Best small to medium companies to work for.

1 BEST COMPANY WINNER

Infinity Systems Engineering.

Infinity Systems Engineering is quietly making a name for itself as a great place to work. The Colorado Springs firm provides engineering services, software and support to the defense industry, primarily in the way of global positioning satellite systems for space and military programs. Infinity's generous employee benefits and perks are almost unheard of in today's tightfisted economy.

Founded in 1996 by Andy Wilfong, the company currently has 58 employees, the majority of whom work offsite at client locations. Brad Michelson, Infinity Systems Engineering vice president, says the retention rate hovers around 98 percent.

"The truth of it is, we hire people and we hope that they stay with us until retirement," Michelson says. "That's the goal. Hire people and treat them well so they stay happily employed until they retire."

With full medical, dental, life and disability coverage completely covered by the company (no premiums for employees to pay); 401 (k) programs that are 10 percent matched and immediately vested; twice-annual bonuses; and yearly, companywide trips to places like Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and Cozumel, it's no wonder most employees never leave.

It's not all fun and games, though. Infinity's clients are some of the biggest names in the defense industry, including Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Many Infinity engineers are highly specialized and recognized as experts in their field; it's not uncommon for them to work 20-hour days and on weekends.

But the company acknowledges the impact on employees and their families, and balances it by creating a culture where they are valued and rewarded, says Alan Patterson, a principal systems engineer at Infinity.

"When we work, we work very hard and we are the epitome of professionalism," Patterson says. "Infinity employees always rise to the top of whatever team they are working on and are continually recognized for excellent support by our customers. Employee morale is so high at Infinity it is easy to work hard and maintain that strong work ethic."

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From day one, says Michelson, the company's founder mandated that Infinity would be a different kind of company.

"Andy came from a workplace where he felt like he wasn't valued that much. So it has always been about making sure employees knew they were valued and treated fairly."

Part of that fairness can be seen in how Infinity treats its military reservist employees; about one-quarter of the work force serves part-time in the local reserves. This year, based on an employee suggestion, Infinity began covering the difference between reservists' Infinity salaries and their military compensation.

Patterson says it's the best company he's ever worked for and that "100 percent of the employees would say the same.

"The appreciation I receive for my work at Infinity, along with the recognition of my time and talent, are the biggest reasons I stay," he says. "The pay, benefits, trips and company functions are just added bonuses."

2007 RANK: No. 2

--Rebecca Cole

2 BEST COMPANY WINNER

Rally Software

Acompany that calls quarterly goals "rocks" can be regarded in one of two ways: Either it's a taskmaster that forces employees to regularly carry a new and heavy burden, or it's a business that believes it is "something sublime or good."

For Rally Software in Boulder, it's most likely the latter. A maker of Agile life cycle management software, Rally's emphasis on joint decision-making requires everyone to participate in what "rock" the company will next achieve.

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"We get representation from every department, at the management level and above, to determine our key strategic initiative," says Tim Miller, CEO. "People take ownership and volunteer to participate, and work to achieve those goals."

At the end of the quarter, the entire company, currently at 115 employees, shares in a celebration--Rockies games, trips to the Denver Aquarium and Boulder Reservoir, or a day of powder skiing.

Software companies are notorious for their frenetic release-cycle pace and new feature requirements, and Rally is no exception. In fact, since Rally is a software-as-a-service provider, the company releases products even quicker--which customers love but puts the heat on development teams.

"In general, as a company we're pretty good at prioritizing," Miller says. "We force a discipline so that you have to rank things. It gives people a lot of freedom to say no."

Part of that discipline is locking down software development iterations where developers only work on agreed-upon deliverables. By not bombarding teams with new "must-have" features that constantly force them to reprioritize their workload, Miller says the company has achieved a good work/life balance.

Post-release beer parties are common at software companies and so are 60-hour work-weeks. Yet according to a "List of Reasons to Work at Rally" posted on the company's website, Friday beer is a regular occurrence, even prior to a product release--as is the No. 1 reason, "We don't work on weekends."

"For our customers we often provide the heartbeat they use in order to do development," Miller says. "We also follow that constant rhythm of release cycles. Our culture of collaboration makes people feel responsible and committed to the success of the company."

2007 RANK: No. 7

--Rebecca Cole

3 BEST COMPANY WINNER

PCL Construction Enterprises Inc.

Salaired workers at employee-owned PCL Construction Enterprises enjoy flexible hours, no limit on sick days and a company profit-sharing plan that drew a 65 percent return on investment last year.

With those kinds of enticements, it's hardly surprising the company attracted more than 1,600 applicants last year for the 52 jobs it filled. Still, the group of independent construction companies focused on buildings, infra structure and heavy industrial hasn't stopped trying to improve its workplace. Over the past year, PCL has focused its attention on wellness, offering health screens, flu shots, exercise incentives and even hiring a nutritionist to talk to workers about making healthy diet choices.

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Denny Dahl gave up mayonnaise and lost 13 1/2 pounds. Now the human resource director has become an evangelist for good health. Workers at the company's Denver site, where it employs 168 people, have made the proprietor of a local sandwich shop take notice, Dahl says.

"He said, 'What is it with you guys? All of you from PCL are telling us to hold the cheese and hold the mayo.' I said, 'Yeah, I know it's boring, but we hired a nutritionist.'"

Through work with a local nutritionist, PCL is putting together a program to expand to its other 26 locations across Canada, the United States and the Bahamas for its entire work force, which includes 3,000 salaried and 5,000 hourly employees. PCL also has offered such health incentives as $200 for employees signing up for annual exercise programs and free flu shots.

Health screens for both employees and spouses, which will cost PCL $175 per person, were scheduled to kick off in July.

"We're giving them credit if they participate, and we're reducing their health-care deductible by $100 each if they participate, "says Dahl, who is aiming for a 60 percent participation rate in the program's first year.

If taking that much responsibility for their employees' health sounds overly paternalistic, consider the bottom line: Based on industry findings, PCL expects a 3-to-1 return on investment within three to five years.

Dahl has a more compelling reason: "A couple of companies in the industry have been doing this for a few years and report they have actually saved lives with this."

2007 RANK: No. 3

--Mike Cote

4 Moneytree Inc.

Privately held Moneytree provides check cashing, payday loan and other retail finance services. The company also offers pre-paid debit cards, wire transfer services, money orders, and phone and gift cards.

The Seattle-based company, which employs 89 people in Colorado, offers fully paid medical, dental and vision insurance for full-and part-time employees. Its philanthropic work includes supporting organizations that benefit youth, families and financial literacy.

Each fall, the company hosts a two-day conference and awards gala in which managers and their guests are flown in and given lodging at the company's expense. Events include a social evening for 400 employees and guests on the first day and a larger gathering and awards ceremony for 1,200 employees and guests the following day.

NEW TO LIST

5 The Staubach Co.

Front Range

The Staubach Co., which employs 35 people in Colorado, is a global real estate advisory firm that delivers solutions for office, industrial and retail clients. It offers strategic consulting, site selection, acquisition, disposition, construction consulting/project management, real estate administration, portfolio management, facility management, business and economic incentives and financing and capital solutions.

Employees and their entire families have been taken to Mexico twice in the past four years--with all expenses paid by the company. A previous trip was to an Arizona resort. The company has quarterly nights out to celebrate victories as well as annual picnics and year-end events.