2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha by Omaha World-Herald

SPECIAL SECTION

Sunday, June 26, 2022

BAIRD HOLM LLP

BEST SPONSORED BY THE GREATER OMAHA CHAMBER

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Omaha World-Herald

Many newcomers among 10 Best Places to Work Here are the 2022 winners

Olsson honored for Sustained Excellence

esults of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha survey are in. Four of the 10 winning companies can boast a repeat from last year and one additional company received the honor of having Sustained Excellence. Created in 2003 by Baird Holm LLP and sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber, the initiative publicly recognizes and celebrates local employers who foster an engaged work environment and culture dedicated to organizational success. According to Baird Holm, research has shown that engaged employees tend to stay with their employ-

OLSSON‌

ers longer, serve customers more effectively, and help contribute toward a more profitable company. Survey questions inquire

about several aspects of their workplace, including morale, environment, engagement and opportunities, management and

co-workers. Employee engagement is measured through an online survey administered and analyzed by Quantum Workplace.

Companies with 25 to 200 employees: 1. Supportworks 2. Midlands Choice 3. CharterWest Bank 4. Bridges Trust 5. Pattern Companies with more than 200 employees: 1. Fusion Medical Staffing 2. LRS Healthcare 3. Carson Group 4. FNIC 5. Yahoo All of the companies in the category of 200-plus employees were new winners from last year. The category of 25 to 200 employees saw one newcomer this year in Pattern. This year, the program honors Olsson as the Sustained Excellence Award winner. This prestigious designation is given to organizations that have repeatedly ranked in the top three in the Best Places to Work in Omaha survey. It is the highest level of recognition an organization can receive as part of this initiative. The winners were publicly recognized at a luncheon at CHI Health Center Omaha in May.

ABOUT THIS SECTION This special section was produced by the Omaha WorldHerald for Best Places to Work in Omaha founder Baird Holm LLP and the initiative’s sponsor, the Greater Omaha Chamber. The 2022 winners featured were determined in an annual survey administered by Quantum Workplace. Editors: Courtney Brummer-Clark and Kiley Cruse Designer: Evan Hill Contributor: Jon Leu Advertising coordinator: Scott Carr, 402-444-1422, scarr@owh.com

A career in insurance is

impactful • stable • rewarding and at FNIC you’re part of a team that is

engaged • collaborative • connected

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Olsson earns Sustained Excellence Award JON LEU

World-Herald Correspondent‌

Olsson, a nationally recognized, employee-owned engineering and design firm, was recognized in the 2022 Best Places to Work initiative with a Sustained Excellence Award for first-, second- or third-place finishes in their category for four consecutive years or for eight of the past 10 years. Opened as a one-man shop in Lincoln, John E. Olsson established John E. Olsson Professional Engineering in 1956. Olsson opened its Omaha office in 1997 and today boasts more than 1,600 employees working in 30 offices in nine states. Olsson’s list of accomplishments in earning the 2022 Sustained Excellence Award began with the 2018 Best Places to Work initiative when the company earned second place in the large business category. In 2019, Olsson was judged fourth in the large business category, followed by another secondplace finish in 2020 and a third-place finish in 2021. Despite its substantial growth over the last 66 years, Olsson remains focused on providing great opportunities for its em-

ployees. The La Vista engineering and design firm celebrates great work by employees and strives to create opportunities for growth across all departments. “Olsson provides me the opportunity to do what I love,” said Aaron Wiese, a project engineer. “I work on some of the most impactful projects, with a team that truly cares about the work we do, within the community we live in. As an added bonus, our leadership team cares more about the people who work here than the people we work with.” The firm offers planning and design consulting services in a broad range of fields including civil, electrical, mechanical and structural engineering; field services including geotechnical, materials testing, special inspections, drilling, nondestructive testing, surveying and construction management; and environmental work including air quality, environmental planning and permitting and hydrology. Olsson was built and continues to operate on a foundation of hiring talented people who look out for the best interests of clients and the communities the firm serves.

OLSSON‌

The secret to our success can be ummed up in two words. summed

GREAT PEOPLE.

We’re Olsson, a nationally recognized engineering and design olsson.com

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Fusion Medical Staffing touts an engaged workforce JON LEU

World-Herald Correspondent‌

Fusion Medical Staffing, the 2022 winner of the Baird Holm Best Places to Work in Omaha initiative for large companies, has been on an upward trajectory since its founding by Sam Wageman in 2009. Now with 708 internal employees and led by Steve Koesters, who was named president and CEO in 2020, Fusion has again risen to the top. Words used by employees to describe their workplace — positive, driven, fun, flexible, challenging, engaging, humble and supportive — reflect an engaged workforce. “It’s an honor to be recognized among so many other great companies in Omaha and celebrate a humbling win with all the Best Places to Work honorees,” Koesters said. “We appreciate Baird Holm LLC and Quantum Workplace for organizing Best Places to Work. The process helps gather valuable feedback we use to continuously improve the employee experience at Fusion.

“Our purpose is to ensure everyone we touch has a better life, and that includes every employee at Fusion. All of our teams focus on creating an environment where great people want to work,” Koesters added. “Seeing the positive response to this survey showed us that we’re doing something right. The number of comments on how Fusion has changed our people’s lives for the better is extremely impactful, and that keeps us focused.” Fusion works to provide opportunities to address its humbleness core value through Be The Change, the company’s community engagement program. Employees are encouraged and provided opportunities to volunteer. The company holds wellness challenges that encourage employees to get active and online webinars so employees can learn how to process emotions in a healthy way. The efforts show employees that their wellness, self-care and general happiness are company priorities.

FUSION MEDICAL STAFFING‌

Fusion Medical Staffing 2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: First place, companies with more than 200 employees.

Headquarters: 11808 Grant St., Suite 100 Primary business: Medical staffing agency

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LRS Healthcare puts a focus on professional, career development JON LEU

LRS Healthcare

World-Herald Correspondent‌

Founded in 2006, LRS Healthcare is a leading provider of medical staffing to health care facilities nationwide. With more than 450 employees in the Omaha metro area, LRS Healthcare was a first-time participant in the 2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha survey, finishing second in the large business category. “We are in the business of people, and there are no more important people than our employees,” said Steve Lawrence, president and CEO. “They want to know what they do is truly valued, how their role fits into the bigger picture, and that someone is looking out for both their career and family. At LRS, we strive to do all of that and are intently focused on improving every day.” “We have strong employee engagement and participation through a wide variety of events and activities. We celebrate wins and put a focus on coming to work every day with a positive attitude,” said Teresa Lauver, LRS Healthcare’s VP of marketing and employee engagement. “Our employees enjoy working with each other and are quick to help each other out and pull each other up. “One of the highest ratings in the em-

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Second place, companies with more than 200 employees. Headquarters: 1120 N. 103rd Plaza, Suite 300 Primary business: Medical staffing agency

LRS‌

ployee survey was that employees trust the senior leaders to lead the company to success. Our leadership team is actively involved in day-to-day operations and truly

have open-door policies. We are focused on innovation and providing our employees with the best tools to do their job.” “We have identified professional and ca-

reer development as key areas of focus. We are building our Talent Development team, offering more professional development opportunities, have formed an Emerging Professionals group and are moving much of our training online to train both our in-office and remote workforce,” Lawrence said. “The people at LRS are truly what makes it such a special place to work,” said CFO Jeff Beckmann. “Our founder has empowered the leadership team to drive the business forward and think like an owner, and that message has spread throughout our organization. We have a very talented team that welcomes feedback, cares deeply and is continually striving to ensure our internal employees, healthcare professionals and our customers are taken care of.”

Carson Group dedicated to firm growth, client service JON LEU

Carson Group

World-Herald Correspondent‌

The Carson Group, this year’s thirdplace winner in the large business category of the annual Baird Holm LLC’s Best Places to Work in Omaha initiative, is an entire ecosystem dedicated to help advisors better serve their clients and grow their firm. Advisors are aided in unleashing their firm’s full potential with the aid of Carson Coaching, one of the nation’s largest advisor coaching programs or by joining Carson Partners to obtain industry leading marketing, technology, compliance, investments, succession planning and mergers and acquisition support. Carson Wealth, founded in 1983 by Ron Carson, has grown to be a Barron’s Hall of Fame advisory firm with offices spread throughout the U.S. Carson Wealth is dedicated to helping clients pursue their definition of true wealth through holistic financial planning, disciplined investment strategies and proactive personal service. Carson group, with a total employee census of 315,275 of whom work in the Omaha headquarters, boasts six core values that

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Third place, employees with more than 200 people. Headquarters: 14600 Branch St. Primary business: Financial planning

CARSON‌

drive how employees treat the firm’s clients and each other: Clients’ interests always come first; employees anticipate clients’ needs and deliver; give your all, even when it isn’t convenient to do so; evolve and improve on a daily basis; be innovative, push

the boundaries, stretch the standard; and get stuff done. Carson announced its “Raise the Baseline” initiative last fall for employees, effective in the first quarter of this year. The benefits included increased 401(k) match,

increased parental leave, additional paid holidays following market closures, professional advancement, student loan assistance and sabbaticals. “At Carson, our people are our No. 1 priority,” said Kelsey Ruwe, chief of staff. “We’ve focused on raising the baseline for every single stakeholder with increasing and adding new benefits; however, we’re most proud of the inclusive environment we’ve created, where stakeholders feel like they can find their freedom in having a voice in the workplace. Being named one of the Best Places to Work in Omaha reiterates our culture and our continued focus on positively impacting the lives of our people.”

Omaha World-Herald

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FNIC supports employees’ community involvement JON LEU

World-Herald Correspondent‌

Coming in in fourth place in the large business division, FNIC offers commercial insurance, farm and crop insurance, employee benefits, surety bonds and personal insurance to fit customers’ specialized needs. Its mission is to provide creative risk management and financial security solution to clients through the knowledge and expertise of FNIC’s 260 employees. Formerly First Insurance Group LLC, a subsidiary of the Lauritzen Corporation, FNIC is the transformation of 17 individual insurance agencies located in communities in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Illinois, into one that unites their brands, experiences, stories and futures. Even as individual agencies, FNIC’s core values, reflected in relationships based on trust, integrity and communication, were aligned. While the decentralized operating model FNIC‌ of individual agencies performed well, with each agency developing meaningful client Trust should be at the core of all rela- is something to be continuously pursued. and carrier partnerships, it became clear Doing the right thing, no matter how that the more the individual agencies col- tionships. The entrepreneurial spirit of the agency difficult, requires courage. laborated and shared resources, the better Business must be approached with the company could serve its clients. is held in high esteem. FNIC’s core values include: Additional knowledge of the industry professional discipline.

FNIC Group 2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Fourth place, companies with more than 200 employees. Headquarters: 14010 FNB Parkway, Suite 300 Primary business: Insurance brokerage Communication must be honest, forthright, timely and professional. FNIC reflects the communities it serves, and employees are encouraged and supported in their involvement in the causes they care about. “We really listen to what our employees want from us,” said Abby Barla, an FNIC human relations generalist. “Our goal is to offer our employees as much flexibility as possible.” Prior to the COVID pandemic, employees were allowed to work from home one day per week. In the wake of the pandemic, FNIC expanded its remote working options, Barla said. With the new policy, about one-third of the FNIC workforce works in the office, one-third works from home and one-third opt for hybrid schedules.

Yahoo’s Omaha office remains a Center of Excellence JON LEU

Yahoo

World-Herald Correspondent‌

Yahoo’s employee-centered culture saw the tech giant’s Omaha operation earn a fifth-place finish in the 2022 Baird Holm Best Place to Work in Omaha initiative. Yahoo has been recognized for the past five years in a row as a 200-plus employee Best Place to Work although it has been under different names — Yahoo, Oath and Verizon Media — at various times. Throughout the company changes, the Omaha office has remained a Center of Excellence that has been critical to the success story of Yahoo! since 2009 when the Yahoo office opened with a total of 30 employees in the human relations, sales and account management areas. Today the company has expanded that footprint to 318 employees while adding U.S. controllership, global accounting, U.S. ad operations and a data center. This year’s survey of employees again underscored a strong company culture that has allowed for improved flexibility so employees feel more balanced in their personal and professional lives. When teams are brought together in person, Yahoo makes it

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Fifth place, companies with more than 200 employees. Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, with an office at 14010 FNB Parkway in Omaha Primary business: Web services provider

KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD‌

a fun place to be with planned events and celebrations. Leadership sees value in their workforce and treats them as humans instead of numbers on a page. They see the importance of employee engagement and make consistent efforts to solicit employee input and opinions and communicate frequently and transparently.

“Yahoo is competing with every other business right now in the hot job market,” said Jacqie Leise, director of advertising operations. “We are continuously staying up to date on market trends and focusing on our amazing employees who make Yahoo such a great place to work.” Omaha continues to be a key location for Yahoo leadership that is currently hiring

more than 20 roles in various departments including accounting, account management, project management and advertising operations with a continuing focus on creating a diverse and culturally rich workforce. “The Best Place to Work survey has been a wonderful way for the employees of Yahoo to speak broadly about our company and provide feedback to their experience,” Leise said. “We are extremely humbled and proud to have been recognized in the Top 5 best companies five years in a row. We look forward to additional growth and expanding our influence in the growing tech job market in Omaha.”

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Midlands Choice remains true to its vision, communities Midlands Choice

JON LEU

World-Herald Correspondent‌

At a time when health care costs are rising, Midlands Choice remains true to its vision of adding value to health care financing in the communities it serves by expanding consumer choices of affordable health care plans and services, which enhance the quality of life. With about 50 employees, Midlands Choice ranked second in this year’s Baird Holm’s Best Places to Work in Omaha initiative, moving up one place from the firm’s third-place finish in the 2021 survey. Midlands Choice is a regional preferred provider organization (PPO) with a health care network of more than 45,000 physicians and other health care professionals. The company network includes 339 hospitals and 2,441 other health care facilities. By contracting with Midlands Choice providers agree to perform health care services at a reduced fee. Consumers with coverage through one of Midlands Choice’s 59 payer partners have lower out-of-pocket costs for health care services when they use

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Second place, companies with 25 to 200 employees Headquarters: 8420 West Dodge Road, Suite 210 Primary business: Regional preferred provider organization (PPO)

MIDLANDS CHOICE‌

network providers. Midlands Choice’s service area includes all of Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota as well as portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Although the company has operated under the Midlands Choice name

since 2001, the organizational history goes back to the mid-1980s. Midland’s shareholders are three of the largest health care systems in Nebraska and Iowa and include CHI Health, Methodist Health and Bryan Health. CHI Health operates facilities in Nebraska in Omaha, Kear-

ney, Papillion, Lincoln, Plainview, Schuyler, Grand Island and Nebraska City as well as Iowa facilities in Corning, Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley. Methodist Health operates hospitals in Omaha and Fremont as well as in Council Bluffs. Bryan Health has hospital facilities in Lincoln, Crete and Central City. As an organization, Midland Choice’s beliefs include respect and understanding at all times in relationships through acceptance of the unique purposes, contributions, opinions and needs of all people within the organization as well as the value of each individual on the team.

CharterWest Bank boasts fun, flexible and friendly atmosphere JON LEU

CharterWest Bank

World-Herald Correspondent‌

The annual Best Places to Work in Omaha initiative provides an employee-based snapshot of the attitudes of employees at participating companies, based in part on the words employees use to describe their workplace. The five words that showed up most in the word cloud for CharterWest Bank, which ranked third among medium-sized companies this year, were fun, family, flexible, friendly and positive, with fun being mentioned three times as often as the next highest word. “CharterWest was founded in West Point 37 years ago and even through we have grown to over 150 employees in 16 communities, we have kept the essence of a small-town community bank,” said Kevin Larson, CharterWest president. “From the beginning, the bank board, ownership and management have striven to foster an environment of family, appreciation, and professionalism. It is very rewarding to see our employees recognize and appreciate our efforts.” Recognizing the power of community banking, CharterWest has continued to

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Third place, companies with 25 to 200 employees Headquarters: 201 S. Main St., West Point, Nebraska, with locations across the metro area as well as in Lincoln, McCook, Kearney, Columbus, Hastings, Grand Island, Pender and Walthill, and Council Bluffs. Primary business: Banking and mortgage services

CHARTERWEST‌

seek growth opportunities. Elkhorn, a fast-growing Omaha suburb, offered the combination of growth potential, smalltown values and proximity to the home base in West Point. It has been the hub of CharterWest’s metro operations since 2004. In 2005, CharterWest purchased the

Nebraska operations of Major Mortgage, growing the breadth of the bank’s product offerings. In 2013, CharterWest opened a full-service bank and mortgage center in Papillion. “Work-life balance is extremely important to the company,” said Amy Dritley,

CharterWest’s mortgage center business development manager. “They understand how important family is and how important it is to keep employees happy.” Nick Brion, a senior vice president and head of the CharterWest Mortgage Center, put it another way. “We have four important things in our lives. Number 1 is family; number 4 is work. It is up to us to fill in what numbers 2 and 3 are. It is understood that we are here to serve our customers and be successful in business, but also there is more to life than just work.”

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Bridges Trust values include trust, service, excellence and integrity JON LEU

Bridges Trust

World-Herald Correspondent‌

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Fourth place, companies with 25 to 200 employees. Headquarters: 13333 California St., with a second location in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota Primary business: Wealth management firm serving multigenerational families and institutions. JENNIE HUDNALL‌

their interests first as the firm manages their portfolios, delivers straightforward advice and listens to their concerns. Cli-

encouraging

comfortable

happy

positive

fun caring home

flexible

family respectful

pleasant

challenging collaborative

professional

teamwork

relaxed

inspiring

friendly

rewarding

engaging

Proud. BRIDGES TRUST

ents’ trust in the firm gives them the confidence that their money and their family’s future is in capable hands.

What our employees say about CharterWest.

amazing enjoyable

fourth place in the annual Best Places to Work in Omaha initiative, marking the second consecutive year finishing in the top five of the medium-sized business category. Bridges Trust offers financial planning, asset management, trust funds and wealth management for high net worth, multigenerational families, institutions and other clients. The firm’s solution-driven financial services are customized to suit clients, their portfolios and their goals. Clients depend on Bridges Trust to put

exciting

Bridges Trust’s philosophy encompasses a set of core values that shape how the firm does business, what the firm aspires to achieve for its high-net-worth customers and how it directs the firm’s contributions in asset acquisition and wealth management. Founded in 1945, Bridges Trust’s core values include trust, service, excellence and integrity, values that demand employees who feel engaged and rewarded for the value they bring to the company. From the outset, Bridges Trust executives have worked to create a culture of forwardthinking and transparent leadership by responsibly entrusting teams and individuals with the ability to make decisions that carry big impact. Investing in employees through a healthy workplace culture builds trust and confidence, leaders say, while clearly defining the expectations of employees builds purpose and unlocks potential. “Bridges Trust is built on a foundation of serving others through excellence in investment management,” said Ted Bridges, Bridges Trust CEO and chief investment officer. To reach that level of excellence, “our company seeks to attract, retain and develop exceptionally talented people who can grow as they serve our clients and the community. I believe that the positivity of our people and the energy and opportunities that abound in our work environment make the firm a great place for people to grow their careers.” To that end, Bridges Trust finished in

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Pattern believes in a high-achieving, people-focused workplace JON LEU

Pattern

World-Herald Correspondent‌

A relative newcomer to the growing Omaha business community, Pattern was started nine years ago with the idea of breaking the mold of the typical financial advising company. Pattern was a new idea created by Dustin Karas and his close friend, Peter Olson, who was quickly added as a partner. Pattern, which has grown to 50 employees, exists to simplify disability and life insurance selections for busy doctors and dentists so they feel confident they have the right policy and that their income is protected. The company, specializing in disability and life insurance products, provides financial consulting services exclusively to physicians and dentists. When a physician or dentist requests a quote from Pattern, Pattern will submit quote forms to all of the Big Six insurance companies and assemble policy options into a simple 20- to 30-minute online presentation for the client. The process saves doctors and dentists countless hours of filling out forms, talking to multiple agents and sending documents back and forth. Taking part in the Best Places to Work in

2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha ranking: Fifth place, companies with 25 to 200 employees Headquarters: 10855 West Dodge Road, Suite 220 Primary business: Insurance brokerage

PATTERN‌

Omaha initiative for the first time this year, Pattern ranked fifth among medium-sized companies.

Marketing Manager Eric Bork said Pattern’s purpose is centered around the idea that lives are changed as physicians, den-

tists and Pattern team members who advise them make better decisions. The founders believe in treating employees the way they would want to be treated if they were employees of a company. Their belief is that a workplace can be high-achieving, professional and still caring, people-focused, relaxed and a fun place to work. Pattern’s core values include learning forward as a catalyst for change and growth; “less me, more we;” “own it” by encouraging employees to take responsibility for their actions and results; communication is key for a healthy team; and “see it, do it,” which encourages employees to take the initiative in addressing problems.

Congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work in Omaha® Recipients!

BairdHolm

llp

at torneys at law

1700 Farnam Street Suite 1500 Omaha, NE 68102 402.344.0500

bairdholm.com

COMPANIES WITH 25 TO 200 EMPLOYEES:

COMPANIES WITH MORE THAN 200 EMPLOYEES:

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE AWARD: Olsson

FEATURED NON-PROFIT:

1. Supportworks 2. Midlands Choice, Inc. 3. CharterWest Bank 4. Bridges Trust 5. Pattern

1. Fusion Medical Staffing 2. LRS Healthcare 3. Carson Group 4. FNIC 5. Yahoo Ollie Webb Center, Inc.

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