Milwaukee-based Penrod Software LLC has been named the top Wisconsin workplace for young professionals in NEWaukee’s annual Bubbler Awards.
NEWaukee, which is based in Milwaukee and offers young professional programming statewide, will recognize Penrod and the other nine Top 10 Best Places to Work for Young Professionals at the 2016 Bubbler Awards on Saturday, April 23 at the Appleton International Airport.
Penrod, a cloud consulting firm focused on health and life sciences, was founded in 2012 and has grown from seven to 43 employees over the past 18 months.
President and founder Joe Taylor sits down with each employee for 15 to 30 minutes each quarter and asks about how he or she likes the job and how the company can improve. Penrod, which mostly recruits young professionals, hosts 60 to 80 employee events each year, from boat cruises to lego building competitions to kickball games.
“We don’t really compete locally, we complete nationally, so that’s why we put so much effort into employee engagement,” Taylor said. “Our employees are the ones who really engage with our clients and if they’re not happy or they don’t like their jobs, that’s not good for the client.”
The other top workplace winners are:
2. Madison-based LinkEHR
3. Wausau-based Greenheck
4. Mortenson Construction, with an office in Brookfield
5. Fond du Lac-based Wisnet
6. Appleton-based West Corp.
7. GE Healthcare, with offices in Pewaukee and Wauwatosa
8. Fond du Lac-based Society Insurance
9. Madison-based Spredfast
10. Milwaukee-based Red Arrow Labs, a Dohmen company
The field of top workplaces was nominated by the companies’ employees. A group of young professional leaders from throughout Wisconsin then selected the top 10.
The Bubbler Awards are part of NEWaukee’s annual YPWeek, which this year will include more than 150 events for young professionals in 15 cities statewide.
“The Bubbler Awards shine a light on the companies who have made great strides to accommodate the interests and needs of a new and shifting workforce,” said Angela Damiani, chief executive officer of NEWaukee. “A lot of attention is paid to the picture of millennials as discontent or disinterested in traditional forms of employment. We are eager to showcase the reality of how many Wisconsin-based companies are allowing young professionals to call this state home.”
