St. Louis firms make Fortune’s best workplaces
Edward Jones came in No. 2 on Fortune magazine’s new list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, bested only by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based data management company NetApp at No. 1.
Other St. Louis-based companies appearing on the list are Scottrade Inc. at No. 60 and Build-A-Bear Workshop at No. 94.
To make its list, Fortune worked with research and consulting firm Great Place to Work Institute. Some 81,000 employees from 353 companies responded to an extensive survey. The full list appears in the Feb. 2 issue of Fortune, which will be on newsstands Jan. 26.
Financial services firm Edward Jones, listed with nearly 35,000 U.S. employees, was hailed by Fortune for weathering the stock market collapse with no layoffs planned and showing 9 percent one-year job growth. The company offers work-life perks including job sharing and telecommuting, according to Fortune. Edward Jones also is in the midst of a multiphase expansion at its headquarters in Des Peres, Mo.
Brokerage Scottrade, listed with nearly 1,950 employees, was touted for maintaining its quarterly bonuses and never having a layoff. Scottrade recently said it would hire 200 IT workers this year.
The only St. Louis-based public company to make the list, retailer Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW), was heralded for employees in its retail stores who love their jobs helping children make their own stuffed toys. Build-A-Bear, which has about 7,200 employees companywide, also was noted for its job-sharing program.
Hit by the recession, Build-A-Bear recently eliminated 27 jobs at its St. Louis headquarters.