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orthern Kentucky is as full of successful and diverse workplaces as it is brimming with vibrant, unique communities. For our inaugural Best Workplaces in Northern Kentucky, NKY Magazine has selected 21 businesses and organizations, large and small, that demonstrate the exceptional qualities that make this region a great place to have a career. Nominations were gathered in November 2019 and the staff of NKY Magazine chose the 21 winners based on the quality of each submission. Eight companies were selected for special recognition, with each earning a superlative for excellence in a facet of workplace culture demonstrated to our selection committee through both their nomination submissions and actions. We encourage readers to join us and representatives from these workplaces at our first Best Workplaces in Northern Kentucky event from 5:30-8 p.m. on February 27 at the Metropolitan Club in Covington’s RiverCenter building at 50 E. Rivercenter Boulevard. Admission is free and potential guests can register online to attend at cincy.live/events By the Editors Company Name
Employees in NKY
Type
Year Founded
Location
Arlinghaus Plumbing, Heating & Air
80
Private
2008
Erlanger
BB Riverboats
75
Private
1979
Newport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) 460
Quasi-Public
1947
Burlington
Covington Catholic High School
40
Nonprofit
1925
Park Hills
DBL Law
69
Private
1955
Crestview Hills
Executive Transportation
75
Private
1961
Newport
Fidant Wealth Partners
19
Private
1992
Crestview Hills
Hilton Cincinnati Airport
110
Private
1987
Florence
Images Advantage Group
22
Public
1997
Burlington
Jewells on Main
20
Public
2008
Warsaw
Jolly Plumbing
50
Private
1979
Wilder
KLH Engineers, PSC
73
Private
1955
Fort Thomas
Last Call Trivia
11
Private
2007
Newport
City of Ludlow Police Department
11
Municipal
1886
Ludlow
McHales Events and Catering
20
Private
1998
Park Hills
Mi Salon Spa
45
Private
1978
Florence
Schneller and Knochelmann Plumbing, Heating, and Air
81
Private
1928
Covington
Shearer Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
22
Private
2006
Florence
St Elizabeth Healthcare
7,000
Nonprofit
1861
Edgewood
Villa Madonna Academy
65
Private nonprofit
1904
Villa Hills
Wiseway Supply
85
Private
1972
Florence
34
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Most Fun Culture: Jolly Plumbing If one were to imagine the work environment of a plumbing company, it’s doubtful words like fun and family-oriented would be the first that came to mind. But that’s exactly what Jolly Plumbing has created with its main office in Wilder. “Our company was founded 40 years ago on treating customers and employees like family,” says owner and CEO Brady Jolly. “We know that if our employees don’t like the place they’re working and the work they’re doing, the customer won’t experience the high level of value needed to retain and attract customers.” Jolly Plumbing keeps work fun with opportunities for team activities. The office has its own basketball court, in which the company hosts pick-up games on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and encourages stress-relieving games of JP (a shortened version of HORSE) throughout the day. The office also has a drink and snack bar, an event center with full kitchen that employees can rent for free and chalkboard brackets for tracking intraoffice debates, like which Adam Sandler movie is best. Outside of work, employees can join company basketball and softball teams, attend pool parties at the owner’s house and meet up for small group activities like axe throwing. According to Jolly, this work environment has created a real team feel, with employees often becoming friends outside the workplace. “We think we can be trendsetters in this home service industry on the employeeemployer relationship. Often, when talking about an industry like ours, words like work-life balance and work happiness are not always thrown around and we want to change that,” adds Jolly. —Corinne Minard
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2020 BEST WORKPLACES IN N K Y BEST RANGE OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Working for an airport can feel like being the resident of a separate small city. With over 450 workers employed directly by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), it’s a unique challenge to foster a cohesive and positive workplace. But Sybil Murphy, human resources executive for CVG, has seen and helped establish a wide array of benefits that make the airport uniquely welcoming and supportive of its employees. One such benefit is the ability to take college classes on site through partnerships with three local colleges—CVG employees can pursue an associate degree from Gateway Community and Technical College, a bachelor’s degree from Thomas More University and a master’s in business administration or organizational leadership through Mount St. Joseph University. All
Dr. Pam Walden
Dr. Lupe Rojas
Dr. Shelley Shearer
Dr. Ann Shackleford
We Welcome New Patients Specializing in All Phases of Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 1335 Hansel Drive | Florence, KY 41042 859-647-7068 | shelleyshearerdmd.com 36
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three have a presence at the airport and only require enrolled employees to attend one class on site per week and attend another weekly session online. CVG also implemented a bonus program for all employees in 2017. “We set company stretch goals at the beginning of the year, announced to every
employee, and if we meet those, we have the potential of every employee earning an extra $1,500,” says Murphy. “That is extremely unique in the airport industry.” Beyond that, Murphy and CVG work hard to foster open communication, trust and a welcoming culture among the hundreds of employees working in various levels
and departments at the airport. Employee town halls and fun events like the annual soup and chili cook-off are held twice to accommodate the availability of the 24hour workforce. “For us, building relationships is important,” Murphy says. “If you build a relationship with someone from a different department, you’re going to work well with that person when they need you.” —KEVIN MICHELL
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2020 BEST WORKPLACES IN N K Y
BEST CONTINUING EMPLOYEE EDUCATION: Schneller and Knochelmann Plumbing, Heating and Air Schneller and Knochelmann Plumbing, Heating and Air, a plumbing, heating and cooling services company with offices in Cincinnati and Covington, creates a positive workplace by staying focused on people. “We believe that we are not a contractor, we are not a plumbing, heating and air
business. We are in the people business, the relationship business. Our people are our greatest asset and our team members know that we want them to be the best person that they can be, which helps their co-workers and the customers,” says Jeremy Lee, general manager.
In addition to providing flexible schedules and hosting team activities like weekly and monthly meetings, the company goes a step beyond by being involved in its employees’ continuing education. “Schneller and Knochelmann is a best workplace because of the experience that
Thanks to our team, CVG Airport continues to be one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States.
HONEST | FRIENDLY | PROMPT
859-287-0912 Jollyplumbing.com 38
Proud to be one of Northern Kentucky’s 2020 Best Workplaces. LEARN MORE AT CVGAIRPORT.COM/CVG
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is Schneller and Knochelmann. We offer an experience for the team to grow and develop their skills in the trades through continued education courses and training classes. These classes range from technical skills to soft skills to leadership skills that help them to stay at the forefront of
the industry. Whether they become more experienced technicians, become leaders of the community or expand their skills into other divisions of the trades, the education that is provided is for a lifetime,” says Lee. —Corinne Minard
It’s not easy to narrow down a beautiful wedding venue that you can easily personalize. Luckily, we have these stunning Cincinnati locations to provide a customizable backdrop that matches your unique love story and wows your guests.
mchalescatering.com (859) 442-7776
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2020 BEST WORKPLACES IN N K Y NKY spotlight
Most Community Driven: BB Riverboats
When local groups, media outlets and government agencies want to solve problems, answer questions or offer advice for events or issues on the Ohio River they inevitably turn to BB Riverboats. That’s because BB Riverboats has been operating riverboat cruises on the Ohio River since the company was founded by Ben Bernstein in 1979, so no company has more interest in preserving the beauty and
heritage of the Ohio River. The company is now run by Bernstein’s son, Alan Bernstein, and his wife, Mary, along with their two children, Terri and Ben Bernstein. Along with a well-seasoned management team and a staff of employees from the community, BB Riverboats is strategically aligned to keep BB Riverboats steered toward a successful future.
”It is a family business and the family works closely with all the employees,” says Terri Bernstein. “Employees stay for years because they love their job.” Most employees are seasonal but continue to return year after year, she says. “We don’t pay the highest—we do pay well—we don’t do company match retirement, but we do provide a great place to work and have fun,” says Terri Bernstein. “It is better to come to a job you love every day than make lots of money and hate it,” she says. BB Riverboats hires mostly from the local community, says Terri Bernstein. “We participate in many community events and focus on the fallen military and the betterment of the Ohio River.” Today, BB Riverboats continues to offer regular dining, sightseeing, kids, holiday, moonlight and specialty cruises as well as providing riverboat tours for weddings and rehearsal dinners, corporate and social events, birthdays and special events, motor coach tours and school outings. —Eric Spangler
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Most Committed to Volunteering and Charity: KLH Engineers When Bob Heil took over as CEO of KLH Engineers in 2015, he quickly looked into creating a charitable foundation that could be an outlet for the company and its employees. That idea became the Keep Lending a Hand fund, which is managed by a small committee of KLH employees. The fund enables KLH Engineers to award tens of thousands to charitable and nonprofit organizations through grants of a few thousand dollars each. “I recognize that there are other companies that would put a much larger number out there,” says Heil, “but for us we’re making this $20,000 commitment year in and year out regardless of company performance.” More than just giving money, the company follows Heil’s philosophy of purposeful engagement. Employees are encouraged to take their community involvement to the next level by joining nonprofit advisory boards and using the 10 paid volunteering hours per year KLH offers its employees.
Moreover, the company—which has four offices in addition to its Fort Thomas headquarters—encourages each of its locations apply their engineering expertise to a pro bono project every year. Last year, the Fort Thomas office redesigned the layout of downtown Cincinnati’s Freestore Foodbank in order to make the experience more positive and welcoming for those who utilize it to get food for their families. “This is the first company that I’ve been
at that prides itself on developing the whole employee—not just the professional, but the personal side as well,” says Max Nevermann, a mechanical designer at KLH and one of the members of the Keep Lending a Hand committee. Through KLH’s commitment to charity work, Nevermann has become a junior board member of Brighton Center and teaches mindfulness and meditation at one of its senior living communities. —Kevin Michell
The inaugural Best Workplaces in NKY event will celebrate the release of NKY Magazine’s list of w w w. b e s t o f n ky. c o m
Presents the Inaugural
this year’s deserving Northern Kentucky companies. This award celebration will feature the 2020 Best Workplaces in NKY awardees, select sponsors and friends of NKY Magazine.
February 27, 2020 5:30pm - 8:00pm
The Metropolitian Club 50 E Rivercenter Blvd # 1900, Covington, KY 41011
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2020 BEST WORKPLACES IN N K Y Most Committed to Employee Wellness: DBL Law
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Jacob Holbrook
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First Financial Bank Event Chair
Trust Financial Executive Challenge Co-Chair
VonLehman Executive Challenge Co-Chair
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When Bob Hoffer took over the role of managing partner at DBL Law in March 2019 after 40 years as a practicing lawyer in the firm, one of things he planned to help foster was a healthier environment for the company’s employees. “One of the things that I am very passionate about is wellness and exercise and eating right,” Hoffer says. “So, we founded our wellness committee on May 8 of last year.”
Partners, associates, staff members and nurses who work with DBL from all three offices comprise the committee, which creates initiatives to maintain and improve employee wellness in all facets. Hoffer mentions that there used to be a monthly pizza lunch for employees, which has since turned into Wellness Wednesdays. These lunches offer healthy options for employees—though pizza is undeniably
popular, these healthier meal options have caught on in the DBL Law offices—and an educational component on topics ranging from heart health and diabetes to managing stress. That is complimented by a regular grocery delivery to the offices with fresh fruits and vegetables for snacking. It started as a weekly occurance but, as Hoffer describes, the snacks were so popular they were gone by Wednesday, necessitating a twice-weekly delivery. DBL Law also offers free gym memberships, biometric screenings, flu shots and shingles vaccines to employees. In addition to physical wellness, Hoffer and DBL Law make sure employees have the freedom to support causes they believe in. “One of the ideas that came out of the Wellness Committee is for the partners here to consider creating a new benefit called VTO—volunteering time off—where the employees get eight hours at some point during the year of their choosing to volunteer at some nonprofit.” —KEVIN MICHELL
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2020 BEST WORKPLACES IN N K Y Best Opportunities for Internal Advancement: St. Elizabeth Healthcare St. Elizabeth Healthcare not only strives to provide the highest quality of care and top-of-the-line patient experience, but also to be the very best place for physicians and associates to work, says St. Elizabeth’s Kymie Woolums. In order to reach that goal, it is essential to offer an exceptional total rewards package—one that provides a range of choices that fits individual needs and lifestyles, she says. This includes actively recruiting and retaining associates of varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds, offering leadership training through its Leadership Academy, offering employee assistance program services at no cost and offering health insurance, dental coverage, vision coverage, long-term care coverage, life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance to both fulland part-time associates, says Woolums. In addition, St. Elizabeth Healthcare offers
The Hilton Cincinnati Airport, a 314-room hotel with 8,273 square feet of conference and event space, works hard to make sure all employees feel included, no matter their background. “We recognize that people are more than what appears on their resume,” says Renee Ellis, the hotel’s human resources manager. “I think our team members genuinely feel cared for, valued and respected here.” To keep everyone connected, the hotel holds monthly lunches for employees, where everyone receives a gift; hosts contests between departments, such as its annual pumpkin contest; and has regular team outings so that everyone can have some fun. In addition, the hotel works to make all employees feel seen by management. “We celebrate achievements and successes together and we learn from our mistakes together,” adds Ellis. The hotel recognizes employees for excellence every month, at the end of each quarter and at the end of every year. This fosters a work environment where the employees share a genuine care and concern for one another, Ellis says. “We are an incredibly diverse team and that’s what makes us so strong.” —Corinne Minard
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student loan repayment assistance, tuition assistance, weight loss programs along with on-site gyms, paid time off with seven days of holidays, a 403(b) employee contribution match, time off for community involvement and flexible work hours, she says. To provide opportunities to advance within the St. Elizabeth Healthcare organization Woolums says the nonprofit organization provides its more that 7,000 full-time employees with training and tuition reimbursement. “At St. Elizabeth Healthcare our associates represent a key piece of our four pillars,” she says. “St. Elizabeth has an associate engagement department that works with associates and leaders to provide a work environment that supports our associates in their day-to-day activities and helps to provide a work life balance.” —Eric Spangler
Most Inclusive CULTURE: Hilton Cincinnati Airport
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