Nos. 6–10 & Honorable Mentions, 100–300 employees

Rebuilding may be the job of Springfield ReManufacturing Corp., but the company rarely has to rebuild its employment ranks.

More than 90 percent of the company’s management team was promoted from within, and less than 10 percent of employees left the company of their own volition in 2005.

The reason for the longevity: friendly co-workers.

“We offer a survey twice a year to all of our employees,” said Travis Morrison, human resources manager for the SRC Holdings subsidiary. “We ask them what they like best about SRC, and 90 percent of people say it’s the people. Everybody here says they love to work with the people they work with.”

Company benefits don’t hurt either; all employees are fully vested in the company’s 401(k) plan after six months, and both employees and their children can get tuition assistance for education.

No. 7: Guaranty Bank

Guaranty Bank, the financial institution of Guaranty Federal Bancshares with headquarters at 1341 W. Battlefield St., placed well in family friendliness and corporate culture. The firm takes care of its employees by offering insurance for dental, vision, long-term disability and dependents, healthy bonuses, and flex time for parents.

After a year of employment, staff can gain stock options and participate in the employee stock ownership plan.

“Guaranty has created a culture and atmosphere that encourages associates to strive toward clearly defined goals that center on providing exemplary customer service,” said Shaun A. Burke, president and CEO of the publicly traded company (Nasdaq: GFED). “Associates appreciate understanding the goals and having the tools and latitude to achieve success. They know the direct result of their success is ultimately returned to them through higher company stock values and their ownership in our (ESOP).”

No. 8: ReGen Technologies LLC

It’s no surprise that a Jack Stack-influenced company scored high for its corporate culture and development of people. SRC Holdings subsidiary ReGen Technologies, 4500 E. Mustard Way in Springfield, was one of the few participating companies to offer an employee mentoring program and conduct employee satisfaction surveys.

ReGen operates under Stack’s open-book management style, giving employees a direct connection to the bottom line.

“How many companies do you know of that the employees know where all of the money is going and how they can make a difference?” asked Paul Brown, product support manager.

That philosophy filters throughout the plant. “Most all of the original crew who started this place have worked together in one of Jack Stack’s open-book managed companies for decades, know each others’ families, wants, likes, needs, dislikes, beliefs, etc. and care about being successful,” said Bus Bryant, product engineering manager. “We … set the culture of this place.”

The culture involves investing in training – between $501 and $1,500 per employee and 40 to 60 hours of formal training for each person annually.

Tied for No. 9: Branco

Family is a big part of Neosho-based Branco Enterprises Inc., 12033 E. Highway 86.

Not only is family friendliness its best-scoring category, the construction firm is family-owned by the Branhams.

“The one thing that makes Branco a great place to work is the family environment,” Controller Bryce McDermott said. “Our employees genuinely care about one another, from our company president (John Branham) on down. Every company has compensation and benefit packages, but it’s the intangibles that differentiate between a job and a great place to work.”

A few intangibles: six weeks of paid maternity leave, tuition reimbursement for work-related continuing education and regularly scheduled meetings with top management.

Tied for No. 9: Safeway Bakery

Joplin’s Safeway Bakery, 1401 Junge Blvd., recorded high marks in people development, due in large part to its tuition reimbursement program for any continuing education. It’s a unique perk for a bakery, but so are the healthy employee bonuses of $751 to $1,000 and the employee mentoring and training available. Safeway spends $501 to $1,500 per employee annually and conducts 20 to 39 training hours annually on each staff member.

Corporate culture also scored well, with more than half of Safeway’s managers advancing through promotions. Those managers deal hands-on with staff, conducting internal employee satisfaction surveys and meeting monthly with employees to share financial details and strategic plans.

Honorable Mentions

Empire Bank

Names & Numbers

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