Top Workplaces: Special recognition in 13 categories

Fifteen workplaces earned special honors for their excellence across thirteen categories in southeast Wisconsin’s 2023 Top Workplaces program.

On employee surveys, these organizations received top marks for outstanding leadership, transparent communication, strong core values and other positive traits that contribute to a great work environment.

Employees were asked to rank their workplaces on specific statements, such as “I have confidence in the leader of this company” and “I believe this company is going in the right direction.” The companies with the highest cumulative rankings for each statement are honored as the year’s award winners.  

Here are some of the highlights:

Employee appreciation : Kapur & Associates

Kapur & Associates, a consulting and engineering firm based in Milwaukee, received a special award for appreciation. The business has been named as a Top Workplace for 14 consecutive years.

One employee stated that they felt appreciated because of “the constant kindness all around.” 

“No matter who I pass in the hallways, whether I have seen them or not, [I] always get a good morning,” they wrote in a survey response.

Other employees cited an open-door policy and regular access to senior management as a reason to feel appreciated. Positive reinforcement and acknowledgement from managers was mentioned as well, along with career growth opportunities.

“I have recently been given new responsibilities that will eventually grow into a promotion that I never expected,” one employee mentioned.

Fresh ideas: Great Lakes Rubber

Innovation is encouraged at Great Lakes Rubber, an industrial solutions provider for global equipment managers and repair operators. The company is based in Milwaukee and received a special award for new ideas during its first year on the Top Workplaces list.

Employees mentioned a program at the company where they are rewarded for sharing new ideas with management, and also for putting them into action. “We are encouraged to implement the ideas, not just to come up with them,” one employee wrote.

Top leadership: Bank Five Nine

Employees at Bank Five Nine, based in Oconomowoc, consistently said that their managers helped them learn and grow, and also cared about their concerns. The company earned a special award for managers during its 14th consecutive year as a Top Workplace.

One employee wrote that their manager “is always available to help me any time that I need it.” Regular check-ins and encouragement for employees to focus on their wellbeing was a highlight for another employee. 

Many employees also mentioned that their managers listened, asked questions, and treated them as collaborators. “[My manager] is patient and kind when helping me, [and] never makes me feel bad for not knowing something,” one employee wrote.

Employee benefits, investment in careers: Shorewest, Inpro

Two employers were honored for providing great benefits and actively investing in their employee’s careers.

Shorewest Realtors won a special award for training, providing employees with opportunities to learn and build their careers. Survey respondents noted support for continuing education, corporate training classes, and an online library of resources.

Employees at Inpro, which provides architectural products for building professionals, spoke highly of the company’s employee offerings, earning Inpro a special award for benefits. Health insurance, a high 401k match, and other insurance benefits were among the programs noted.

Here is the full list of 2023 special award winners:

Leadership

• Kevin Steiner, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company 
• Carl Panzenhagen, Blast Cleaning Technologies
• Sheila Hibl, Exterior Pros

Direction

• Zuern Building Products & Design Center

Managers

• Bank Five Nine

New ideas

• Great Lakes Rubber

Doers

• Touching Hearts at Home

Meaningfulness

• Muskego-Norway Schools

Values

• Rent-A-Daughter, LLC

Clued-in senior management

• raSmith

Communication

• Catholic Financial Life

Appreciation

• Kapur & Associates, Inc.

Work/life flexibility

• Derco, A Lockheed Martin Company

Training

• Shorewest Realtors

Benefits 

• Inpro