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 has been named one of the top 10 “Best Small Companies to Work For in America,” coming in at No. 5 on this year’s prestigious list, unveiled June 29 at the Society for Human Resource Management’s 61st annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans. This is the fifth time McMurry, a full-service marketing communications firm with offices in Arizona and New York, has been named one of the top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For.”

The list is an annual, joint endeavor of the Great Place to Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. Its results are based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey, and each company evaluated is given a score based on employees’ responses to the detailed questionnaire about their workplace culture. The list ranks 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.

“Everyone at McMurry deserves credit for this honor because every person contributes to the creation of a culture, whether at work or in general,” says Lee Vikre, Vice President of the company’s Tremendous People division. “Ranking as a best company makes McMurry better by continually motivating us to improve. Companies can’t rest on their laurels and keep getting this recognition. It’s an amazing honor.”

McMurry team members enjoy a unique culture 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 making our company a great place to work. 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 CEO Chris McMurry. “Because of this practice, we’ve been able to make the list while also merging multiple corporate cultures through acquisitions, with increased competition for this award, and while navigating through the deepest economic downturn in decades.”

In 2006, McMurry ranked as the No. 6 Best Small Company to Work For in America, in 2007 it was No. 10, and in 2008 it was No. 5.  In 2004, McMurry was named the No. 1 Best Small Company to Work For 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.

A cover story about the winning organizations will be in the July 2009 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 has a mission 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, Liberty Mutual, PNC, 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.