#4 COCC
COCC, a provider of industry-leading complete technology services to banks and credit unions, is a mutual company offering a high level of customer service for its shareholders. COCC works to empower clients by giving them a voice in determining their technology future, insisting on open communication, sharing best practices, and involving clients in COCC’s strategic initiatives.
“This is an exciting time to work at the company,” said COCC President and CEO Richard Leone. “There is a great deal of activity and change happening. During 2013 we renovated our future home: a state-of-the-art four-story, 71,000-square-foot building where our executive, client support, systems, development and sales and marketing divisions will be housed starting in January 2014. We are so thrilled to once again be named one of Connecticut’s Best Places to Work.”
#5 Citrin
Cooperman and Company LLP
Citrin Cooperman’s Norwalk office is a leading provider of accounting and consulting services to businesses in Fairfield County and across the state, offering a full suite of client solutions including assurance, tax, valuation, business advisory, and forensic support services. Mark L. Fagan, managing partner, said supporting employees’ professional goals through mentoring and leadership programs is key to the firm’s success. Encouraging a healthy work/life balance, charitable initiatives, and even the opportunity for a one-month sabbatical are part of the appeal.
#6 Skanska
Skanska USA is one of the largest, most financially sound construction and development companies in the country, serving a broad range of industries including healthcare, government, and energy. Skanska is committed to a healthy work environment. The company takes pride in its work and is guided by five core values: zero accidents, zero ethical breaches, zero losses, zero environmental incidents, and zero defects.
Skanska aims to create a culture that empowers all employees to prevent accidents so they get home safely to their families each and every day. At Skanska, a culture of inclusion so everyone feels respected, valued, and able to do their best work. The firm recruits a diverse workforce and has a successful track record involving minority and women-owned subcontractors.
Skanska prides itself on being a thought leader in green building and provides employees with opportunities to reduce environmental impact. The Green Auto Benefit encourages employees to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles and the Commuter Program encourages use of public transportation.
#7 ICON International, Inc.
ICON International is a specialized finance company. For almost 30 years, the company has focused exclusively on corporate barter transactions to help companies restore value to underperforming assets and to fund corporate expenses. Every transaction is designed to deliver maximum value for clients. By working closely with clients to address new business challenges as they occur, ICON’s experienced team has pioneered many of the corporate barter innovations that have become standard industry practice.
The firm caters to employees by offering employee bonuses, having a gym at the office everyone can use, offering dress down days, involving them in the community through the Stamford Boys & Girls Club and sponsoring the club’s 5K run each year, participating in various sports leagues throughout the year, and even offering paternity leave for fathers who have or adopt children.
#8 Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell provides engineering, architecture, construction, environmental, and consulting services to clients throughout North America and abroad. The team of more than 4,300 engineers, architects, scientists, planners, estimators, economists, technicians, and other professionals work together with one goal in mind – to make clients successful. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and has been named to Hartford Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in Connecticut list for the past three years. The company prides itself on its employee ownership culture and the difference it makes in everything the firm does. It not only changes the way Burns thinks, it changes the way Burns’ employees work, enhancing credibility in the industries served.
#9 Bearingstar Insurance
Bearingstar Insurance Agency, honored for the fourth consecutive year, is a member of the Arbella Insurance Group that specializes in risk identification and protection for Connecticut businesses, families, and individuals. Expert agents at 11 locations across the state work to find the right protection for clients’ home, auto, or commercial insurance needs.
Bearingstar is one of the top places to work because of its commitment to community and teamwork. Employees value how approachable the management team is, right up to the company president. Bearingstar created communication and focus groups to seek input from staff at all levels when making company-wide decisions. Bearingstar supports a number of local charitable groups – including !MPACT and the Connecticut Association of Schools – and gives employees opportunities to volunteer. The company is truly committed to the success and happiness of its 85 employees.
#10 Bingham McCutchen LLP
Bingham McCutchen LLP is an international law firm with 14 offices spanning the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The firm focuses on financial services, litigation, and corporate work for clients that range from financial institutions and global corporations to government agencies, academic institutions, and individual entrepreneurs. One of the firm’s hallmarks is a strong workplace culture. The unique environment is frequently a tipping point in the decision to choose Bingham. In every client outreach, every recruiting opportunity, every internal celebration, the lawyers and staff take pride in the fact that they can tout our impressive work, steady leadership, great benefits, inclusive culture, charitable work, and the feeling of camaraderie that fills the halls. Bingham attract employees — and clients — based on the firm’s character as well as its momentum.
#11 American Eagle Federal Credit Union
American Eagle Federal Credit Union is member-owned, not-for-profit financial services cooperative that is currently the largest community credit union in Connecticut with more than 102,000 members and $1.4 billion dollars in assets. The credit union was founded in 1935 and operates 17 branches in central Connecticut. Credit union membership is open to people who live, work, worship, or attend school in Hartford, Middlesex, or Tolland Counties.
American Eagle Federal Credit Union is committed to improving the quality of life for those in the communities they serve. The credit union has a history of community involvement in the categories of education and youth, basic human needs, and community development.
Employees of AEFCU love working for the company because it’s like being part of a big family. Even though it has grown over the past few years, employees enjoy getting together at company events throughout the year.
#12 Kforce Inc.
Kforce is a professional staffing and solutions firm specializing in the areas of finance & accounting staffing, healthcare staffing & solutions , technology staffing, government solutions, and outsourcing solutions.
Headquartered in Tampa, Kforce has matched job seekers and employers since 1962. The company provides staffing services and innovative solutions through more than 60 offices located throughout the United States and one in the Philippines. Kforce is dedicated to being the firm most respected by those it serves.
The firm believes Great People = Great Results.
By understanding what drives specialty industries, becoming involved in communities on a professional and personal basis, following a disciplined process of identifying quality candidates, partnering with employers to understand their core business and employment requirements, and delivering exceptional service, Kforce achieve great results for all concerned.
The company’s Connecticut offices are in Hartford, Shelton, and Stamford and specialize in accounting & finance, and technology.
#13 Stew Leonard’s
Family-owned farm fresh food grocer Stew Leonard’s began as a small dairy store founded in Norwalk in 1969 with just seven employees. Since that time, the company has grown to become a nearly $400 million business with more than 2,000 team members across four stores, including more than 1,300 team members based at the three Connecticut stores. Stew Leonard’s employs twice as many people per square foot as the average food retailer and provides at least 50 hours of training per year for full-time team members. Plus, advantages like Stew’s comprehensive benefits plan, extensive on-site medical screenings, and competitive pay package, which includes profit sharing, helps to attract and retain some of the very best talent in the business. Notably, 81 percent of the management team from across the entire company has been grown internally, and 31 percent Team Members have a family member working at Stew’s.
#14 Goodwin College
Goodwin College’s core mission says the institution “educates a culturally diverse student population in an environment that builds bridges between education, commerce, and community.” The college strives to be a vibrant educational community that embraces college, high school, and early childhood learners in ways that guide them toward their true potential and meaningful careers. Everyone including a lead administrator, a long-time faculty member, an academic advisor, or one of Goodwin’s many other employees, at the end of each day they know that their work matters. From the admissions officer who greets an applicant pursuing a long-cherished degree to the teacher who sees the light bulb go on when a student makes a connection to a new concept, employees working at Goodwin play a part in success stories every day.
#15 Benchmark Senior Living
At Benchmark Senior Living communities, every day is fun and meaningful for residents and associates. Benchmark Senior Living is committed to setting the standard of excellence in senior housing. Benchmark develops, owns, and manages senior living communities in the Northeast, with 17 communities in Connecticut that include independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities. In addition to being a company that offers growth, a strong benefits program, and The One Company Fund that was designed to help associates in time of crisis or unexpected hardship — Benchmark Senior Living is truly family taking care of family. Associates are caring and compassionate people that are able to make a difference in the lives of seniors and their families every single day.
