Columbus CEO - 2023 Top Workplaces

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

This year’s Top Workplaces honorees have overcome challenges and created environments where employees thrive. Find out who our 92 winners are and learn some of their keys to success.

Proud to be a 2023 TOP WORK PLACE

Thank you to our teammatesyou are the reason we are a Top Workplace. Your great work, exceptional client service and outstanding professionalism create a Team Daugherty culture worth celebrating.

Great workplaces aren’t created by accident. They are built and nurtured. The Top Workplaces awards recognize the employers that do it well in the eyes of their employees.

The heart of the Top Workplaces award is the employee survey process. Energage administers a 24-question survey to employees, who are the sole deciders of whether a company culture merits recognition.

This is the 11th year that Columbus CEO has partnered with Energage, an employee survey company based in Exton, Pennsylvania, to celebrate exceptional workplaces in Central Ohio

There is no cost to participate in Top Workplaces and no obligation to purchase any product or service. For 2023, 1,954 organizations were invited to survey their employees. Based on employee survey feedback, 92 have earned recognition as Top Workplaces.

In the current job market, it’s more paramount than ever for companies to be intentional about a culture that prioritizes employee appreciation and recognition, says Energage CEO Eric Rubino. “We really need workplaces that inspire employees,” he says. “You have to really acknowledge employees genuinely and consistently.”

The award is open to any employer with 50 or more employees in greater Columbus. Energage tabulates the survey results. Employers are grouped into small, midsize and large categories to best compare similar employee experiences. Employers earn Top Workplaces recognition if their aggregated employee feedback score exceeds national benchmarks. Energage has established those benchmarks based on feedback from more than 27 million employees over 17 years. Participants are ranked within those groups based on the strength of the survey feedback.

To participate in the 2024 Top Workplaces awards, or for more information, go to columbusceo.com/nominate.

Bob Helbig, Energage

Proud to be a top workplace.

At Grange, we know that it’s our people who make us great. We’ve built an inclusive and caring culture that values and invests in every associate. Together, we’ve created a truly special place to work.

BETTER BEGINS WITH OUR PEOPLE

Worthington Industries has been named a Top Columbus Workplace for 11 consecutive years. What’s the secret to our success? The answer is simple: Our people.

Our employees make Worthington special through all that they do for our customers, our communities and each other. The products and solutions they make positively impact lives all over the world.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our employees for their contributions, commitment and relentless pursuit of progress – you make Worthington better every day. Congratulations!

2013-2023

WorthingtonIndustries.com

These 92 organizations are the 2023 Top Workplaces. They are listed by their rankings, which were determined by Columbus CEO research partner Energage, in three size categories based on the number of Columbus region employees. Data is current as of employee surveys from late 2022.

LARGE ORGANIZATIONS (350 OR MORE EMPLOYEES)

MIDSIZE ORGANIZATIONS (125 TO 349 EMPLOYEES)

SMALL ORGANIZATIONS (124 OR FEWER EMPLOYEES)

The following special award recipients were chosen based on standout scores for employee responses to specific survey statements. Employees rate these statements on a seven-point scale, from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Special Awards

CLUED-IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company.

Total Quality Logistics

COMMUNICATION

I feel well-informed about important decisions at this company.

Panda Restaurant Group

APPRECIATION

I feel genuinely appreciated at this company.

Hamilton Capital

WORK/LIFE FLEXIBILITY

I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life. Advocate TRAINING

I get the formal training I want for my career.

Worthington Industries

BENEFITS

My benefits package is good compared to others in this industry.

Beam

chninc.org

Secrets to Success

KATHY

Creating a supportive, familyfriendly atmosphere isn’t the easiest task at a real estate company where nearly everyone is an independent contractor.

So, Dana Gentry was delighted to learn that her company, Keller Williams Consultants Realty, was named one of the Top Workplaces in Central Ohio for the first time in 2023. “We have a really good family feel that starts from the moment associates are onboarding with us,” says Gentry, operating partner for the Keller Williams franchise, one of several in the Columbus area. “I think they know that not only do we care about them but about the people around us and the community.”

Company culture can go a long way toward propelling organizations to achieve Top Workplaces status. Ninety-two winners were selected this year based on employee responses to surveys collected by research firm Energage. Employees or independent contractors of nominated companies weigh in on numerous areas, including five “positivity measures,” ranging from how they felt about their company’s values to whether they felt included, appreciated and part of something meaningful. Not surprisingly, this year’s winners score well in these areas.

At Jewish Family Services of Columbus, which was named a Top Workplace for the third time, one key to employee

satisfaction is a collaborative environment, says CEO Karen Mozenter. “We work hard at having a ‘frontline-back’ culture, meaning we value the opinions of our frontline staff who are working directly with clients,” Mozenter says. “We want them to feel empowered to bring suggestions and ideas forward, to know they have an impact on the organization.”

Founded in 1908, Jewish Family Services is a nonprofit social services agency whose 60 employees help Jewish and non-Jewish individuals find jobs and overcome life hurdles. Last year, the agency helped 4,641 people, including nearly 600 who secured new jobs.

“We track our impact, and our employees know the work we do together makes a huge impact on the community,” Mozenter says. “If someone wants to do meaningful work, there is no better place to be. In a very divisive society, we are the antidote to what’s happening in the world. The work we do together fights antisemitism, xenophobia, racism and hatred.”

Mozenter knows that her staff could find other jobs that pay more, so the agency

ABOVE: Worthington Industries hosted a “Decade of Better” celebration for employees, recognizing the company’s 10th consecutive year of being a Top Workplace, as well as its 10th year achieving a John Deere Partner-level Supplier designation.

LEFT: A gift drive at Jewish Family Services

BELOW: Worthington Industries’ corporate IT department held a Diwali celebration with music, games and food.

shows its appreciation in other ways: being flexible when staff face their own family challenges, celebrating birthdays and work anniversaries, having social gatherings and encouraging employees to represent the agency in the community.

“Staff appreciation is one of our board’s top priorities,” she says. Board members sometimes call employees to thank them for their work and hold office hours so workers can sit and talk. And the agency’s “we believe” statements are posted in every office: beliefs such as standing up for each other and feeling safe and connected with each other despite differences.

Strong values, communication and recognition efforts help drive employee satisfaction at four of this year’s Top Workplaces honorees.

By

LYNN GRAY

COURTESY WORTHINGTON INDUSTRIES

COURTESY JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES

COURTESY WORTHINGTON INDUSTRIES

“Think Like Owners”

Worthington Industries, which has been named a Top Workplace for 11 consecutive years, reflects similar values, says Andy Rose, president and CEO. “We’re a Golden Rule company,” Rose says. “We treat others the way we want to be treated.”

The public company, founded in 1955 by John H. McConnell, is a steel processor and producer of electrical steel laminations and automotive products, as well as consumer, building and sustainable energy products. Globally the company has 9,500 employees, with 5,000 in the United States and 1,800 in Central Ohio.

“You can have a great place to work, where people feel respected and appreciated, and you can do that and also make money,” Rose says. “One of our philosophies is to get employees to think like owners, and then you get the kind of behaviors that drive performance and have people who are confident and feel that they’re accomplishing goals as a team.”

To that end, Worthington Industries has profit sharing; perks such as a full-service medical center, a park and an on-site

fitness center and barber shop; and employee councils that bring workers’ concerns to company leadership. “Concerns can be about anything from pay to more paper towels are needed in the bathroom,” Rose says. “We have historically empowered employees to make decisions and help us make their jobs better, and more recently we’ve also focused on being more

proactive with diversity and a focus on women and minorities and how we can lift them up.”

Rose says that respecting employees is a competitive advantage, and the company does that in many ways, including development programs that allow employees to move up in the company, encouraging employees to volunteer in the community

human

we’re not limited by what we see. We embrace a world full of possibilities and believe technology can help

A field team from Mid-City Electric works on the new, 28-floor Hilton Columbus Downtown tower.

during work hours and subsidizing health care benefits at above-industry standards. “You don’t have to be the angry manager yelling at people,” he says. “It’s all about treating people respectfully.”

Mid-City Electric of Westerville won its second consecutive Top Workplaces award this year, and President Brian Dew believes the honor goes back to the company’s core values. “We have an exceptional work ethic, we always do the right thing, we’re customer-service driven, and we treat our employees like family,” Dew says.

The private company, founded in 1960, has 500 employees and does commercial and industrial electrical work as well as low-voltage teledata work.

“The main key to our success is our people, and we want everyone in our organization to be successful,” Dew says. “We want to support the whole person. Treating them like family means getting to know them on a personal level. We try to help them with their growth and career development and help them with whatever they need in their current position or whatever position they want to get to.”

Mid-City Electric also encourages employees to mentor each other and holds quarterly all-staff meetings to share updates and listen to concerns. It also sponsors social events, offers a free breakfast on National Employee Appreciation Day, has profit sharing and pays 100 percent of employee health benefits.

Dew says the company also shows its appreciation by posting work anniversaries and birthdays on social media and on a big-screen TV in the breakroom. “We’re not in this business just to get out of our employees what they can provide to the company,” he says. “We want them to know they’re valued.”

Other Engagement Tactics

Keller Williams Consultants has an employee whose job is to identify agents who

LEFT: Mid-City Electric team members show support for an employee fighting breast cancer.

RIGHT: Keller Williams Consultants agents participate in a “mastermind” session at the Grove City office.

BELOW RIGHT: Keller Williams founder Gary Keller with agents Emily Tatman, Teresa Kenney and Stacy Miller

exemplify its culture, values and work ethic. The company also sponsors more than 20 special-interest committees for agents, including for young professionals and LGBTQ individuals. “We want them to feel they’re part of something,” Gentry says. “We care about them, not just about how we can help them sell another house and build wealth.”

Collaboration also is a hallmark at Keller Williams, Gentry says. The franchise, founded in 2003, has four locations in the Columbus area with 360 employees and independent contractors. “We want to be open and approachable and have a lot of transparency,” she says. One vehicle for this is a council of agents who bring concerns to company leadership. Two years ago, as a result of one concern, the company capped how much it could collect from each team of agents. “We took it on the chin, but really it was a win-win,” she says, in that it benefitted agents and therefore the organization as a whole.

Nationally, Keller Williams’ values are God, family and business, Gentry says, so the company tries to incorporate associates’ families into many of its activities. Just over two years ago, Gentry’s franchise redefined its mission, which now is to be

the most impactful organization in the community and for its associates to make a difference in something bigger than themselves. That translates into donations to multiple community groups, both monetarily and through fundraisers and volunteering, she says.

“Our agents know they’re a part of something bigger, part of something with forward thinking,” Gentry says. “That’s the feedback that we get, that they wouldn’t be part of this company if not.”

ANDY ROSE, president and CEO, Worthington Industries

“You can have a great place to work, where people feel respected and appreciated, and you can do that and also make money.”

COURTESY KELLER WILLIAMS CONSULTANTS REALTY (2)

Engaging Employees

Grange Insurance builds culture through collaboration, creativity and associate feedback.

By LAURA NEWPOFF

In 2018, Tiffany Herron was working at Grange Insurance when she had two miscarriages. Team leaders supported her decision to take time off work, but she wasn’t sure whether it was covered under a bereavement policy or if she’d need to take paid time off. It felt like a “gray area” that wasn’t really spelled out in the associates’ guide.

Not long afterward, a co-worker shared an article about another company that implemented an expanded bereavement policy. Herron did some research and scheduled a meeting with Grange’s director of benefits to see how their policy’s gray area could be improved.

“Our leadership is so accessible that I was able to take an idea, share it and have it implemented in our associates’ guide this year,” says Herron, an associate and talent and training manager at the Columbusbased property and casualty insurer, which ranked No. 1 in the large organization category in 2023 Top Workplaces. “Now it’s not a gray area anymore. It’s written down and is a benefit that’s available to everyone.”

Grange Insurance

Business: Property and casualty insurance

President and CEO: John Ammendola

Employees: 1,261

2022 Revenue: $1.47 billion

Expanding the bereavement policy to include “compassion care” leave for miscarriage, failed fertility procedures and adoptions isn’t the only instance of leadership’s forward-leaning approach to addressing associates’ needs. New this year is an improved employee assistance program through Spring Health that provides personalized mental health care for every employee. It’s a result of feedback that the old EAP platform was complicated and felt clunky, Herron says. The company also supports the physical wellness of its employees through Virgin Pulse, an activity tracker and well-being and engagement platform, where Grange holds contests and offers gift card rewards.

Last year, a new “Connections” event brought people from across the company to the home office over the course of three days to spend valuable face time together. It included meet-and-greets, leadership panel discussions, and food and entertainment. The event was a hit, and “Connections 2.0” will be held in May.

Grange, which employs 1,261 people and has offices in several cities and states, also continues to offer a hybrid work model so employees can work remotely when it’s convenient for them.

Damon Porter, senior vice president and

chief human resources officer at Grange, says 2022 was a challenging year to be in the insurance business because of rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, catastrophic weather events and a tight labor market. The company persevered thanks to how strongly its associates were able to support customers’ peace of mind and offer them protection during life’s unexpected events, he says. “2022 allowed our associates to truly step into that space and demonstrate [their resiliency] on so many levels,” Porter says. “You don’t wish for those type of challenges, but it’s gratifying to see how our associates rose to the occasion in so many ways to meet the mark, the need and to deliver for our stakeholders.”

Part of building a resilient associate base is a focus on a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. According to information from its Top Workplaces nomination: “Grange values all the things that make us unique as humans. We’re committed to creating and supporting a workforce that reflects differences ranging from race, gender and age to thoughts, perspectives and experiences.”

The company says it continues to increase the number of diverse new hires and promotions, provides unconscious bias training to all associates and has policies

Photos by TIM JOHNSON

Grange Insurance President and CEO John Ammendola (top right) with employees (front row, from left) Harika Ballekari, DJ McGrew, Jackie Merkle, (back row, from left) Maria Flores, Doreen DeLaney Crawley and Jason Williams

671 S. High St., Columbus grangeinsurance.com

that prohibit discrimination of any kind. Initiatives include a Veterans Day luncheon, Diwali festivities and a “Day of Understanding,” which is an in-house diversity and inclusion learning opportunity.

Multiple associate resource groups, which include PRIDE Partnership and Allies, Multicultural Group, Women’s Group and Young Professionals, promote employee engagement and offer opportunities to contribute ideas and engage in community outreach, professional development and networking.

Professional development is offered at all levels of the organization—from its intern program to new associate onboarding to training for senior leaders.

As an insurance company with deep roots in Columbus, Grange—founded in 1935— is committed to giving back. A multifaceted community relations program includes financial support, volunteerism, nonprofit board participation, in-kind donations and rent-free use of Grange event space. The company primarily supports nonprofits focused on health and human services, education, the arts and community

enrichment programs.

“We have an opportunity to continue to build on our culture,” Porter explains. “A lot of culture work has been done intentionally the last couple of years, but we’re really laser focused on work to build associate engagement, retention and development. Our destiny continues to be [tied to] positioning our associates to be their best selves in this type of environment, and a lot of that is tied to the environment that we create for them.”

“At Grange, we continuously strive to build a high performing company and culture that allows every associate to be the best version of themselves,” President and CEO John Ammendola said in a written statement. “We know that when we bring unique perspectives together through mutual respect, collaboration and creativity, the greatest outcomes are achievable. As we continue to build on our strong legacy of inclusivity, we are honored to be recognized as a Top Workplace in Columbus. Grange is committed to continuous learning, progress and action to ensure all associates know: You belong at Grange Insurance.”

Thisis atruetestamentofthehardwork anddedicationofouramazingstaff.Weare sogratefulforeachandeveryoneofyou andthecontributionsyoumaketo

Kenneth'severyday.Yourpassionforthe beautyindustry,commitmenttoexcellence, anddedicationtoourclientshavehelpedus maintainourreputationas atopworkplace. Thankyouforbeing apartofourteamand formakingKenneth's agreatplacetowork.

Grange Insurance employees (from left) Harika Ballekari, Jason Williams and Maria Flores work in the company’s Innovation Center.

DAMON PORTER, chief human resources officer, Grange Insurance

“A lot of culture work has been done intentionally the last couple of years, but we’re really laser focused on work to build associate engagement, retention and development.”

Giving Back

EMH&T invests in employees at work and in the community.

By LAURA NEWPOFF

As a child, Matthew McFadden was a Boy Scout who found rock climbing with ropes fascinating. As he grew up, he took different ropes courses as part of his passion for the outdoors. When he graduated from Ohio University with a degree in civil engineering in 2017, he looked for opportunities to volunteer his skills and found the Ohio Special Response Team, which responds to a variety of emergencies and disasters in support of civil authorities.

“They had a rope team, but it needed advancing,” says McFadden, who works as a project engineer – structures at EMH&T. “The past few years, my project has been to get it to a team that’s farther along. It faces challenges in training and acquiring new equipment. Rope rescue equipment does not come cheap.”

The self-funded OSRT deploys to help find lost hikers and missing persons, perform wilderness rescues, help with police evidence searches, provide safety education and assist in recovery operations. McFadden and his team members carry 200-foot ropes that cost $300 apiece and also need a variety of other elements such

EMH&T

5500 New Albany Road, Columbus emht.com

Business: Land development and public works engineering consulting firm

President: Sandy Doyle-Ahern

Employees: 320

2022 Revenue: $72 million

as pulleys, carabiners, descenders, anchor slings and storage bags. “This is life-saving equipment, so when you are hanging 50 feet in the air, you don’t want to have to question if your equipment is OK,” McFadden says.

When he heard about a new grant program EMH&T was launching in 2022 that contributes funding to organizations where employees serve and volunteer, he decided to apply. McFadden received one of the five inaugural awards the civil engineering consulting firm handed out at the end of the year.

“The firm is investing in me, not only during my time at work but as a member of the community by supporting my mission of helping others, even when it’s not really within my work practice,” McFadden says. “It’s awesome to see that for a group where it’s hard to get funding. It’s inspiring that my firm is supporting this work that directly serves our local community.”

The firm’s support of its employees and the community are among the elements that led it to be named the No. 1 Top Workplace among midsize organizations for the second year in a row.

President Sandy Doyle-Ahern says EMH&T, which was founded in 1926, has a long history of community service and volunteerism. Each year, its 320 employees participate in company-sponsored

activities such as food and toy drives, blood drives, Special Olympics, Engineers Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity home builds. The firm also gives employees paid time off to volunteer. The new grant program expands on these efforts.

“We really expect our employees to be engaged in it; we’re looking for people who actively show up at an organization and assist and demonstrate a direct connection,” she says. “We ended up with quite a few applications, and every single one of the [grant recipients] is truly engaged. It was so great to see people get acknowledged for what they’re doing in the community for something they care about.”

Jim Dziatkowicz, director of planning and landscape architecture at EMH&T, says the grant initiative allows employees to see how others are contributing outside the office. “Of the five that won, three of them—I had no idea these co-workers were doing this in the community,” he says. “It’s created awareness and also inspired people who maybe think, ‘Oh, I just do this thing in the community.’ Now they probably think, ‘Oh, I could probably submit [an application] next year.’ It gets people inspired about what they are doing.”

Another new initiative for the company last year was an office refresh—the first in about two decades, says Doyle-Ahern, who has been with the firm 26 years. The

Photos by TIM JOHNSON

EMH&T employees fill the lobby of the company’s headquarters near New Albany. Behind the desk are President Sandy Doyle-Ahern (right) and executive vice president and chief operating officer Doug Romer.

undertaking included integrating pictures of the firm’s projects, community service and team building into the physical space to tell stories to prospective employees and clients about how the firm touches the community.

Diversity, equity and inclusion also is a top culture priority to create a workplace that is well-rounded, comprehensive and welcoming. EMH&T encourages and supports organizations, including STEMbased groups, that expose young people of all races, genders and backgrounds to professional service areas, such as civil engineering, land survey, environmental science and other specialties.

Professionally, EMH&T is dedicated to each employee’s enrichment and development. The firm strives to provide

each person with a career journey that incorporates a range of possibilities. That includes providing the resources, opportunities, feedback and coaching to allow each individual to succeed.

Mike Keller, a partner and director of public works, says team leaders make it a point to give young professionals ongoing engagement opportunities with the 13 different service areas that exist within the firm. “It’s a chance for young engineers to learn about all the different elements of the business and understand all the parts that come together to make a project successful,” he says. “It also gives our younger employees a chance to visualize what their future here could hold and all the opportunities that are available to them.”

EMH&T President Sandy Doyle-Ahern (left) and executive vice president and chief operating officer Doug Romer SANDY DOYLE-AHERN, president, EMH&T

“We really expect our employees to be engaged in [volunteerism]; we’re looking for people who actively show up at an organization and assist and demonstrate a direct connection.”

Passion for People

By VIRGINIA BROWN

In 1997, Central Ohio native Matt Hamilton founded Hamilton Capital, a full-service wealth management firm, with a singular vision: helping people fulfill their purpose.

Largely inspired by his father, who rose to become president of a publicly traded company, Hamilton gleaned much of his business acumen through dinner-table discussions with his dad. “He drilled in me what it takes to grow a business and how hard that is, and also, what one might pay to own that business,” Hamilton says. “That stuck with me forever, and it’s really influenced how we manage money to this day.”

More than 25 years later, he continues to put those lessons, and others he’s learned along the way, into practice. In 2023, Hamilton Capital makes its Top Workplaces debut, ranked No. 1 in the small organization category.

Originally a small staff of three, the firm now employs 82 and manages more than $3.7 billion in assets from two locations, in Columbus and Palm Beach, Florida. “Our

assets under management have grown at a compounded annual growth rate for 25 years at nearly 18 percent,” Hamilton says. “We serve as our clients’ chief investment officer.”

But for Hamilton, building wealth is about more than money. “People were built for relationships and impact, and we all have a deep desire to have influence and significance,” he says. “What money does is give you another avenue to have significance and impact things—the people and causes you have a passion or a calling for.”

Hamilton Capital uses tests and professional development to help employees identify their natural talents and abilities. “We are hyper-focused on … helping understand what their strengths are, how they operate, how they process information, how they receive information, and

how they give information,” Hamilton says. “And it helps us to work as a cohesive team.”

“It’s a passion I’ve had all my life; it’s a passion for people,” he says. “It’s really about individuals living the very best life that they can have.”

What he jokingly refers to as “the curse of the Hamilton family work ethic” also rubs off on his team. “We are driven to always do our best, and in that is a spirit of continuous innovation: How can we do it better tomorrow than we did it today?” Hamilton says.

The firm works to create growth so employees can tap into immediate opportunities, according to Hamilton. “We have a team that is highly talented both on the wealth management and investment management side, which is very unusual.”

Hamilton Capital has helped clients build their portfolios for 25 years.

Photo by TIM JOHNSON

Hamilton Capital employees (front row, from left) Chairman and CEO Matt Hamilton, June Meeker, (back row, from left) Mike Faieta, Katelyn Walls, Patrick Moriarty and Casey Kimbler

Business: Full-service wealth management firm

Chairman & CEO: R. Matthew Hamilton Employees: 82

MATT HAMILTON, chairman and CEO, Hamilton Capital

The culture is one not of cutthroat competition, but of hard work. “I don’t try to set up a lot of competition between individuals,” Hamilton says. “I say, ‘Go be the very best version of you that you possibly can be, and it’ll all take care of itself.’ ”

Managing director Mike Faieta, who’s been with the company for 23 years, remembers sitting in the office late one night when he was just a few years into the job, frustrated by his work performance compared with another associate. “Matt said, ‘You are your own competition,’ and it just hit me right between the eyeballs,” Faieta says. “Most of us hold ourselves back more than anyone else.”

Faieta cites the company’s vision and the

focus on purpose for his lengthy tenure. “Matt had a vision of providing a career for people that was worthy of their lives and purpose,” Faieta says. “I remember it vividly, and nothing’s really changed.”

These days, Faieta, who also serves on the company’s strategic leadership team, is the one mentoring others with that same message.

Last year marked Hamilton Capital’s 25th anniversary, and, despite the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and international conflicts that all added to a volatile market, the firm launched a new fund and ended the year on a good note. “It was a year where we just continued to build on our strengths,

and we did it in a very challenging financial environment,” Hamilton says. “There was no place to hide, but we came through that with flying colors … heads and shoulders above what others did, in my view.”

Hamilton doesn’t expect that to change any time soon. “It’s going to be a very challenging next 10 years in the investment environment,” he says. To weather that storm, he adds, it’s going to take continued top-down teamwork.

“It’s not just about what our organizational leaders are—people at every level are leaders,” Hamilton says. “When we unleash their full potential, it’s going to be hard to stop.”

Columbus

Another Banner Year

We sincerely thank our dedicated team of financial professionals and staff for their relentless commitment and for making us one of the Top Workplaces for the last 7 years.

To learn more about rewarding career opportunities and our great company culture, just scan the QR code.

Just like a great financial plan, success is built upon great people & great relationships.

“People were built for relationships and impact, and we all have a deep desire to have influence and significance. What money does is give you another avenue to have significance and impact things—the people and causes you have a passion or a calling for.”

Honoring Excellence

By PETER TONGUETTE

Among the 92 organizations named to Top Workplaces 2023, employment research firm Energage presents special awards in 13 categories, from Appreciation to Communication to Leadership to Work/Life Flexibility.

Here’s a snapshot of three of the award winners. (Read the full list on Page 8.)

Revolution Mortgage

Special Award: Managers

Revolution Mortgage originated with four founders who joined forces to form the Westerville-based company in 2018. CEO Tony Grothouse, President Tim Johnson, human resources director Dave Lukacsko and sales director Joe Frank each brought years of experience to the table.

“Us four owners were [mortgage] originators,” Lukacsko says. “We’ve worked for other, larger companies. … We just wanted to be known as the company that treats its staff fairly and does the right thing.”

Because of their familiarity with the industry, they were attuned to the particular stresses it places on a workforce. “There are a lot of things going on, and nobody’s situation is exactly the same,” Grothouse says. “It keeps you on your toes. Sometimes it can demand a lot of extra hours.”

Employees are asked to power through prosperous times—when interest rates

dipped several years ago, Revolution asked for an “all-hands-on-deck” effort—and the company tries to pay back that loyalty during periods of challenge.

Like businesses everywhere, the company went virtual during the pandemic, but today leaders continue to encourage, and provide support for, many staff members working from home. “We’ve instilled trust in our staff,” Lukacsko says. “If you’re going to work from home five, six days a week … we’re going to empower you to not just get the job done, but get it done at a high, high level.”

The recent downturn in the housing market has impacted staffing, but not as much as some lenders. “We had to let go of a few people, but generally speaking, versus our peers, it was far less,” says Grothouse, adding that the company lost between 6 percent and 8 percent of its staff.

During good times or bad, however, the company views an open line of communication between managers and other workers as essential. The process begins with

of

their

Revolution Mortgage

480 Olde Worthington Road, Suite 300, Westerville; revolutionmortgage.com

Business: Residential mortgage lender

CEO and Co-founder: Tony Grothouse

Employees: 560

2022 Revenue: would not disclose

selecting good managers, Grothouse says. “We look for leaders, people that can drive behaviors from other people and put them in a great position,” he says. “Our managers do an incredible job of putting their fellow employees in a place to succeed.”

Managers are asked to be at the ready to solve problems or answer questions. “We’re trying to push each other, not to see who can outwork the other one, but to be available, to answer questions quickly, to give back to your counterparts,” Lukacsko says.

Barriers between departments, such as sales and operations, are discouraged; teamwork is encouraged. “[Employees]

Revolution Mortgage executives (from left) Tim Johnson, Tony Grothouse, Brian Covey, Joe Frank and Dave Lukacsko at the 2023 branch managers summit

COURTESY REVOLUTION MORTGAGE

These special award winners earned top marks from their employees in quality of managers, meaningfulness and new ideas.

TONY GROTHOUSE, CEO and co-founder, Revolution Mortgage

“Our managers do an incredible job

putting

fellow employees in a place to succeed.”

Campers at Flying Horse Farms

don’t always have the right answer, so they’re willing to listen to another manager, another leader, another executive that might—and [managers] are willing to listen to their subordinates,” Lukacsko says.

In the process, a family feeling is fostered. “You spend a majority of your life at work, and we don’t want it to seem like work,” Lukacsko says.

Employees embrace one-on-one training as a comfortable environment in which to improve. “A lot of people are afraid to admit where they struggle [and] don’t want to be picked out of the pack and have all eyes on them,” Grothouse says.

The company also offers group training, which provides employees a chance to collaborate. “They can share across the ecosystem: ‘Hey, what’s working? What’s the best procedure?’ ” Grothouse says. “That group setting … really is an opportunity to have that mastermind session to figure some of those things out.”

Team-building activities were more common before the pandemic, but sometimes even small gestures have an impact on employee morale in a business as volatile as mortgage lending.

“I had my assistant go out and send all

the underwriters a bottle of wine and just thank them for everything,” Grothouse says. “Kind of like, ‘This one’s on us.’ … Sometimes it’s more those little things.”

Flying Horse Farms

Special Award: Meaningfulness

Anyone familiar with Flying Horse Farms is likely to find meaning in its mission.

The nonprofit camp in Mount Gilead invites around 1,000 children with serious illnesses onto its campgrounds annually. Activities such as boating, archery, swimming, rock climbing and arts and crafts are available for youngsters experiencing a range of health conditions.

“We have what is like an urgent care in the woods: We’ve got a medical team, a psychosocial team,” says Flying Horse Farms President and CEO Nichole E. Dunn. “That allows for the program team to provide [campers] with traditional camp experiences.”

This year, the program, which draws families from Central Ohio and beyond, will welcome its 10,000th camper.

“When a child lives with a serious illness, they often cannot spend a night away from home except for a hospital room,”

Campers at Flying Horse Farms

Flying Horse Farms

5260 State Route 95, Mount Gilead flyinghorsefarms.org

Business: Camp for children with serious illnesses

President and CEO: Nichole E. Dunn

Employees: 60 to 70 (25 year-round staff members)

2022 Revenue: would not disclose

Dunn says. “We make it possible for them to come here for a weekend, if not for an entire week, then that gives respite to the family [and] the child gets to live a life that they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

As much as the experience will be treasured by the campers, it will also be remembered by the employees at Flying Horse Farms, which has a full-time workforce of 25 but swells as high as 70 when factoring in seasonal staffers. “The thing that we hear time and time again from team members, whether it be our seasonal team or our year-round team, is that … we see a camper come day one—arrival day— and then by the end of the week, they are a whole different kid,” says Cody Cavinee, human resources manager.

Dunn refers to the camp’s “spirit of service leadership.”

“One of our guarantees is that everybody that interacts with Flying Horse Farms has the opportunity for a transformational experience,” she says.

In evaluating prospective employees, the organization’s leaders look beyond the hard skills unique to each position in a search for workers who are “all-in,” trustworthy, exemplify an attitude of optimism and take initiative—all of which are Flying Horse Farms’ key operating values.

These values are reinforced during conversations with supervisors every 90 days. “It just allows for open, transparent conversation: How are you being perceived and

COURTESY FLYING HORSE FARMS

NICHOLE E. DUNN, president and CEO, Flying Horse Farms

“One of our guarantees is that everybody that interacts with Flying Horse Farms has the opportunity for a transformational experience.”

how do you self-identify and demonstrate awareness of these behaviors?” Dunn says. “It just puts a speed bump four times a year to have the conversation.”

Employees have come to appreciate the mantra of “campers first,” which emphasizes children’s safety first and foremost. “The guiding principle about ‘campers first’ is, every decision has to start with safety and ends with ‘have fun,’ ” Dunn says. “Because if we’re not having fun while we’re doing all those things, then why do we have camp?”

That doesn’t mean working at Flying Horse Farms is easy. “It’s not about being positive all the time,” Dunn says. “It’s about being solutions-focused and being able to show up with that all-in attitude.”

Flying Horse Farms seeks to acknowledge employees’ needs throughout the year, particularly at a time of crisis.

“Last year we had a tornado,” Dunn says. “It was during our heart diagnosis week, so we had kids who were here with heart conditions. That can be stressful. … How are we debriefing? How are we acknowledging and accepting that each person might react in the moment, two days later, two months later?”

Those who work at or with Flying Horse Farms walk away feeling nurtured, supported and inspired, Cavinee says, citing the example of nurses who come to work with campers.

“They see a lot of badness, not great things, when they’re working in . . . hospitals or even pediatrician offices,” Cavinee says. “They get to come here, and they get to see a whole different side to their patients and the kids when they’re working here. It just really does reaffirm why what we do is so important.”

Slalom Special Award: New Ideas

It shouldn’t be surprising that ideas are the coin of the realm at a consulting company. The consultants at Slalom, a Seattle-based business and technology consulting organization that operates in seven countries, seek to serve clients in a variety of fields, including health care, manufacturing, banking, retail and the public sector.

“We do the broad stroke of management consulting,” says Columbus general manager Channie Mize, whose office works with clients not only in the capital city but also in Cleveland and Cincinnati. The 85 local consultants can be supplemented by employees from other markets who may have niche specialties.

Such assignments require expertise and imagination, and Mize says Slalom aims to foster an environment in which those qualities are nurtured and developed. “We are always looking for people to lean forward,” she says. “Everybody has a right to have a thought or a new idea, and we’re constantly going out and asking our team for that kind of feedback.”

The approach not only benefits Slalom’s clients, but also creates a satisfying atmosphere within its own walls. “Being able to be part of a culture of innovation is one of the things that our consultants highlight as being most important to them in their overall career satisfaction,” says managing

director Pat Tyler.

Key to the open exchange of ideas is what Mize describes as a flat organizational structure. “People always say, but really we mean it: We have an open-door policy,” Mize says, pointing to a weekly stand-up meeting during which ideas can be generated. “We throw out different topics, and everybody talks,” she says. “It’s not based on hierarchy. Everybody who joins that call is going to have time to talk in that call. … Everybody has a voice.”

Multiple groups offer Slalom consultants a chance to participate. Any given week, an innovation group might be talking about new tools to help clients—say, ChatGPT— and a “maker space” within its own office invites employees to develop an idea in a controlled setting. “It’s something that they can showcase out for everybody else to see,” Mize says.

Miro boards are used for those who might not always want to speak up within a group. “I think too many times, people do problem-solving and brainstorming, and the loudest people talk,” Mize says. “But some of the best ideas are from the quietest people.” Technology like Miro, which offers an online whiteboard and other tools, can bring those voices forth.

By their nature, ideas don’t always pan out—and that’s accepted at Slalom. “We reward new ideas even if they fail. … There’s no harm in honest failure,” Mize says.

Slalom’s June 2022 quarterly team meeting at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium COURTESY SLALOM

CHANNIE MIZE, Columbus general manager, Slalom

“Everybody has a right to have a thought or a new idea, and we’re constantly going out and asking our team for that kind of feedback.”

The company’s culture of ideation pays off when consultants are working with clients. “The team isn’t afraid to raise their hand,” Mize says. “They’re not afraid to talk to a client and say, ‘By the way, I noticed this, and I heard this the other day [with] another client. … Have you thought about doing something like that?’ It allows us to bring the best thinking to our clients.”

Ideas don’t have to be ready to implement to be beneficial to Slalom’s clients, Tyler says. “We’re finding that if we start those conversations earlier, even before we have fully baked solutions, that gives our clients an opportunity to build upon where the momentum is in that particular innovation area,” he says. “That type of iterative approach to innovation we found works a lot more effectively, particularly at the local level where we have Columbus consultants talking to Columbus clients.”

In the end, Slalom’s collaborative approach is designed to create a workforce dedicated to generating fresh and relevant concepts—and a high level of personal satisfaction. “People are really happy being here, and I love that,” Mize says. “I hope that never changes.”

Slalom

Business: Global business and technology consulting company

General Manager (Columbus): Channie Mize

Employees: approximately 13,000

2022 Revenue (Columbus only): $45 million

Slalom leadership and sales team members attend a fall dinner at Forbidden Root.

COURTESY SLALOM

with

National Awards

The following employers were designated as Top Workplaces USA, a national recognition earned based on results of employee surveys from 2023 Top Workplaces local winners. This year, Energage ranked the top 100 companies in each size group. Other winners in each category are listed in alphabetical order.

2,500+ employees

1. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

17. United Rentals Inc.

21. ChenMed

23. Panda Restaurant Group

32. CGI

36. Ensemble Health Partners

52. Stewart Title

63. Fifth Third Bank

68. Groundworks*

1,000-2,499 employees

2. Daugherty Business Solutions

5. Union Home Mortgage Corp.

22. NFM Lending

500-999 employees

6. Revolution Mortgage

• Birge & Held Asset Management

• Citrin

• Fairfield County, Ohio

• Mid-City Electric

• Romanoff Group

• Summit Home Care

• The Superior Group

150-499 employees

• Elford

• EMH&T

• Five Star Home Services

• Group Management Services Inc.**

• Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc.

• Matic

• Path Robotics**

• Shred415

* Parent company of locally ranked Ohio Basement Authority

** Based on 2022 Top Workplaces