Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For Announced

WARREN, Mich., May 18 /PRNewswire/ — Successful companies value their employees. And the companies named as “Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR) are no exception. The NABR will be honoring these companies, as well as presenting 10 elite awards, at the second annual Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For symposium and awards luncheon on Friday, June 9, 2006 at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook.

Participants at this year’s Best and Brightest event will be inspired by keynote remarks from Mac Anderson, founder of Successories and Simple Truths. In addition, Fox Chicago News Anchor Robin Robinson will emcee the awards ceremony. A series of workshops covering leading human resources topics will also be presented.

“Our organization was highly impressed with the HR practices that the winning companies have in place. We are also very excited about this year’s symposium, where human resource professionals can hear about the best practices of the winners and style their company standards around their example,” said Jennifer Kluge, NABR president.

An independent research firm evaluates each company’s entry in nine categories: communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multi-culturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, recruitment and selection, and work-life balance. The 2006 winning companies have demonstrated their commitment to breakthrough human resource initiatives. (See following list for winners.)

The event kicks off with a series of interactive educational sessions on human resource practices starting at 9 a.m., followed by the awards luncheon and announcement of the 10 elite winners at 11:40 a.m. This year’s educational sessions topics cover “Connecting Employee Loyalty to Business Outcomes,” “Workplace Crimes and Misdemeanors: What Can Get You Into Trouble,” “Effective Employee Recognition” and “Communication and the Use of Technology in the Workplace.”

Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For is sponsored by DaimlerChrysler, American Chartered Bank, FONA International, Inc., IIT’s Center for Research and Service, Simple Truths, and The Management Association of Illinois.

Admission for the awards luncheon and symposium for individuals is $180 for NABR members and $225 for non-members. If you are interested in attending the conference, contact the National Association for Business Resources at 866-321-1822 or visit http://www.101bestandbrightest.com.

About NABR

The National Association for Business Resources (NABR) advocates and represents small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. NABR specializes in providing businesses the benefits, programs, services, and assistance required to operate as efficiently and successfully as possible. Best practice solutions are available to members in the areas of human resources, healthcare, legal, transaction, compliance, marketing, and office services. For more information about NABR and its offerings, please visit http://www.nationalbiz.org or call 1-866-321-1822.

CHICAGO’S 101 BEST AND BRIGHTEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

•     Allscripts Healthcare Solution (Chicago)
•     Alterian, Inc. (Chicago)
•     American Academy of Pediatrics (Elk Grove Village)
•     Ampac Flexibles (Cary)
•     Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne)
•     Assurance Agency Ltd. (Schaumburg)
•     Atwell-Hicks (Naperville)
•     Banco Popular (Rosemont)
•     BDO Seidman LLP (Chicago)
•     Carol Stream Public Library (Carol Stream)
•     Centers for New Horizons (Chicago)
•     Chicago Mercantile Exchange (Chicago)
•     Clear!Blue (Chicago/Birmingham, MI)
•     Comprehensive Therapeutics, Ltd. (Glenview)
•     Cosi, Inc. (Deerfield)
•     Crowe Chizek and Company, LLC (Oakbrook Terrace)
•     DiamondCluster International, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Equity Office (Chicago)
•     Ernst & Young LLP (Chicago)
•     Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Batavia)
•     FONA International Inc. (Geneva)
•     Foote Cone & Belding (Chicago)
•     GE Healthcare Financial Services (Chicago)
•     General Growth Properties, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Getty Images (Chicago)
•     Greeley and Hansen (Chicago)
•     Griffin, Kubik, Stephens & Thompson, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Harley Ellis Devereaux (Chicago)
•     Hephzibah Children’s Association (Oak Park)
•     Illinois Material Handling (Elgin)
•     Infogix, Inc. (Naperville)
•     M. A. Mortenson Company (Elk Grove Village)
•     Milhouse Engineering and Construction (Chicago)
•     Millennium Electronics, Inc. (Crystal Lake)
•     Morningstar, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Mutual Trust Financial Group (Oak Brook)
•     National Futures Association (Chicago)
•     NationaLease (Oakbrook Terrace)
•     Office Concepts (Chicago)
•     OtterBase (Chicago/Livonia, MI)
•     Paylocity (Elk Grove Village)
•     Rabjohns Financial Group (Chicago)
•     RSM McGladrey, Inc. (Schaumburg)
•     Schawk, Inc. (Des Plaines)
•     Service Express, Inc. (Chicago/Grand Rapids, MI)
•     Shure Incorporated (Niles)
•     Sikich LLP (Aurora)
•     Stout Risius Ross, Inc. (Chicago/Cleveland, OH)
•     Tetra Tech EM, Inc. (Chicago)
•     The Marketing Store (Lombard)
•     ThoughtWorks, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Thresholds (Chicago)
•     TLContact, Inc. (Chicago)
•     Urban Innovations (Chicago)
•     Vapor Bus International (Buffalo Grove)
•     Verizon Wireless (Schaumburg)
•     VW Credit, Inc. (Libertyville)
•     West Monroe Partners (Chicago)
•     Wheels Inc. (Des Plaines)
•     Wunderman Chicago (Chicago)