The Alaska Journal of Commerce - 2009 Best places to work in Alaska 10/23/09

Industry: Financial Services

Company overview: Edward Jones is among the largest financial-services firms in the nation, with more than 9,000 offices in the U.S. The firm offering investment services to more than 7 million clients. Financial advisors promote a conservative investment philosophy offering relatively low-risk, quality investments. The firm's mission is to be the best advocate for the serious, long-term individual investor.

Edward Jones is committed to a long-term investment philosophy that emphasizes quality and diversification. Associates do business this way because years of experience have convinced them that it's one of the best ways to help achieve their clients' goals. The research department uses this philosophy as a guideline when recommending individual stocks.

It is this philosophy that has helped the firm grow: Edward Jones has more offices than any other investment firm in America. The firm attributes much of its success to its principles and personal, long-term approach to investing.

Edward Jones has consistently ranked among the best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine and the firm's employees tend to stay with them for years.

Associates work in an environment of profit sharing, a culture of caring, and partnerships for those who demonstrate significant contributions.

Ted Jones created a limited partnership that invited those who worked for the firm to own a part of it. People who do the work should share in the rewards, regardless of rank, he determined. Every associate has the potential to become a partner.

Partnership also creates a culture where equality rules. There's an emphasis on teamwork and respect for individuals, and a noticeable disdain for corporate hierarchy.

Today, Edward Jones is the last remaining partnership among the large New York Stock Exchange securities firms.

The cultural rhythm at Edward Jones sets it apart. Driven by the firm's core purpose of serving the individual investor with excellence, the culture beat at Edward Jones has four dominant themes: collaborative partnership, volunteerism, respect for the individual and caring.

Edward Jones established more than 20 years ago a charitable foundation to support and reinforce its commitment to giving back. Its mission is to provide the communities where its associates live and work reliable financial and human resource support for the betterment of the community. The foundation provides a mechanism for associates to request firm charitable donations for local charities they care about.

#2 Credit Union 1

Industry: Financial Institution

Company overview: Founded in 1952, Credit Union 1 is a 100 percent nonprofit, member-owned institution. CU1 offers full financial services, specializing in lending and financial education, serving a large and diverse member base that extends to anyone who lives or works in Alaska.

Credit Union 1 was founded in 1952 as the Anchorage Teachers Federal Credit Union, and has grown to become a diverse, thriving, community-minded financial institution.

In 2008, in the midst of a nationwide economic crisis, CU1 reported that its income and stability increased in almost all areas. Membership increased as well.

CU1 has 13 branches in Alaska, and it continues to grow. The institution broke ground on a new branch in Anchorage's distressed Mountain View neighborhood, and has committed to a community improvement plan to offer financial education classes, conference rooms and community Internet access.

CU1 has proactive family friendly policies and programs, competitive compensation and benefits, and rewards each employee for a job well done while giving back to the communities it serves.

Credit Union 1 was the first financial institution in Alaska to open an on-site childcare facility to help employees balance the demands of work and family life. The facility is open extended hours to accommodate work schedules, and employees pay a discounted rate. For Credit Union 1 employees outside Anchorage, the credit union offers a childcare differential to offset the cost of obtaining local childcare.

Thanks to these and other efforts, CU1 was awarded Employer of the Year honors at the Fairbanks Resource Agency's annual gala. The Credit Union National Association awarded Credit Union 1 with first place honors in the 2008 Louise Herring Philosophy in Action program, which recognizes the credit union's implementation of a specialized credit solutions program to help members who have moderate to severe credit issues get back on their feet.

#3 PCL Construction Services Inc.

Industry: Construction

Company overview: PCL Construction Services is one of the PCL family of companies, a group of independent construction companies working out of 27 offices across the United States and Canada forming the largest general contracting organization in Canada and the seventh largest in the United States, with an annual construction volume exceeding $6.5 billion. PCL covers three main sectors: buildings, infrastructure and heavy industrial.

PCL Construction Services Inc. is an employee-owned company, offering all of its salaried employees the opportunity to participate in the PCL share purchase program. Currently, more than 90 percent of the eligible employees are shareowners.

Employees say share ownership is important to them because it PCL is their company. Besides the financial rewards, it has made employees a team, offering an incentive to work together to solve problems, support fellow employees and weed out the bad when necessary.

Ernest Poole founded Poole Construction in Stoughton, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1906. The headquarters in 1932 moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where the North American headquarters remains today.

Poole kept his company running through the tough times of the Great Depression and two World Wars, in part through diversifying operations from building construction to include highway and irrigation work.

In 1977, Ernest Poole's sons, John and George Poole, sold the business to employees, and changed the name to PCL Construction Ltd. two years later.

Today, the work of PCL Construction Services is carried out by independent operating companies that work out of about 25 major locations across Canada, the United States and the Bahamas.

Together, the companies employ more than 2,300 professional and administrative staff and up to 6,000 hourly trades people during peak times.

In 1990, the company launches PCL College of Construction, a show of commitment to ongoing professional and personal growth.

#4 Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell LLC

Industry: Engineering

Company overview: Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell LLC is an established and growing consulting firm specializing in civil, geotechnical and transportation engineering. HDL provides programming, planning, surveying, design and construction phase services on road, highway, water and wastewater, airport, bulk fuel, renewable energy, and site development projects for a wide range of clients.

Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell LLC feels that the best sound at work is the laughter and camaraderie of the employees. To that aim, HDL fosters a relaxed, innovative work place that allows its staff to achieve great business and personal success.

The full-time staff of 35 includes six licensed civil engineers, two certified professional geologists, and one licensed land surveyor.

HDL's principals have more than 60 years of total experience providing professional services to government and industry. It is one of Alaska's best-known mid-sized engineering firms, operating under a mission to respond to the customer's needs with quality services.

HDL recognizes that the next generation of leaders in the field is important and needs to be developed. The firm actively works with staff engineers to give them the necessary skills to become managers. The executive staff works with managers to develop their business skills through lunch sessions about accounting, cost estimating, project planning, development of younger staff, and overall company direction.

But perhaps the most unique aspect of the company culture is that everyone gets along and works to promote excellence together.

HDL owners encourage all employees to play hard as a way to increase productivity. HDL sponsors its own hockey team and encourages participation at the gym by having senior management working out with staff members. The company holds summer picnics and impromptu get togethers.

#5 Alaska Small Business Development Center

Industry: Nonprofit

Company overview: The Alaska Small Business Development Center offers free, confidential, business counseling to startups, existing businesses, or to individuals who are thinking of starting a business. Its five regional locations also provide low-cost business workshops and resource libraries exclusively for small business.

Since its inception in October 1986, the Alaska Small Business Development Center has evolved into a regional network of five centers, including a rural outreach program, and four additional specialized business assistance programs.

The Alaska SBDC staff is comprised of qualified, experienced business professionals, many with business ownership experience, and/or advanced degrees in business. All business advisors are certified through the Alaska SBDC's Professional Certification program.

Managers strive for an open, transparent organization, where a leadership that embraces teamwork also supports a respectful, flexible and challenging work environment while encouraging independence, self-motivation, and professional development to all staff.

The SBDC is part of a national program created by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Through this collaborative partnership, employees have the opportunity to be part of a cooperative effort that involves the private sector, the educational community, and federal, state and local governments.

As part of that agreement with the SBA, the Alaska SBDC is hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage, so all employees have the same benefits as university employees.

The leadership team serves as role models internally, and externally, consistently demonstrating their commitment to the Alaska SBDC's values: teamwork, excellence, respect, integrity, accountable and innovation.

They are committed to the pursuit of excellence and hold themselves responsible to their performance measures, regional and statewide strategic plan, and their staff's ongoing professional development.

Through their leadership, a positive working environment engages staff and educates them to the importance of their work and its impact on the organization.

#6 Alaska USA Federal Credit Union

Industry: Financial Institution

Company overview: Alaska USA Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative with $3.9 billion in assets. Alaska USA provides a full range of financial services for individuals and businesses, including savings and loan programs, mortgages and real estate loans, personal and commercial insurance, title and escrow services, and investment and trust management.

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union celebrates its 61st anniversary this year, a testament to its role as a long-standing member of the Alaska community.

The culture at Alaska USA is one of security and stability. The senior management team has been in place for more than 30 years, providing stable and consistent leadership.

Chartered in 1948, Alaska USA has 57 branches in Alaska and Washington - many opened seven days a week - serving more than 370,000 members in all 50 states and around the world. The financial institution reports more than $3.3 billion in assets, and recently acquired facilities in California.

Alaska USA began at Fort Richardson. The 15 founding members felt that local financial institutions were not meeting the credit needs of the federal civil service personnel. Members founded the credit union and pooled their savings and extended credit to one another, while volunteering their time to operate the credit union.

In 1953, after Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson separated, the credit union expanded its membership to include officers and enlisted personnel. In 1959, the same year Alaska was admitted into statehood, the board hired its first employee.

Alaska USA still is committed to treating each employee as an individual, with respect, fairness and professionalism. The pay and benefit programs are comprehensive and remain competitive within the financial industry. This commitment to each employee is recognized as the foundation of Alaska USA's outstanding success in providing service to members.

#7 Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Denali Care Center

Industry: Healthcare Provider

Company overview: The Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Denali Care Center is a nonprofit, community owned health care provider, offering a variety of ambulatory care services, acute care, and skilled nursing for a service area covering 250,000 square miles.

The Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Denali Care Center exists to make a difference in peoples' lives, and through that work, the lives of the employees take on added meaning.

Healthcare, at its core, is about a sense of neighbors taking care of neighbors. It's how the hospital was founded. Forty years ago, a devastating 100-year flood destroyed the wood frame hospital. The citizens of Fairbanks went door-to-door to raise funds for a new facility.

This grass roots effort represented a profound community outreach effort that shaped the health system of Interior Alaska.

That same sense of community defines the health system in Fairbanks today, largely through a sense of community engagement. It is the only hospital in the nation that has a Native Clinic embedded within.

Native patients needing outpatient care are treated at the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center. If they need inpatient care, they are admitted to beds specifically guaranteed for the Athabascan community.

The hospital also has cooperative working relationships with the nearby military bases and the university.

It is currently the largest private employer in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the 12th largest in Alaska. The organization recently joined with Tanana Valley Clinic, the first and largest clinic in the Interior.

The American Hospital Association recently recognized Fairbanks Memorial Hospital as one of two hospitals in the nation that "Live the Vision" of community engagement. This spring, the community turned out to donate over two tons of loose change to help build a cardiac heart center.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and Denali Center serves the community with the same sense of inclusiveness and "community-greater-good" that has defined it since its inception in 1972.