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San Fernando
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

MEDIUM BUSINESS CATEGORY 50 – 249 Employees

Ranked # 11 Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP is a CPA and business consulting firm based in Sherman Oaks. It has competitive compensation and good healthcare benefits. The firm also encourages employee referrals, and gives up to $5,000 for professional staff referrals. Benefits extend to domestic partners and the firm has implemented an alternative-to-junk-food program where employees are offered fresh fruit, coffee, tea and a cereal bar on a daily basis. Once a week, the company offers 20 minute in-office massage sessions, as well as free gym memberships. Tuition is fully paid by Grobstein as are all continuing education courses and licensing and other professional dues. The firm has a work from home policy designed for professional staff to work from home and other remote locations in an effort to reduce travel time wasted. Employees who are required to work over 10 hours or more, or on weekends, get a standard dinner/lunch allowance; during busy season the firm provides dinners and lunches free of charge. Through an intranet, the firm is able to maximize internal communication by allowing on-site and off-site employees to access company information, announcements etc. The firm buys busy-season lunches and 10-year anniversary gifts, and hosts holiday parties, new-hire mixers, bowling, and softball games to promote office camaraderie. Employee satisfaction surveys are conducted regularly. The firm has a mentoring program aimed at coaching newer team members about such things as management skills, work-life balance, and for general advice. For nursing mothers, GH & C; offers a private area and reasonable time for any employee to express breast milk at work. GH & C; believes that by implementing wellness programs and by making the work place comfortable that the result is a happy productive workforce that attracts and keeps employees happy. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 10 Cydcor Cydcor is an outsourced-sales company that provides a face-to-face sales force for business-to-business or business-to-consumer clients. Employees get benefits on the first day of the month following their hire date. Each employee receives 15 days of sick and vacation time in their first year of employment. Cydcor’s employee-assistance program (EAP) includes mental health coverage with telephone and in-person counseling and referrals for many different situations. The EAP also includes a wellness program, discounts to local gyms, smoking cessation and workout programs. Cydcor promotes healthy eating, providing fresh fruit each week in their break rooms; and sponsors their own version of the “Food Network,” which meets every Wednesday for free lunch and networking opportunities. Tuition reimbursement is offered to employees who want to further their personal education at all levels. Each team member’s request is evaluated and those that get approved get a set dollar amount or up to 50 percent shared cost. In order to promote community involvement, Cydcor provides eight hours of paid time that each employee can use to volunteer for an organization of their choice. On a case-by-case basis, team members can arrange to work from home. In order to facilitate corporate communication, Cydcor maintains a suggestion box, an open-door policy, employee surveys, and organizational newsletters. According to Cydcor, the company is guided by a distinct set of highly valued behaviors. “Our values aren’t just words on paper. They are well thought out actions that represent who we are and what we do for our clients. Cydcor team members are rewarded monthly for exhibiting the Behaviors We Value, encouraging that these values live on in our daily interactions,” said People Services Manager Shelly Haynes. Ranked # 9 Stay Green Inc. Stay Green Inc. is a landscape maintenance provider with 182 full-time employees in the Valley. Stay Green provides numerous incentive programs for recognizing excellent work, safety, and bringing in new hires. Managers receive a monetary bonus based on profitability, meeting budget and safety goals and employee job retention. Sales employees are given the option of telecommuting, and are provided with Blackberry devices, laptops and Internet access, as well as office supplies. To encourage continued education, Stay Green pays for all pre-approved job-related classes or seminars. To encourage inter office communication, the company maintains a suggestion box and puts out organizational newsletters. It also maintains an open door policy with multiple opportunities for employees to meet with senior management for idea exchanges. According to HR Manager Jorge Donapetry, Stay Green has many programs to recognize its employees. In addition to picnics, trophies are given to employees for outstanding work on work anniversaries. Also, recognition points are given out that employees can exchange for tangible gifts like bikes, TVs, or theme park tickets. According to Donapetry, Stay Green prefers to give away tangible things for recognition so employees have constant reminders as to the rewards of excellent work. Stay Green districts that go one year without any accidents receive gifts that include cash and trips. Since many in Stay Green’s staff speak Spanish, it encourages them to take free ESL classes, and those that complete the courses receive incentives like a 25-cent raise per hour for every class completed. Donapetry adds that even though Stay Green has grown considerably it remains a family-like company. “Even the bosses go out and do gardening work,” added Donapetry. “It makes all employees feel equal, and take pride in what we do.” He added. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 8 Icon Media Direct Icon Media Direct is a media-buying agency with 65 employees based in Van Nuys. The company pays all employees bonuses based on performance and attendance. It also pays 100 percent of medical, prescription and vision coverage. Full benefits extend to domestic partners, regardless of sexual orientation. All company information is kept on a dedicated drive, so everyone has access to it. Icon always promotes from within if there is an employee able to perform the tasks necessary. The company matches up to 4 percent of employee contributions to the 401(k) plan and good attendance is rewarded with gas cards, and with each year of employment employees can accrue more paid time off. Icon has a flexible policy regarding employees bringing their children to work, while also including families at most company functions. It also maintains a company basketball team that promotes camaraderie between the team members and those who come to cheer the team on. Icon self-describes its office environment as “top to bottom, every member of the team understands their role in the growing success of our clients and we are passionate about what they do because we really care.” Jesse White of Icon told the Business Journal that the company was his first job right out of college and that he never wants to leave. “I have never experienced anything like this, they make you feel important, and as a result you want to work harder for the company,” added White. He said it is the small things that make working there good. For example there is always a supply of food, and snacks in the office. In addition, White describes how the boss always makes an effort to understand what is going on with her employees, handing out gas cards all the time, and paying for employees to go to trade shows and seminars in an effort to expose the employees to the movers and shakers in the industry. “They [management] really have a desire to have their employees taken care of,” White added. Ranked # 7 LAGraphico LAGraphico is a one-stop shop specializing in multi-tier marketing and branding campaigns. It offers comprehensive insurance coverage, paying 100 percent of all insurance with the exception of long term care insurance. Benefits extend to domestic partners, and the company offers un-reimbursed medical expenses as well as dependent care expenses. In addition to bonuses paid out based on performance, LAGraphico offers 21 days of paid and holiday time off a year. Work-from-home options are available for some employees as are compressed week options where four-10 hour days can replace a 5-day work week. The company’s employee assistance program includes services for various life management problems that include clinical counseling and phone counseling. In-house training for both entry-level employees as well as management level employees is provided for and encouraged by LAGraphico. Time off is given to attend training seminars and conferences. The company likes to promote from within; management identifies and monitors various talented individuals to match the future needs of the organization, which allow great performers room to grow. LAGraphico creates an employee friendly environment with such policies as open doors, green conscious employees, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and family oriented programs. Employee suggestions are always welcome. Employees are recognized yearly for terms of employment and holiday parties and company sponsored events are held. In addition, LAGraphico acknowledges retirements with parties as well as annual picnics. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 6 Ernst & Young LLP Ernst & Young offers a variety of financial and business consulting services in 140 countries and has more than 130,000 staff members. The company’s variable-pay program recognizes and rewards high performers at all levels and divisions of the company; allowing employees to be rewarded on performance standards set by their respective division. In addition, E & Y; offers small immediate bonuses throughout the year in order to be able to recognize employee efforts when they happen; bonuses range form $100-$1,000. Over 80 percent of the workforce was given one of these bonuses in the last year. E & Y; benefits are focused on providing programs that support the varied and changing needs of its diverse staff. E & Y; has created a program and website called “Benefits Express,” which operates 24/7 aimed at better helping employees determine what benefits work best for them. Employees only need to work 20 hours or more to be eligible for benefits. In addition to 10 paid holidays, a combined 24 days of paid time off are offered in the first year of employment. Fully-paid medical insurance benefits extend to same-sex domestic partners. As of 2007, E & Y; benefits even covered gender-reassignment surgery. The company uses a technology platform that supports an efficient workflow, and allows for more flexibility so that workers can better maintain a balance between their work and personal lives. E & Y; offers company laptops and remote networking capabilities, so employees can work wherever there is wireless internet. BlackBerry devices are given to all staff members, and are used to extend the workplace. E & Y; also promotes a family friendly environment. They have a concierge service available to employees to help manage their time by taking care of reservations, and other time critical tasks. Also, E & Y; offers low-cost-back-up child care, as well as a Saturday child care program, which takes place either in-home or at E & Y; locations. Ranked # 5 Fulcrum Microsystems Fulcrum Microsystems is a technology company that focuses on circuit technology for computing, data storage and computer networking. The firm offers a variety of individual and company-wide incentive programs. Last year, employees were awarded Fulcrum Bonus Points for meeting various performance goals. These points can be traded for cash, stock options, and vacation time or 401(k) contributions. While all employees are given stock options when they first join the company, managers are encouraged to nominate employees annually for an additional bonus option grant award, giving exemplary employees the chance to own more of Fulcrum. Employees are also given on-the-spot bonuses as well, consisting of cash, gift cards and a $2,000 new hire referral bonus. Fulcrum pays the full cost for employee health insurance and also pays 50 percent of the cost for dependents and domestic/same-sex partners. Telecommuting is made possible for those employees whose job descriptions allow them to do so. Tools at their disposal include: hardware, software, Internet connectivity and other applicable equipment. Fulcrum managers are also encouraged to discuss flexible work week options with their departments to determine what is most suitable for their job. The company’s employee assistance program gives everyone 24/7, 365 access to psychiatric care, dependent care and legal services. Any employee who stays for longer than seven years earns a paid sabbatical that adds four to eight weeks to their normal vacation time. Fulcrum is also committed to helping its working parents balance personal or family life with work. Employees frequently bring their kids to work and they are encouraged to shadow their parents, even in meetings. Fulcrum also has a recreation area with games to keep kids occupied. The company stresses intellectual courage, creativity, and a spirit of innovation, mutual respect, and dedication to teamwork. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 4 NorthStar Moving Corporation NorthStar Moving Corp. in Chatsworth specializes in local, long distance, international, residential, and commercial moves, as well as storage services. Northstar Moving’s medical benefits extend to not only dependents but to domestic partners as well. Both the sales and moving teams are recognized for jobs well done with cash bonuses, trips, gift certificates, IPods, TV’s and other such gifts. Cell phones are provided to those that have positions that require them to telecommute, and sales and marketing team members have the opportunity to work from home on an as-needed basis. Compressed work schedules are offered, and employees are encouraged to make proposals to their department heads, and depending on the situation, they are generally approved. Moving is a physically demanding job, and much time is spent training employees on how to lift and carry items safely so as to protect themselves from being hurt. A fully-stocked kitchen, showers, and laundry machines allow employees on the moving teams to freshen up between jobs, and after work. NorthStar Moving customizes its employee appreciation awards with accolades and gifts that are employee-specific. Children are welcome in the workplace on days when they are unable to attend school due to minor illness or other occasional events. Management positions at NorthStar Moving are almost always made up of employees that have been promoted from within the organization. In order to facilitate corporate communication, NorthStar Moving maintains an open door policy, a suggestion box, and opportunities for employees to meet with senior leadership, as well as employee surveys. Recognizing that employees often spend more time at work than at home, NorthStar Moving has set up their offices to offer a sense of home away from home to its employees, allowing hem to gather and eat as they please. Besides offering health insurance, the company offers Simple IRAs as well as random perks like paint ball days, trips to Las Vegas and bonuses. Ranked # 3 Good Swartz Brown & Berns, A Division of J.H. Cohn Now a division of a national conglomerate with more than 1,300 employees, GSBB has offered a wide range of accounting and business consulting services. GSBB has bonuses based on several different criteria including: merit, dedication, new client acquisition, referrals, CPA exam, and completion of special projects. During the summer GSBB has a flexible schedule that allows an employee to take every other Friday off. The firm offers health benefits to employees working as few as 23 hours a week and has multiple plan options including low- and high-deductible plans. The firm will pay up to $2,500 to defer the legal costs associated with adoption or medical costs. GSBB sponsors a “run club,” a softball team, and a soccer team to create camaraderie and promote wellness. In addition, the firm maintains a fully-stocked kitchen with free sodas, juice and snacks year-round, and reimburses up to $15 for meals for those employees who work more than 10 hours in a day. In addition the firm recognizes the personal achievements of its employees through promotion and monetary recognition. GSBB compensates employees for time missed to perform jury duty and fulfill other civic commitments. Topping this off is a 100 percent tuition reimbursement option for classes that will benefit the employee in their career at GSBB. To help assist families GSBB allows up to $5,000 of pre tax dollars to be set aside to help with childcare and dependent expenses. In addition GSBB will pay up $2,500 to aid any legal or medical costs associated with the adoption of a child. The firm maintains a mentoring program that allows employees to learn the skills that allow them to eventually become a partner. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 2 Insomniac Games Inc. A 14-year video game developer and entertainment industry veteran, Insomniac Games has been responsible for developing many award-winning and very successful games for the Playstation game consoles. In an effort to share the profits with the company’s 155 employees, Insomniac’s royalty-sharing program distributes payments quarterly among all employees whether they have worked on the specific project or not and continues to pay royalties up to 12 years after a game’s release. The amount one receives is based on performance, position level and longevity The company offers three different policies and pays 100 percent of the cost for most insurance programs for employees who work as few as 30 hours a week, pays 60 percent of in-house gym membership and has annual health fairs to screen for cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and to provide flu shots. Telecommuting options where employees can work from completely home are also offered, Insomniac make every effort to ensure that even home offices meet the standards of the corporate office. If employees are successful working from home, they can do so as they wish. Insomniac also offers an employee assistance program that includes legal services, financial advice, mental health resources, and even a concierge service. The company has arranged for priority placement and discounted rates at an adjacent childcare center for its employees. Insomniac also stresses the importance of inter-office communication. It puts out a monthly newsletter, holds bi-monthly meetings, and encourages employees to help others, emphasizing a team atmosphere. IG takes the time to recognize their employees, giving out bonuses, gifts and a “Wrench Award,” for successful project completion. To celebrate its upcoming 15th year anniversary, the company is taking every worker and their families to Cabo San Lucas on a 5-day trip. Ranked # 1 Edward Jones Edward Jones is one of the largest financial services firms in the nation, having more than 9,000 locations around the U.S. The company offers performance bonuses and healthcare benefits from the day an employee is hired. All associates are eligible to become partners and share in the firm’s revenues. Associates who perform well participate in a trimester bonus program; in 2006 the bonus program fund hit a record $178 million. Edward Jones devotes 24 percent of net profits to profit sharing for associates employed six months or more. A profit-sharing program can increase an associate’s compensation by 5 percent, on average. Benefits are offered from the first day of hire. Recognizing rising health care costs, Edward Jones has taken steps to make sure its employees are covered, paying out over $56 million in 2006, including over $1 million for an associate who had quadruplets, and $800,000 for an employee who needed a kidney transplant. In addition, employees enjoy flexible hours, work-from-home options, and can even work from a “vacation” home part of the year. Associates also are offered flex time, and can have complete control over their schedules, allowing them to work when it is best for them. Associates are reimbursed yearly up to $5,000, in 2006 Edward Jones disbursed over $2 million through this program. The company has extensive family friendly programs that include the ability to accumulate 90 paid sick days, 12 weeks of family leave, and a program to continue paying commissions to an associate even while they are on family leave. Through their YMCA corporate plan, Edward Jones pays 75 percent of gym initiation fees and contributes $15 a month toward dues. Its “golden handshake” program allows retiring employees to choose their successors and also to stay on as paid consultants once they have given up their office. Ari Morguelan

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