2008 Choice Employers, 301+ Employees, No. 5: BKD LLP

Jason Rader jumped at the chance to work at BKD LLP after graduating from Missouri State University - and 18 years later, he's still with the company.

"The thing that I've always admired about BKD is creating opportunities for people who want to work hard," says Rader, who's been a partner at the certified public accounting firm for eight years. "For those who are doing their best, there's always going to be opportunity, and that was true in my case."

A Springfield native, Rader preferred to stay in the Ozarks and wanted a larger firm that offered advancement opportunitties.

"From our Springfield office, we work with clients all over the country," he says.

One of the 10 largest CPA and advisory firms in the United States, BKD has 30 offices in 12 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. The firm is led by Managing Partner John Wanamaker.

BKD recruits heavily from area colleges, which is how Rachel Dwiggins learned about her employer almost 10 years ago.

"They were big enough there was a lot of opportunity but small enough where you had access to partners very early in your career," says Dwiggins, senior manager in the audit area.

"I like the variety of stuff I get to work on as well as the challenge. I'm never bored, " she adds.

She appreciates the industry conferences she's able to attend, and she enjoys a firmwide class on nonprofit and governmental entities she teaches.

Dwiggins also is a fan of a new benefit this year: a $50 bonus for each night of overnight travel.

"That is a very nice bonus - my shopping fund," Dwiggins says.

Rader says the program has bee popular. "We just felt like it was an investment in our employees to recognize, hey, we know this takes you away from home."

Employees may begin contributing to a 401(k) plan after 30 days, and they're vested immediately in the employer match.

"Our plan is discretionary, so it allows us to pick the percent each year," Rader says, "but over the last several years, it's been 4 (percent) to 5 percent."

BKD combines vacation, sick leave and personal days into a bucket of paid time off capped at 160 hours. "We want people taking time off," Rader says. We're here working hard. Being a CPA often requires more than a 40-hour week, and we want people to take time off to spend with friends and family."

BKD offers two health-insurance plans: a traditional plan with co-pays and a health savings account. Training is emphasized, especially during employees' first four years so they learn more about their disciplines and meet peers throughout the company, Rader says. New employees are assigned a coach.

Promoting from within is encouraged.

"We think that's really, really important - understanding our culture and client services. We prefer to promote from within," Rader says.