San Diego Area Companies Among 2021's Best Workplaces: Inc.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — A dozen companies in San Diego County have been named one of the best places to work in America, according to a new ranking released by Inc. magazine.

A total of 429 companies nationwide earned a spot among this year's ranking.

Innovative Commercial Environments in San Diego received "special recognition" and was among the 107 businesses in California to make the list. Of those, 12 are headquartered in San Diego County. All of the companies "did the most to support their employees and keep them engaged through a turbulent year," the ranking states.

While the best workplaces typically were defined as ones that offered "an open-office design with a stocked fridge and mindfulness pods," that all changed last year when the coronavirus pandemic struck, forcing businesses across the country to leave the office and go remote.

Now, the best workplaces are those that have "thrived in the face of adversity," according to the ranking, and continued to foster a strong culture throughout the pandemic.

Companies eligible to be a Best Workplace selection must be independent businesses based in the United States. Companies also need to have at least 10 employees, been in business at least two years and have a total annual revenue of less than $1 billion.

To be named a Best Workplace, companies must apply for consideration.

Each nominated company took part in a comprehensive employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, that touched on topics including management effectiveness, perks and how it fosters employee growth. Employees' responses, as well as an audit of the organization's benefits, are used to determine the company's overall score.

Companies that made the list were not ranked numerically.

The following companies based in San Diego County made the list:

• Beer Home Team, San Diego (Rancho Bernardo)
• Benefit Pro Insurance, San Diego
• Cask, San Diego
• EverHive Corporation, San Diego
• Griffin Funding, San Diego
• Innovative Commercial Environments, San Diego
• NewRocket, Vista
• Power Digital Marketing, San Diego
• Pure Financial Advisors, San Diego
• Seismic, San Diego
• Trust & Will, San Diego
• WestPac WealthPartners, San Diego (La Jolla)

See the full list of Best Workplaces at Inc.com.

Patch editors Eric He and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.