Front row, (l–r): Gregory Bretz, Director of Program Management; Terry Teach, Vice President of Sales; Back row: Dennis Wierzbicki, President of Sales; Monica Greer, Financial Controller; Dorsey Small, Director of Research & Development; Bob Parks, Director of Human Resources; Sherri Baffa, Vice President of Finance; Ed Shupert, Service Director.

Grundfos Pumps

For those keeping track, the bullet-points outlining benefits of working for Grundfos Pumps are dominated by the category headed “Your Health and Wellness.” That tells you a lot about the priority system of this Danish company, which has roughly 130 people working in its Kansas City-area location. That package covers employer-paid medical insurance for employees and dependents, prescription drug coverage, flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care, dental, vision, life and accident insurance—again, for employee and dependents—even business travel insurance. “It’s a core value of the company, coming out of Denmark, and the way they treat their employees,” says Dennis Wierzbicki, president of the North American Division, based in Olathe. “As the whole health-care debate goes on in this country, over who pays what, we sit here and say it’s important that our people have health care—period. So we pay it.” Grundfos, then, takes care of its own, and not just with physical well-being, but financial, too: a 401(k) with company match, a bonus program, career development programs, tuition reimbursements and other goodies. The work schedule accommodates flextime, incorporates business-casual dress, and includes paid industry and association fees.

Memberships as well as training fees for professional licensure are also covered. And, a little higher up Maslow’s hierarchy, the boilerplate vacation/holiday/sick leave/bereavement leave policies. Wierzbicki says he’s lived in eight states and worked for various Grundfos competitors. “I grew up in the industry, but didn’t realize what kind of company they really were” before going to work for Grundfos in 2004. “I saw them only as a competitor. But their focus on innovation and new technology was just one aspect, the business side. The way the company really operates, the way it cares about family-life balance—those are all things you see in the compensation that tell you what they really stand for.”

BRR Architecture

Three pillars support the concept of an employee-centered culture at BRR Architecture: professional development, community involvement and life-work balance. But, as with architecture itself, some pillars are more equal than others. “The professional development we provide our employees is one of the things that truly sets our company apart from others,” says company president Chris Rhea. That’s no idle boast: BRR has consistently been recognized on a national and local level by the American Institute of Architects for its intern development program. For the 220 employees of this Merriam-based firm, one of the largest of its kind in the region, the professional development piece entails awareness of the company’s strategic plan, goals and progress toward them through regular staff-wide bistro meetings and an annual state-of-the-firm meeting. In between, the firm uses SharePoint intranet to convey updates on goal achievements and to ensure that knowledge and resources are shared. A management team highly accessible to the staff—and integrated throughout the firm’s studios—promotes interaction on all levels of the company, says Kate Wind, director of marketing. Work-life balance is addressed with flex-time scheduling to accommodate personal commitments, social events to promote interaction among team members, Wednesday morning breakfast at the in-house bistro, informal living room spaces, participation in Corporate Challenge, ping-pong tables and Nintendo Wii systems, design competitions and staff artwork displayed throughout the office.

All of it designed for a purpose: “One of the guiding principles behind our compensation and benefits package is encouraging balance for our employees in their professional and personal lives,” Rhea said. “This reflects our commitment to investing in our staff and providing our clients with a top-notch team of individuals to service their projects.”

Finally, community service is addressed with both company-wide and individual efforts, which have benefited programs like Harvesters CANstruction, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Women’s Improvement Network, Light the Night, Adopt a Family, and Eco Abet/New House Teen Shelter. On a personal level, all staff members receive eight hours of paid time off annually to volunteer at the philanthropies of their choice.

(l–r): Ken Conklin, Senior Vice President of Business Devel-opment and Marketing; Joe Bracco, Vice President, head of U.S. Sales; Brian Schell, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer; Chris Isaacson, Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer; Randy Williams, Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications; Joe Ratterman, President and Chief Executive Officer; Jeromee Johnson, Vice President, Head of BATS Options; Eric Swanson, Senior Vice President, General Counsel; Tami Schademann, Senior Vice President, Chief Regulatory Officer. Not pictured: Mark Hemsley, Chief Executive Officer, BATS Europe; Paul O’Donnell, Chief Operating Officer, BATS Europe.

BATS Global Markets

Innovation has been the life’s blood of BATS Global Markets since its inception in 1996, so it’s no surprise that the benefits programs there are as creative as the staff that’s made it one of Kansas City’s fastest-growing companies. How innovative? Try five days of paternity-leave benefits, guys—and that’s in addition to 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave for the women on staff. More, you say? How about company-catered daily lunch from local restaurants—for the entire staff. That investment produces its own returns with employees of the equities-trading exchange congregating in the company dining area, interacting with other team members in ways their normal work structures might not generate. CEO Joe Ratterman says it’s all part of a grand strategy. “The key value that contributes to our successful culture,” he says, “is about always doing the right thing, regardless of how hard or painful that might be. Do what’s right for your customers, and they will support you for a very long time. Without the support and trust of your customers, it will be very difficult to achieve lasting success.” And doing what’s right for customers can’t be done correctly without doing right by employees. BATS also has an onsite workout facility for employee use, and, naturally, a competitive pay and medical coverage plan, flexible-spending accounts, fully paid short- and long-term disability insurance, basic life insurance, and accidental death/dismemberment insurance. A company-match retirement plan is coupled with a regular bonus program, which rewards all employees—quarterly—when key company milestones are achieved. Beyond the compensation and benefits package, the part of the company’s culture that truly resonates with Ratterman is grounded in the character and competence of employees on the team. “Our recruiting process seriously focuses on these two areas, and we have a very high bar for anybody going through our interviewing process,” he said. “It’s simply more fun and more energizing to work in an environment where you enjoy and respect everybody around you.”