Wegmans, Whole Foods Among Grocers on Fortune’s List
Fortune’s 2014 100 Best Companies to Work For list is out, and as in years past, a contingent of grocery retailers and manufacturers has made the cut, most notably Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, at No. 12.
Other food retailers on the annual ranking were Woodland, Calif.-based Nugget Market, at No. 36; Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market, at No. 44; and Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix Supermarket, at No. 75. Convenience store operator Sheetz, based in Altoona, Pa., came in at No. 87. Among CPG companies, General Mills (64) and Mars (76) made the list.
Repeat Appearances
Wegmans, Publix and Whole Foods all noted that they had made the list every year since it was introduced in 1998 – three of just 13 companies to have done so. Nugget has now appeared in the rankings for nine consecutive years.
“Our employees make Wegmans a place where customers feel happy and cared about, and my job is to make sure our employees feel that way, too,” said Danny Wegman, CEO of the 83-store supermarket chain. “What’s most important to us is that our employees feel that Wegmans is a great place to work.”
The grocer plans to celebrate the honor by serving cake at every one of its stores on Saturday, Jan. 18.
“What makes us a successful company is our 80,000 team members, who demonstrate their passion and dedication to the company’s mission each and every day,” observed Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods, which operates more than 370 stores throughout the United Kingdom, Canada and 40 U.S. states. “We believe that their happiness and health is essential, which is why we invest in their personal and professional growth. We encourage team members to seek out opportunities that fulfill their deeper purpose and celebrate individual creativity and potential.”
The company further noted that it ranked 12th out of the 41 large companies on the list, and was one of 12 Texas companies, as well as one of two in Austin.
“We are often asked what makes Publix a great place to work,” said Ed Crenshaw, CEO of the privately owned and operated chain, which has 1,076 stores. “I’m proud to share that our people make the difference; their dedication to our customers, communities, our company and each other. Being recognized for 17 consecutive years is a testament to our strong company culture and diverse work environment.”
To compile the list, Fortune teams with the San Francisco-based Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 257 firms participated in the 2014 survey, and more than 252,000 employees at those companies were surveyed by the market research institute. Two-thirds of a company's score derives from the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions about their attitudes toward management's credibility, job satisfaction and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts. Any company at least five years old and with more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.
The list appears in the Feb. 3 issue of Fortune, which goes on sale Jan. 20.