Yes, everybody wants to live in Colorado—they just need a job. 


That’s why Best Companies to Work For in Colorado is consistently one of the most popular searches on our website. And no job seeker could do better than landing a position at one of this year’s Best Companies to Work For, many of which are growing (and hiring).

This year’s four winners and 12 finalists share a belief that crafting an intentional culture is a key to a great workplace, says Shawna Simcik, president of business leadership for ColoradoBiz partner ICC (Innovate Coach Consult), the Denver talent management and consulting firm that oversees the Best Companies program.

“They understand that business requires careful attention to the ‘soft’ side of the organization: the values and beliefs that are the heart of the company, the policies and practices that put those values into action and the importance of teaching employees an understanding of how they create value for their customers,” she says.

The awards are based entirely on employee feedback about their experience at the company. Finalists also submitted short videos featuring employees talking about what makes their companies great. Applicants pay to have their employees take the Denison Culture Survey, which measures the key drivers of high performance: mission, adaptability, involvement and consistency. The Denison model links organizational culture to a company’s performance metrics, such as sales growth, return on equity, return on investment, customer satisfaction, innovation, employee satisfaction and quality.

Certainly, the awards have great value for companies vying for top talent in a state that basically has full employment.

“They get confirmation that all their efforts and hard-work toward creating a best company to work for is working,” Simcik says, adding that even those companies that don’t become finalists reap major rewards.

“(They) get a baseline of cultural strengths and weaknesses to start to build upon,” she says. “They get an understanding of their current culture relative to other high performing organizations and a clear prioritization of short-, mid- and long-term change efforts that will link directly to bottom-line related performance.”

BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

SMALLEST

SMALL

MEDIUM

BIG

Best Companies to Work For 
2018 Excellence Award Winners

Interior Environments

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR CREATING CHANGE

The organization adapts quickly, creating solutions 
to meet changing needs. It reads the business environment, reacts quickly to trends and anticipates future shifts.

Vi at Highlands Ranch

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR TEAM ORIENTATION

Value is placed on working cooperatively toward a common goal for which all employees feel mutually accountable. The organization relies on team effort to get work done.

Merritt Aluminum Products Co.

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR CULTURE MOMENTUM

Award for best culture achievement over time in terms of creating clarity and alignment. Leaders are putting extra time and effort into making a great workplace, changing their approach to deliberately create a Best Company to Work For in Colorado.

Douglass County Libraries

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR CUSTOMER FOCUS 

The organization understands and reacts to its customers, anticipating their future needs. The organization is driven by a desire and ability to satisfy its customers.