JUNE 23, 2008

Society for Human Resource Management and the Great Place to Work® Institute Name Top 50 “Best Small and Medium Companies to Work For in America”

Phoenix—McMurry, Arizona’s largest independent marketing communications firm, has been named one of the top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For” in America. McMurry was named No. 5 on the prestigious list, which was unveiled today before an audience of more than 12,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management’s 60th annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago. This is the fourth time McMurry has been named one of the top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For.”

The list is a joint endeavor of the Great Place to Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. The results were based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey and each company evaluated was given a score based on employees’ responses to a detailed questionnaire about their workplace culture. The list ranked the top 25 small and the top 25 medium companies in America that use smart people-management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces. Each year, the Great Place to Work Institute produces various “Best Companies to Work For” lists in the U.S., including Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”® in America.

Great Place to Work Institute co-founder Robert Levering said, “These companies stand out because their employees find them to be places where they can trust the management, have pride in their work and have fun at work. Other companies have much to learn about how to both be productive and do right by their people.”

In 2006, McMurry was named the No. 6 Best Place to Work in America and in 2007 was No. 10 on the list. In 2004, McMurry was named the No. 1 Best Place to Work among small companies in Maricopa County (the greater Phoenix market) by the Great Place to Work Institute, which at the time was evaluating workplaces on a regional basis.

“Everyone at McMurry deserves credit for this honor because every team member helps create our culture,” says Lee Vikre, the company’s vice president of Tremendous People. “We believe that the Great Place to Work Institute represents the gold standard in assessing workplace quality. That makes this honor incredibly meaningful to us and conveys credibility to those considering McMurry as a possible home for their careers.”

McMurry team members enjoy a culture that is highly respected and infused with pride, guided by eight core values that are the basis for all decision making, interaction and business practices. The following eight values are the heart and character of McMurry and the people in the company are bound together in their purpose and by their practice: 1) Do the right thing 2) Help one another 3) Deliver raving service 4) Produce quality always 5) Exceed expectations 6) Embrace change 7) Accept social responsibility and 8) Earn a reasonable profit.

“One of McMurry’s top three priorities is always making our company a great place to work and we have quantified, for many years now, what our staff thinks of their company and how they think it should evolve and we’ve followed their lead to this success,” says Chief Executive Officer Chris McMurry.

The Society for Human Resource Management conducted several events at its annual Conference & Exposition to recognize the companies that made the “Best Small and Medium Companies to Work For in America” lists. A cover story about the winning organizations will be in the July 2008 issue of HR Magazine, the Society’s flagship publication with a circulation of 200,000 and a profile on McMurry’s unique workplace culture will be included (available at shrm.org/hrmagazine). The winning organizations are listed on the Great Place to Work Institute’s website at greatplacetowork.com. The Society for Human Resource Management is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 200,000 individual members, the Society’s mission is to serve human resource management professionals and to advance the profession. Founded in 1948, the Society has more than 500 chapters and members in more than 100 countries.

Great Place to Work Institute Inc. is a global research and consulting firm dedicated to “building a better society by helping companies transform their workplaces.” The Great Place to Work Institute works with Fortune magazine, HR Magazine and other leading publications in 28 countries to publish and recognize the “Best Companies to Work For.” In addition to its global headquarters in San Francisco, the Great Place to Work Institute has 28 affiliates in countries throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

About McMurry
McMurry (mcmurry.com), with three offices in Arizona and New York, offers a complete line of marketing communications services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Amtrak, CBS, Aon, CVS Caremark, Waste Management, USAA, 24 Hour Fitness and Thomson Reuters, as well as resources to more than 10,000 corporate professionals. The company has specialized practices in healthcare, finance and insurance. It is among the largest independent marketing communications companies in the U.S. and is recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute and Society for Human Resource Management as one of the top five “Best Small Companies to Work For” in the U.S.

 

Katie Haney, Strategic Communications Specialist

P: 602-395-5850
E: KATIE.HANEY@MCMURRY.COM