Ten Companies That Take Great Care Of Their People
These standout private companies are committed to employee benefits, cultures that support work-life balance, and career advancement through training. They won a competition sponsored by The Principal Financial Group and The Build Network. 
 
CompanyIndustryEmployeesNotable
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Durham, NC		 Nonprofit 660 A health and wellness program that includes biometric screening and cooking classes
Aurora Electric
Jamaica, NY		 Contracting Varies Pays tuition for nearly any degree program
Capital District Physicians' Health Plan
Albany, NY		 Health insurer 700 Offers monthly one-on-one financial planning workshops
CORE Engineering and Construction
Winter Park, FL		 Construction 28 Since 2004, only two employees have left voluntarily
Diamond Pet Foods
Meta, MO		 Manufacturing 523 Offers free annual wellness exams; a registered dietitian helps employees create nutrition plans
Groupware Technology
Campbell, CA		 IT services 80 Offers free gym memberships to employees and family members
Integrated Project Management
Burr Ridge, IL		 Risk mitigation 115 Provides mentoring and a $10,000 tuition-reimbursement program
Medicus Solutions
Alpharetta, GA		 IT services 10 Offers resources to help workers with parenting, elder care, and work-life balance issues
Nyhart
Indianapolis		 Consulting 100 Uses its actuarial expertise to help employees set and achieve retirement-savings targets
The Starr Conspiracy
Fort Worth		 Marketing 32 Offers unlimited vacation time
 
how the winners were chosen: More than 240 applicants were judged on a weighted scale that encompassed health care (35 percent), retirement (25 percent), insurance (15 percent), and company culture (25 percent). To qualify, applicants were required to have been in business for at least five years, employ from five to 1,000 people, and be based in the U.S. Winners were chosen by a panel of judges consisting of Paul Spiegelman, founder of BerylHealth and chief culture officer of Stericycle; Dallas Salisbury, president and CEO of the Employee Benefits Research Institute; Lisa Kottler, senior vice president of NFP Retirement Services; Kevin Lynch, executive-in-residence at Benedictine University; and George Gendron, the former editor in chief of Inc.