of them from the 75 companies that made the final cut, attended Tuesday’s awards ceremony. The 75 finalists were announced in August.
The program recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments, the human resources council said. It marks the most recent step in a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence among all Maine companies, the council said.
The theme of the night was that all of the 75 finalists were winners.
“You did it. You created a place where employees love to work,” Peter Burke, president of Best Companies Group, told the gathering.
Burke said that current studies show that on average 41% of employees say they’re engaged or committed to their employer. The businesses represented Tuesday night had a 92% engagement and commitment rating from employees, according to the surveys used to determine the best places to work.
Best Companies Group evaluates each company’s employee policies and procedures as well as survey responses from the companies’ employees. Best said Tuesday that 75% of the final assessment was based on employee surveys, 25% on the company’s policies and procedures.
“This is not a participation award,” said Amie Parker, state director of Society for Human Resources Management Maine State Council. All the companies represented at the Civic Center Tuesday night “have earned it.”
Reflections from the winners
“We have strived so hard to create an engaging place to work, and to do it in the state of Maine is just a bonus,” said Peter Neelon, financial advisor for the Belfast office of financial services provider Edward Jones, which won the top honor for large companies (250 or more employees) for the fifth year in a row.
Patriot Subaru of Saco, top company in the medium business category (50-249 employees), also won for the fifth year in a row.
Brian Beattie, general manager, joked he didn’t know how the company kept winning. “I don’t think I’m that nice a boss,” he said to laughter from the crowd. But he added that those who work for the company “have fun every day we go to work.”
Maine Information Network, based in Augusta, winner in the small business category (15-49 employees) first made the list last year.
Dan Andrews, administrator for the firm, which provides support for the state government website, said the staff is great to work with.
“To the extent we can provide them a good place to work, that’s a no-brainer,” he said.
Several companies finished higher than they did last year.
Making significant jumps were Maine State Credit union, which rose from 17 to 2 and SymQuest, which rose from 25 to 7 in the Medium Company category. Planson International moved from 12 to 2 in the Small Company category. In the Large Company category, Consigli Construction Co. rose from 12 to 2 and TPx Communications from 15 to 8.
This year's finalists
Aside from the winners, other companies recognized Tuesday, along with this year's ranking:
Small companies: Planson International (2), Landry/French Construction (3), Sabattus Regional Credit Union (4), TruChoice Federal Credit Union (5), Octane Marketing (6), Main Land Development Consultants Inc (7), Colby Co. Engineering (8), CCB Inc. (9), SFX America (10).
As well as MPX, Portland; Rich Exterior Solutions, Falmouth; Oxford County Mental Health Services, Rumford and South Paris; Albin, Randall & Bennett, Portland; Trueline, Portland;.Kennebec Federal Savings, Waterville; Tidesmart Global, Falmouth;.Seabreeze Property Services, Portland; Hersey EyeCare, multiple locations; Arkatechture, Portland.
Medium companies: Maine State Credit Union, Augusta and Waterville (2); Down East Credit Union, multiple locations (3); Drummond Woodsum, Portland (4); Damariscotta Bank & Trust, multiple locations (5); Wings for Children and Families, multiple locations (60); SymQuest, Westbrook and Lewiston (7); cPort Credit Union, multiple locations (8); Casco Bay Ford, Yarmouth (9); Allagash Brewing Co., Portland (10).
As well as PeoplesChoice Credit Union, multiple locations; Good Shepherd Food Bank, multiple locations; CES, Inc., multiple locations; Bath Savings Institution, multiple locations; Moody’s Co-worker Owned, Inc., multiple locations; Nonantum Resort, Kennebunkport; Systems Engineering, Portland; Evergreen Credit Union, multiple locations; Community Care, multiple locations; Infinity Federal Credit Union, multiple locations; Bernstein Shur, Portland and Augusta;.Town & Country FCU, multiple locations; Certify Inc., multiple locations; University Credit Union, multiple locations; Finance Authority of Maine, Augusta; Avesta Housing, multiple locations; CashStar, Portland; Maine Credit Union League/Synergent, Westbrook and New Gloucester; Allen Insurance and Financial, multiple locations; Winxnet, Portland; Day’s Jewelers, multiple locations; Connectivity Point, Auburn and Falmouth; Day One, multiple locations; Harriman, Auburn and Portland; GreenPages Technology Solutions, Kittery; Midcoast Federal Credit Union, multiple locations; Katahdin Trust Co., multiple locations.
Large companies: Consigli Construction Co. Inc., Portland (2); Machias Savings Bank, multiple locations (3); Publishers Clearing House, (4); Bangor Savings Bank, multiple locations (5); Darling’s, multiple locations (6); Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Skowhegan and Norridgewock (7); TPx Communications, South Portland, (8); Geiger, Lewiston (9); T-Mobile US, Oakland (10).
As well as, Kennebec Behavioral Health, multiple locations; Huber Engineered Woods LLC, Easton; Tyler Technologies Inc., Yarmouth; Hancock Lumber, Oxford; TD Bank, Portland and Falmouth; Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice, Lewiston; NFI North, multiple locations; InterMed, P.A., multiple locations.
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