Monday, April 10, 2017Marriott Houston

West Loop GalleriaHouston, TX

Sponsored by:

2 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

The Best and Brightest Companies To Work For® awards competition provides the business community with the opportunity to gain recognition, showcase their best practices and demonstrate why each of them would be an ideal place for employees to work. Inquisium took extreme care in ensuring the integrity of the selection process.To ensure that the selection of winners is pure and unbiased, our judges have no interaction with the administration of the event.

Each application was examined by Inquisium. The administrative process was reviewedby the Best & Brightest Board of Directors and the Event Board of Advisors to ensure allcriteria was adhered to. Modern statistical analysis is used to examine each application.The process is three-fold:

1. Companies are nominated by individuals.2. The Company’s Human Resources Department is contacted to complete and

submit an extensive survey along with an employee roster.3. The Company’s employees are randomly selected to complete an extensive survey on how they feel about their work environment.

The Criteria and Award Selection Process

The Best & Brightest Advisory Board gives advice on all marketing, education and produc-tion that occur during the planning of the program. The Advisory Board has a dual role: aninternal role to assist in and advise on the developments of the program, and an external roleto liaise their respective organizations and the community. This group is not involved in theselection process.

Defined Roles of the Advisory Board and Selection Committee

Houston’s Best & Brightest Advisory Board

Kevin BarriosSenior DirectorPeople Strategy TeamBlinds.com

Mark ConradOwnerExpress EmploymentProfessionals

Karen EganHR ManagerABIS, Inc. of Houston

Michelle HowisonPresidentExtraordinary Dynamics

Julie IrvinFounder & PresidentKeystone Resources

Ron KlingerPresidentMotivational Transitions

Jennifer KlugePresident & CEONational Association forBusiness Resources

Denise NavarroPresident/CEOLogical Innovations, Inc.

Mariam PanahiVP, Human ResourcesNavitas Midstream Partners

Chris RobertsPresidentThe Frontline Group

James ShulerRegional Sales ManagerCentre Technologies

Kelly SipilaProgram DirectorBest & Brightest CompaniesTo Work For

B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 3

4 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

Thanks To All Our SponsorsWithout their support, this event would not be possible.

National Premier:

Table Sponsor:

Program Supporters:

Program Contributor:

Networking Break Sponsor: Media Sponsor:

Community Partner:

Silver Sponsor:

B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 5

Communication and Shared VisionThe effective exchange of information from senior leaders to employees and the extent to which

employees are given a platform to communicate opinions, ideas, issues and concerns.

Community InitiativesExtent to which the organization is committed to improving the local community while providing

the encouragement and time for employees to participate in a meaningful way.

Compensation, Benefits and Employee SolutionsThe competitiveness of compensation and benefits relative to comparable organizations as well as the

ability to provide unique, creative and customized solutions to employees.

Diversity and InclusionExtent to which an organization is open and inclusive to people of differing human qualities, promotes a

tolerant work environment, and considers multiculturalism to be a competitive advantage.

Employee Achievement and RecognitionExtent to which an organization recognizes and rewards individual employee achievements and

outstanding performance by individuals, teams and as an organization.

Employee Education and DevelopmentExtent to which an organization encourages, supports and creates a learning environment with the focus

on career development.

Employee Enrichment, Engagement and RetentionExtent to which employees are meaningfully and personally connected to their work and their company

that drives retention. As well as the extent to which a company understands and adapts to the individual

needs of their employees by looking at the employee as a whole, not just the work environment.

Recruitment, Selection and OrientationThe extent to which employees are recruited using multiple methods and systematic process to select the

best fit for culture and performance while ensuring a quality on-boarding orientation experience.

Strategic Company PerformanceThe extent to which the human resources team collaborates to drive company performance with

c-suite executives in a proactive and meaningful way.

Work-Life BalanceExtent to which the organization and its management recognize the need for personal balance as an

employee by implementing programs to accommodate such needs.

The Criteria for Selection of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® in Houston are as follows:

6 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

ABIS, Inc. - 4 year winnerwww.abiscorp.com

All4 Inc. - 2 year winnerwww.all4inc.com

Ascend HR Corp. - 2 year winnerascendhrcorp.com

Asset Plus Corp. - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.assetpluscorp.com

AVDS - 3 year winnerwww.AVDS.com

Benchmark - 5 year winnerwww.benchmarkresortsandhotels.com

Birkman International, Inc. - 4 year winnerNational winner • www.birkman.com

Blinds.com - 6 year winner, National winnerNational Wellness winner • www.blinds.com

Boxer Property - 4 year winnerwww.boxerproperty.com

CAM Integrated Solutions - 1st year winnerwww.camintegrated.com

Carlton Staffing - 4 year winnerwww.carltonstaffing.com

Centre Technologies - 4 year winnerwww.centretechnologies.com

City of Nassau Bay - 6 year winnerwww.nassaubay.com

Conway MacKenzie - 6 year winner, National winnerwww.conwaymackenzie.com

Dawson Van Orden - 4 year winnerwww.dvoeng.com

Dean’s Professional Services - 6 year winnerwww.deansprofessionalservices.com

Del Papa Distributing Company - 1st year winnerwww.delpapadistributing.com

EasyCare - 1st year winner, National winnerwww.easycare.com

EDI Building Consultants, Inc. - 2 year winnerwww.edibc.com

EHRA Engineering - 4 year winnerwww.ehrainc.com

Employer Flexible - 6 year winnerNational winner • www.employerflexible.com

Enablon North America Corp. - 1st year winnerNational winner • www.enablon.com

EPMA - 4 year winner, National winnerwww.epmainc.com

Excalibur Exhibits - 4 year winnerwww.excaliburexhibits.com

Fitts, Roberts & Co., P.C. - 4 year winnerwww.fittsroberts.com

Gables Residential - 5 year winner, National winner,National Wellness winner • www.gables.com

GBH CPAs, P.C. - 6 year winnerwww.gbhcpas.com

Hoover Ferguson - 4 year winnerwww.hooversolutions.com

IMG Financial Group, Inc. - 1st year winnerwww.imgfinancialgroup.com

Improving - Houston - 1st year winnerwww.improving.com

Iscential Inc. - 6 year winnerwww.iscential.com

Jackson Cooksey - 4 year winner, National winnerwww.jacksoncooksey.com

Kelly S Mathews LLC - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.ksmllc.com

Keystone Resources - 6 year winner, National winnerwww.keystoneresources.com

KIPP Houston Public Schools - 3 year winnerNational winner • www.kipphouston.org

Kuraray America, Inc. - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.kuraray.us.com

LIVE Solutions, Inc. - 1st year winner, National winnerwww.livesolutionshouston.com

Logical Innovations, Inc. - 6 year winnerwww.logical-i2.com

Houston’s Best & Brightest Companies To Work For® 2017 Winners

B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 7

MaloneBailey, LLP - 4 year winnerwww.malonebailey.com

Medix - 1st year winner, National winnerwww.medixteam.com

Method Architecture - 4 year winnerwww.methodarchitecture.com

MiddletonRaines+Zapata, LLP - 4 year winnerwww.middletonraines.com

Miller Grossbard Advisors, LLP - 4 year winnerwww.millergrossbard.com

Moody National Companies - 1st year winnerwww.moodynational.com

Murphy’s Corporate Lodging, Inc. - 4 year winnercorplodge.com

Murray Resources - 1st year winnerwww.murrayresources.com

North American Solutions - 3 year winnerNational winner • www.nasrisk.com

Obsidian Learning - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.obsidian-edge.com

OCuSOFT - 1st year winnerwww.ocusoft.com

PM&A - 1st year winnerwww.pmass.com/engineering/

Pathfinder Development - 4 year winnerwww.pathfinderdev.com

PCO Div. II, Inc. - 6 year winnerwww.pco2.com

PennComp Outsourced IT - 5 year winnerwww.penncomp.com

Protiviti, Inc. - 5 year winner, National Winnerwww.protiviti.com

Revention, Inc. - 3 year winner, National Winnerwww.revention.com

Riverway Business Services, Inc. - 5 year winnerwww.riverway.jobs

RPS Klotz Associates, Inc. - 4 year winnerNational Winner • www.klotz.com

Rubicon Oilfield International - 1st year winnerwww.rubicon-oilfield.com

SalesStaff LLC - 4 year winnerwww.salesstaff.com

Sandcastle Homes - 4 year winnerwww.sandcastlehouston.com

Select Title - 1st year winnerwww.select-title.com

Spirit Environmental, LLC - 4 year winnerwww.spiritenvironmental.com

Stout Risius Ross, Inc. - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.srr.com

Summer Energy - 2 year winnerwww.summerenergy.com

Sun Coast Resources, Inc. - 5 year winnerwww.suncoastresources.com

The Nitsche Group - 2 year winnerNational winner • thenitschegroup.com

The REACH Group - 5 year winnerwww.thereachgroup.com

TopSpot Internet Marketing - 5 year winnerNational winner • www.topspotims.com

Total Quality Logistics - 4 year winnerNational winner • www.tql.com

Vaddo, Inc. - 5 year winner, National winnerwww.vaddoinc.com

Veritas Equity Management - 2 year winnerwww.vemanagement.com

Weaver - 4 year winnerwww.weaver.com

Whitestone REIT - 1st year winnerwww.whitestonereit.com

WRH Realty Services - 2 year winnerNational winner • www.wrhrealty.com

Wright Business Technologies - 2 year winnerNational winner • www.wrighttechnologies.com

Houston’s Best & Brightest Companies To Work For® 2017 Winners

8 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

8:00 a.m. Networking

8:30 a.m. Breakfast Served

8:45 a.m. Welcome and Morning Kickoff

8:50 a.m. You Can’t Push an Elephant Up a Hill: Why Coaching is Critical to Employee SuccessImagine trying to push a 12,000 pound elephant up a hill. It sounds impossi-ble and it surely doesn’t sound like fun! However, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you don’t start consistently coaching all your employees! To stay at the top of the hill and consistently give you peak performance, employeesneed to know where they stand and that everything they do matters to you and to your organization! In this fun and interactive presentation,Communication Expert, Speaker and Author, Amy Castro, MA, CSP, will sharethe rationale behind regular coaching as well as specific tips and techniquesfor coaching your employees’ successes and coaching them when their performance doesn’t meet the mark.

Speaker: Amy Castro,President, Innovative Communication & Training Solutions

9:10 a.m. Best Practice DiscussionFacilitator: Michelle Howison President, Extraordinary Dynamics

9:40 a.m. Talent Development: “Investing Dollars in a Tight Economy”A Talent Development strategy is critical to our success. The ever-changing business landscape requires HR and leadership professionals to invest moretime in their people than ever before. Succession Planning and LeadershipDevelopment are two areas where we continue to struggle. Fernando will sharehis thoughts on Talent Development in today’s business world and why this ismission critical more than ever before, especially in today’s tight economy.

Speaker: Fernando Sanchez-Arias, Chief People Officer, Blinds.com

10:00 a.m. Community Project: Communities in SchoolsAll of the guests at the event are to participate in a community activity.

10:30 a.m. Networking Break

10:45 a.m. Awards Celebration

Featuring: Bill Balleza, KPRC 2 News

12:00 p.m. Conclusion

Conference Agenda

B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 9

SpeakerAmy Castro, President, Innovative Communication & Training SolutionsAmy is a recognized Performance Communication expert, speaker,author, and blogger. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalismfrom the George Washington University and a Master’s Degree inCommunication Studies/Human Communication Theory from theUniversity of Northern Colorado. Amy has also earned the presti-gious “Certified Speaking Professional” (CSP) status conferred bythe National Speakers Association. The CSP status is the highestearned designation in the National Speakers Association withfewer than 12 percent of members worldwide earning this status.Amy works with organizations that want to increase productivity,

decrease conflict, and improve customer service through exceptional communication. Amyuses her down-to-earth style, REAL stories, humor, and fun to create her customized andengaging programs focused on Performance Communication: Assertive Communicationthat is Positive, Purposeful, and Practical.

You Can’t Push an Elephant Up a Hill: Why Coaching is Critical to Employee Success

Nominate NOW for 2018!

You can nominate your organization right now for the 2018 Best & Brightest®!

Just scan the QR Code below using your mobile device and click on

any of the Nomination links.

10 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

FacilitatorMichelle HowisonPresident, Extraordinary DynamicsMichelle Howison is a results-focused, strategic Organizational Development expert. Sheapproaches the talent management challenges of organizations in a unique, entrepreneurialway by fully understanding and minding to the business needs while balancing the compli-ance expectations and risk with consistent efficient processes. Michelle is a dynamic andengaging speaker, her audiences always leave with ideas to immediately implement andenergized to get things done. Prior to founding Extraordinary Dynamics, Michelle heldHuman Resources leadership positions in organizations where she acted as a catalyst to build best-in-class practices typically as grassroots efforts. Michelle began her career inOrganizational Development and Human Resources in the mid-90s. She holds two Master’sdegrees, one in Behavioral Sciences and the other in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Best Practice Discussion

SpeakerFernando Sánchez-AriasChief People Officer, Blinds.comChief People Officer, Fernando Sánchez-Arias, is a dynamic and passionate seniorhuman capital expert, talent development professional and leadership coach whocombines his more than two decades of experience as c-level executive, boardmember, key-note speaker and learning facilitator with his rigorous Ivy Leagueeducation and working experience designing, delivering and managing humancapital and learning programs to develop better leaders, organizations and communities in more than 70 countries.

Talent Development: “Investing Dollars in a Tight Economy”

Communities In Schools of HoustonCommunities In Schools of Houston (CIS) has served at-risk students in the Greater HoustonArea since 1979. CIS is a campus-based, nonprofit organization providing direct services andresources to under-served children with unmet needs. By surrounding them with a communityof support, CIS empowers students to stay in school and achieve in life.

Working alongside Aldine, Alief, Houston, and Spring Branch school districts, as well as in several charterschools, community colleges, and non-traditional sites, CIS is able to touch the lives of 111,000 students andtheir families annually. To maximize resources and prevent duplication, CIS partners with over 400 agencies –bringing community expertise directly to the school campus.

A special thanks to these companies for their donation to our Community Project!

• ABIS, Inc. • All4 Inc.

• Blinds.com • Express Employment

• Extraordinary Dynamics • Logical Innovations, Inc.

• Motivational Transitions • PennComp Outsourced IT

• PM&A • The Frontline Group

Houston’s Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® Community Partner

16 • C H I C A G O ’ S 1 0 1 B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ™12 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

Awards Celebration Master of CeremoniesBill Balleza, KPRC 2 News

A native of San Antonio, Bill began his career at KSAT-TV after three years in the MarineCorps, including 13 months in Vietnam where he was positioned as a scout/sniper.

Although he started behind the camera, Bill quickly moved to the other side of the iris,as a general assignments reporter.

Bill joined KPRC Local 2 on Aug. 18, 1980. A crucial part of the KPRC anchor team, Billthrives reporting on breaking news and has been involved in covering both NASA SpaceShuttle disasters, the Oklahoma City bombing tragedy, the Texas A&M bonfire collapse,the American Airlines crash in New York City right after Sept. 11, the Mexico City earthquakes and the death of Pope John Paul II.

Bitten by the reporting bug many years ago, Bill finds fulfillment in the field. “My firstinclination is to start moving toward a story because I want to cover it,” Bill said. “That is one way we set ourselves apart here at KPRC. The anchors here play a vital role givingour viewers information they need as soon as we get it.”

He is especially proud of the way the Texas A&M bonfire collapse was covered by theKPRC team. “We were able to give our viewers information about their children. It was a tense situation and we put students on television so their parents could see they were alright.”

Always smiling, Bill values his family, which includes his wife, Missy, and his three children, Heidi, Travis and Kate. Although busy, he finds time to indulge his passion for woodworking and for involvement in his childrens' athletic activities.

You can see Bill on KPRC Local 2 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

ABIS, Inc.Asset Plus Corp.Benchmark

Birkman International, Inc.Blinds.com

Conway MacKenzie, Inc.EasyCare

Employer FlexibleEnablon North America Corp.

EPMAGables Residential Jackson Cooksey

Kelly S Mathews LLCKeystone Resources

KIPP Houston Public SchoolsKuraray America, Inc.

LIVE Solutions, Inc.Medix

NAS | North American SolutionsObsidian Learning

ProtivitiRevention, Inc.

RPS Klotz AssociatesSalesStaff LLC

Stout Risius Ross, Inc.The Nitsche Group

TopSpot Internet MarketingTotal Quality Logistics

Vaddo, Inc.WRH Realty Services

Wright Business Technologies

Houston’s 2016 Best and Brightest National Winners

B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 17B E T T E R BU S I N E S S . R I CH E R L I V E S . S T RONGE R COMMUN I T I E S . • 13

Group 1

ABIS, Inc.

All4 Inc.

Ascend HR Corp.

AVDS

Benchmark

Birkman International, Inc.

Blinds.com

Group 2

Boxer Property

CAM Integrated Solutions

Carlton Staffing

Centre Technologies, Inc.

City of Nassau Bay

Dawson Van Orden

Dean’s Professional Services

Group 3

Del Papa Distributing Company

EasyCare

EDI Building Consultants, Inc.

Fitts, Roberts & Co., P.C.

Gables Residential

GBH CPAs, P.C.

Hoover Ferguson

Group 4

IMG Financial Group, Inc.

Improving - Houston

Iscential Inc.

Keystone Resources

KIPP Houston Public Schools

Kuraray America, Inc.

Logical Innovations, Inc.

Group 5

Medix

Method Architecture

Miller Grossbard Advisors

Moody National Companies, LP

Obsidian Learning

OCuSOFT

Group 6

PM&A

PCO Div II, Inc.

PennComp Outsourced IT

Protiviti

RPS Klotz Associates

Rubicon Oilfield International

Group 7

Select Title

Spirit Environmental, LLC

Stout Risius Ross, Inc.

Summer Energy

Sun Coast Resources, Inc.

The REACH Group

Group 8

TopSpot Internet Marketing

Total Quality Logistics

Veritas Equity Management

Weaver

WRH Realty Services

Wright Business Technologies

2017 Winners’ Groupings for Awards Reception

14 • H O U S T O N ’ S B E S T & B R I GH T E S T COMPAN I E S TO WORK FO R ®

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