Charlie Kettle, president of First Commercial Bank and vice chair of investor relations for the Chamber receives a plaque from Bob Baron, President and CEO of Baron Services. First Commercial Bank was the presenting sponsor of the Best Places to Work awards luncheon on April 22.

Fifteen companies were selected as the “Best Places to Work” in Huntsville/Madison County at an awards luncheon Tuesday, April 22. The event, held at the Westin, was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, the North Alabama Society for Human Resource Management and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

The host organizations worked with volunteers to create the event, presented by First Commercial Bank, to unveil Huntsville/Madison County’s outstanding employers whose benefits, policies and practices are among the region’s best. More than 100 businesses were initially nominated for the award.

Winners were based solely on a survey completed by employees and were selected in three categories: organizations with between 25 and 74 employees; organizations with between 75 and 249 employees and employers with 250 employees or more.

Winners in each of the categories included:

25-74 workers

• Edward Jones
• Nesin Therapy Services
• QuantiTech Inc.
• Smith Barney
• Venturi, Inc.

75-249 workers

• Booz Allen Hamilton
• Embassy Suites
• Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
• Marriott Huntsville
• Torch Technologies, Inc.

250+ workers

• Analytical Services, Inc. (ASI)
• Camber Corporation
• Dynetics
• EG&G Technical Services
• Jacobs Technology, Inc.

Bob Baron of Baron Services Inc. served as master of ceremony for the event and told attendees that being named a best place to work in a community full of great companies and organizations was a great accomplishment.

“At a time when this community is experiencing tremendous economic growth and development, the competition for talent and the ability to retain that talent is absolutely critical to ensure continued growth,” Baron said.

The top 15 ranked companies include a diverse group of businesses and organizations in the Huntsville/Madison County community.

“I hear from so many of our customers how they face challenges in finding the right people for their company and I know how important it is to create a great place to work in order to attract and retain the best and the brightest. This award recognizes companies that go above and beyond to achieve that type of environment for their employees,” said Charlie Kettle, CEO & president, First Commercial Bank and vice chair of investor relations for the Chamber.

Although this is a first time event, thanks to the overwhelming response it is expected to be an annual event, Kettle said. Representatives from Quantum indicated that the first year number of nominees exceeded cities such as Dallas and Austin, Texas.

Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer thanked all of the companies represented at the event and those that could not attend.

“You believe in Huntsville Alabama like I do,” she said. “I continue to hear newcomers say this is the friendliest community ever. We wouldn’t be the community we are if you hadn’t given back in some way.”

Quantum measured and selected companies based on the following criteria:

• Team Effectiveness
• Retention Probability
• Alignment with Goals
• Trust with Co-workers
• Individual Contribution
• Manager Effectiveness
• Trust in Senior Leaders
• Feeling Valued
• Work Engagement
• People Practices

Once nominated, Quantum, a company that specializes in measuring workplace satisfaction, administered a survey to employees and tabulated the results. Winners were based exclusively on the outcome of the employee surveys.