Local companies named best places to work

Several companies with Hardin County ties have been ranked among the best places to work in Kentucky.

Booz Allen Hamilton, First Federal Savings Bank, iPay Solutions and Hosparus Inc. were four of the 73 companies named by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management as premier workplaces on the 2013 Best Places to Work in Kentucky list.

Companies apply for the distinction, which is awarded after a “simple but thorough” assessment through an employer benefits and policies questionnaire. The questionnaire delves into a company’s individual practices, policies and demographics. The assessment concludes with an employee engagement and satisfaction survey that seeks worker feedback on leadership and planning, corporate culture and communications, role satisfaction, work environment, relationship with supervisor, training and development, pay and benefits and overall engagement, according to the chamber.

The ninth annual awards ceremony is April 16 at the Lexington Convention Center. Other companies with a Hardin County presence, such as Hilliard Lyons and the Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team, also made the list.

The awards are divided into two categories: Small-to-medium-sized employers with 25 to 249 U.S. employees and larger employees with more than 250 U.S. employees.

Edward Miller, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton in Radcliff, said this is the fourth year in a row the strategy and technology consulting firm has captured the designation. Miller credited the “collaborative and collegial” atmosphere of the firm as the chief reason it is a great place to work, not only in Kentucky but throughout its service areas.

“You have a lot of people who like working together,” he said.

Miller said the company has thousands of employees worldwide but manages 97 in Kentucky, which has tripled in the past four years. In addition to its central location in Radcliff, the company has a small office in Louisville and a presence at Fort Campbell, he said.

Primarily focused on the Fort Knox area in Kentucky, Booz Allen Hamilton serves defense, intelligence and military organizations; government agencies; the energy and health industries; financial services, nonprofit organizations; and international organizations, according to its official website.

Miller said the distinction is made known at the highest corporate levels and is an effective tool not only for employee recruitment but future business as organizations and industries see the award and give the company another look.

Greg Adelson, group president of iPay Solutions, said the designation validates the strategic initiatives put in place by the company to take care of its associates and attract, develop and retain talent. Adelson said the company provides an open forum for discussion; directly communicates to associates about performance, challenges and strategic initiatives; and hosts interactive events tailored for employees and their families

“Logically, I am sure the distinction will improve our ability to recruit in E-town and surrounding counties,” Adelson said in an email. “However, the best indicator of recruiting success comes from employee referrals and due to the consistent focus we have had on our associates. I continue to hear from new hire classes that they came to iPay because a friend said, ‘It was a fun, challenging and rewarding place to work.’”

iPay is a division of ProfitStars and “offers the latest innovations in payment processing to more than 4,000 financial institutions,” according to its official website. Adelson said the company has around 285 full- and part-time employees, 250 of which are in the Elizabethtown area.

Greg Schreacke, president of First Federal Savings Bank, said the company has received the designation eight years running and uses it to analyze and improve its workplace.

He said the company remains successful because associates truly love their jobs and enjoy coming to work.

“It’s a very family-oriented place to work,” he said. “Everyone cares about each other.”

This is crucial to strong customer service, Schreacke said. If a customer comes into a banking location in a “sour mood” and the associate shows no interest in their job, then that customer will undoubtedly have a bad experience. The company serves Hardin and surrounding counties and has around 271 associates, he said.

Stephanie Smith, director of communications for Hosparus Inc., said the organization has been told by employees that they wanted to work there because of the designation. This is the fourth consecutive year Hosparus has been among the best places to work. It also received the distinction in 2005.

“We’re thrilled,” she said.

A nonprofit hospice organization with more than 450 employees, Hosparus takes care of nearly 6,000 patients and their families in Kentucky and southern Indiana each year, Smith said.

Smith said she cannot speak for families, but she would want to know the people taking care of her loved ones at the end of their lives love their jobs.

Smith also said the award is a testament to the employees who take care of those “who need us most.”

“We couldn’t be prouder,” she said. 

Marty Finley can be reached at (270) 505-1762 or mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com.