By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

In just its first year open, Maris Grove, an Erickson retirement community in Concordville, Pa., was named one of the best places to work in Pennsylvania.

“It’s an honor,” says Maris Grove Executive Director Maureen Heckler. “It’s special to be recognized with some other fine companies in just our first year of business.”

Maris Grove was ranked number 39 in the Best Places to Work in  Pennsylvania medium-sized companies category.

An award of note
The award program, created in 2000, is one of the first of its kind. The  program is a public/private partnership between the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Central Penn Business Journal, and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation.

According to the conglomerate, the award was designed to “identify, recognize, and honor the best places of employment in Pennsylvania, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce, and businesses.”

The toughest measure of all
“We strive to be a great place for people to live, and that starts with being a great place for people to work,” Heckler says. “This award means a lot to us because it’s based on employee satisfaction surveys and tells us we’re on the right track.”

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the 100 best places to work. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking.

Working where people live
“It’s a fun job,” says Beth Wolff of Maris Grove’s sales department. “You get to meet and work with the nicest people every day. Whether you are working in marketing, resident life, construction, or in the medical or services  department, each day is something new. It’s one of those jobs where you wake up and look forward to going to work.”