SBJ names 2008's 20 Choice Employers

Twenty Ozarks companies took honors this morning as the 2008 Choice Employers, presented by Springfield Business Journal.

The annual distinction scored companies in four categories - Incentives, Family Friendly, People Development and Corporate Culture - and ranked the top five in four size categories - 5-24 employees, 25-100 employees, 101-300 employees and 301+ employees. Springfield accounting firm Whitlock, Selim & Keehn LLP tabulated the results.

The honorees are:

5-24 employees:
1. Creative Ink Architects LLC
2. Employee Benefit Design LLC
3. Sapp Design Associates Architects PC
4. Davis, Lynn & Moots PC
5. GHN Architects/Engineers

25-100 employees:
1. Ollis and Co.
2. Environmental Works Inc.
3. Arvest Bank
4. KPM CPAs
5. Elliott, Robinson & Co.

101-300 employees:
1. Cody's Convenience Stores
2. The Track
3. Penmac
4. Empire Bank
5. Guaranty Bank

301+ employees:
1. Chase Card Services
2. ANPAC
3. Commerce Bank
4. SRC Holdings Corp.
5. BKD LLP

Bob Stockdale, principal of Creative Ink Architects, accepted his company's first-place award and recalled a job he was fired from earlier in his career when he pushed his employer to take care of its staff, instead of just "taking care of the dollars." He kept that lesson in mind when forming Creative Ink.

"When we started Creative Ink, we wanted to do it the right way," Stockdale said.

The event was held at the Oasis Convention Center and drew more than 200 guests.