100 to 499 Employees

1. Provide Commerce

Company description: E-commerce marketplace for perishable goods
Number of employees: 225
5005 Wateridge Vista Drive, San Diego 92121
858-729-2800; providecommerce.com
Highlights: Career growth opportunities; work/life programs (i.e., Pilates during working hours); 20 paid days per year of daycare for employees’ children; flexible schedules; discounts on all four of the company’s branded Web sites; bonuses.

When ProFlowers.com, one of the four Web sites operated by Provide Commerce, celebrated reaching $150 million in revenue earlier this year, each employee received a lime-green iPod. It’s one of countless examples of how CEO Bill Strauss marks every company milestone by rewarding employees. In just the past year, employees enjoyed a private room at Rock Bottom Brewery for the Rose Bowl football game, a Valentine’s Day Survival Party, indoor kart racing at Miramar Speed Circuit, a Padres night, a holiday party, company picnic and a private screening of King Kong on opening night.

Then there was Employee Appreciation Week. It started with breakfast served by senior management, followed by a Napoleon Dynamite movie day with a pizza lunch. Employees were encouraged to wear costumes inspired by the movie, with a contest deciding the best get-up. A Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck pulled up the next day; disco bowling was Thursday. The week ended with a Happy Hour and the company’s second annual Musical Chairs Invitational.

“We have a very special and exhilarating culture that we believe is a result of our entrepreneurial, Internet startup roots,” says Penny Handscomb, vice president of human resources and training. “We credit our success to hiring great people—and once we get them, we take good care of them. It’s a habit that breeds more success.” And as one employee is quick to point out, credit is also due to a “very collaborative” management team, which “values the input of everyone.”

The company ranked first in our survey for low employee turnover. They also top the list for community involvement: Recent beneficiaries include the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, San Diego Multiple Sclerosis Walk and Asian tsunami victims, among others. “Assistance to our community members is an extension of our relationship with our employees and our growing relationship within the community,” says Handscomb.

At College Loan Corporation, employees are just as valued as the 600,000 students they’ve helped pay for college (the company manages more than $9 billion in student-loan assets). “My employees are my customers,” says Rob La Breche, president of consumer marketing. “They can talk to us about anything, anytime. We work to establish the kind of culture in which people enjoy their jobs . . . if I create that environment, they’ll want to treat their customers that way.”

Our survey results give credence to La Breche’s claim; the company tops the list for “employee voice” and “workplace culture” in their business-size category. In addition to management’s open-door policy, employees express any concerns and opinions by completing annual surveys. They also tell management how they want to be rewarded. A day at the Del Mar races, golf tournaments, a family fishing derby, a suite at Petco Park and quarterly parties are recent examples.

“We want our employees to grow and stay with us,” says director of human resources Heather Brown. To advance that development, the company offers a tuition-reimbursement program and two-week training “boot camp.”

Chris Rutherford was promoted to senior loan officer after taking advantage of such programs. “The training is ongoing and provides positive motivation,” says Rutherford. “We’re not stuck at the same level; there’s satisfaction in always having the opportunity to grow in the company.”

Another gratifying aspect to the corporate culture here is the varied charity work that goes on. “There’s always a rally for helping one endeavor or another,” says La Breche. The company donated $100,000 to schools affected by Hurricane Katrina; they also give computers to area schools.

3. The Ken Blanchard Companies

Company description: Specialists in workplace learning, productivity, performance and leadershipeffectiveness solutions
Number of employees: 270
125 State Place, Escondido 92029
760-489-5005, 800-728-6000;
kenblanchard.com
Highlights: Profit sharing; training opportunities; infant-at-work program; employee-assistance program, which offers free counseling, legal and financial services; wellness program with access to fitness equipment; lifestyle seminars; Blanchard Gives Back program, which allows employees to direct money to charity

Through its training services and products, The Ken Blanchard Companies helps CEOs and other leaders create thriving, effective workplaces. And they have taken “practice what you preach” to new heights. The company offers its clients a powerful example of an engaged, productive and happy workforce. Central to the Ken Blanchard formula: education.

Says 13-year Ken Blanchard vet and western region sales director Mark Manning: “Our company has been working with leaders around the world to tap into the potential and power of their people. I’ve seen this modeled in our own company in many ways.”

Employees can take the same courses that are offered to clients through the company’s IntelligenceQuest University, free of charge, and are reimbursed for any job-related training outside the office. The company awards employee scholarships to the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program at the University of San Diego, and employees and family members are eligible to receive a 60 percent tuition reduction when they pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees through Grand Canyon University (which can be completed entirely on-line).

Another component integral to the company philosophy is community involvement. In June, Manning was part of a group of 50 Ken Blanchard employees to take part in Homes of Hope, a “life-changing experience” in which they built homes in Tijuana. “As vans shuttled us back across the border, we all realized how blessed we are and what it felt like to commit our energy toward something far more significant than ourselves,” he says. “That is the power of working for and with this company; it’s demonstrated not only in the halls of our headquarters but in the halls of our clients.” In addition, the Blanchard Gives Back program has given nearly $670,000 to charity.

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