Participating in the Best and Brightest Programs

Nomination
By you, a team member, a peer, or even a customer, nominations are the doorway to participation in the programs.
Complete the Company Survey
To be completed by the main point person in Operations or Human Resources, this survey provides an initial self-assessment and profile and contributes to the overall organization package.
Employee Surveys
Executed anonymously through a third-party research firm, these surveys provide opportunity for anonymous internal review.
Winners Announced and Recognized
Participants in the program are invited to join in celebration as winners are recognized for their esteemed accomplishments.
Ongoing Education and Consulting Services
As your company and organization continually grows, our educational team continues Best and Brightest year round initiatives.
Media and Public Recognition
Our team works with partners and outlets across the country and regionally to recognize and embrace the Best and Brightest.

Eligibility and Requirement for Participation

To be eligible for consideration, companies must meet the following criteria:

Have a minimum of 20 employees
Must be in business a minimum of 1 year
Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity
Be a publicly or privately held business
Temporary, seasonal, 1099 employees, independent contractors, consultants, interns, and volunteers are not counted in the number of employees or included in the survey process
Submit a Scoring and Analysis Fee

Being part of the Best & Brightest list, I get to hear the best practices that the best companies are doing and incorporate that into my company

Ron AlvestefferPresident, Service Express, Inc.

FONA is proud and grateful to be among the best and brightest for so many years. This program creates an exhilarating sense of competition, challenging us to answer the question: What matters most to our incredible people? We thank you for keeping us sharp, and keeping us focused on our most important asset: our people. Jennifer Kluge and her organization have made a difference in tens of thousands of lives and workplaces, including FONA. Thank you for helping us strive for new ways to do more --- and do it better and faster -- for our people, our customers and our stakeholders.

Joseph Slawek, FONA InternationalChairman & CEO, FONA International

“The Best and Brightest program was the springboard from which we began our transformation from a client centered company to an employee centric culture. We have found the benefits to be wide spread and immeasurable. I liken the process we undergo in our application each year to that of an annual, corporate physical. We get a complete picture, via empirical data, as to the relative health of our organization.

Today, as a result of B&B, we have a virtual waiting room of employees ready to leave our competitors and join the company we have become. This is only possible because we now truly know how our people feel and are able to act upon that information in a never ending workplace improvement process.”

Michael D. Novakoski, EV ConstructionLEED® A.P., President/CEO, EV Construction

Scoring and Analysis Fees

Why is there a Scoring and Analysis Fee to participate?

Each application is scrutinized, scored and feedback is shared with both winning companies and those that did not make the winners list. Company data is analyzed as well as each employee survey by participating companies. To keep the integrity of the program, a third party partner is used to score each application. As a service organization, it is expensive to process hundreds of companiesâ data and their respective employee surveys without a fee applied. All nominated companies that pay this fee receive a complimentary overall assessment report that contains feedback and benchmark scoring data. There are also options to purchase in-depth comprehensive reports with detailed data to help participants and their executives improve their overall operations. As a service organization, these comprehensive reports are significantly less expensive than private firms that offer survey services.

Crystal Fees

What are they?

Crystal fees only apply to winners that do not participate in the awards gala and educational symposium. Once you agree to participate in the Best and Brightest Program, it is expected that all winners participate in the education and awards gala. Better Business, Richer Lives and Stronger Communities is more than a tagline. We do this through education and winning companies sharing their best practices and engaging with other winners to make the local community stronger. As a result, we require winners to attend local awards galas that include educational opportunities to raise the bar of excellence, hence Better Business. We strongly encourage event day participation. For those companies that do not participate in the awards gala, we charge a fee of $195 to ship their award crystals to them. Companies that decline to participate in the educational awards gala forgo their opportunity to be an Elite Winner as they are refusing to share their success with the business community which is part of the programs key mission. We encourage nominated companies that were not selected to attend to learn more about the practices of winning firms. Educational sessions will be provided along with opportunities to understand your scores and how to improve them.

Ethical Conduct on Logo Usage

Only the Best and Brightest approved winners and their marketing and advertising representatives may use the winner logo. Winning companies are eligible to use the logo for up to one year from the date of winner acknowledgement.
The logo is not to be altered in any way and must include the winning year.
The logo must appear in original colors, Pantone (PMS 2597 purple) and Pantone (PMS 130 gold), CMYK, RGB, black or white only.
When presenting your company as a Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® winner, the Best and Brightest team must be notified of publications or articles the information in which it will appear.
Logo use on marketing pieces must be tasteful and non-demeaning.
When addressing or referring to the event, award or program for media relations or marketing purposes, use consistent language related to the program. The title of the program must be used as seen here: âBest and Brightest Companies to Work For®.â Truncated versions are not acceptable.
Violation of this policy may mean disqualification as a Best and Brightest Company and could lead to litigation.