Jere Cowden accepts Top Small Workplaces Award from Kelly Spors of the Wall Street Journal and Kenneth Lehman of Winning Workplaces

The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces today named Cowden Associates, Inc. one of North America’s Top Small Workplaces. The rankings recognize small businesses that have built workplace environments that encourage collegiality and professional growth and provide an atmosphere and benefits that make their employees want to stay.

"This recognition is about our commitment to employees," said Jere Cowden, president and CEO of Cowden Associates. "It’s about career development opportunities for our people, innovativeness and encouraging a fun and productive work environment, which translates into low turnover and continuity of service that our clients value and appreciate."

To be considered a Top Small Workplace, candidates had to:

• be a North American organization;
• be independent;
• have no more than $200 million in annual revenues;
• have 500 or fewer employees; and
• have been in business at least five years.

The Journal and Winning Workplaces began soliciting nominations last fall, receiving 850 recommendations. The nominees were asked to fill out full-length applications – of which 437 were completed – and the batch was culled to 35 finalists. A national panel of small-business experts was chosen by The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces to judge the finalists. The workplace winners were selected based on both metrics and qualitative assessment of their success in creating workplaces that nurture, challenge and reward employees.

Top Small Workplaces judge Tim Faley liked Cowden Associates for its "people first" mentality and the fact that employees are given the freedom to fail. "It enables them to push themselves to try new things...knowing that if they happen to miss the mark with an effort, it is not fatal to their career," says Mr. Faley, managing director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan.

The 2007 Top Small Workplace winners include the following:

• Alaska Wildland Adventures Inc., Girdwood, AK
• Barclay Water Management Inc., Watertown, MA
• Corporate Ink Public Relations Ltd., Newton, MA
• Cowden Associates Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
• Exactech Inc., Gainesville, FL
• FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati, OH
• Gentle Giant Moving Co., Somerville, MA
• Guerra DeBerry Coody, San Antonio, TX
• Healthwise Inc., Boise, ID
• NRG Systems Inc., Hinesburg, VT
• Phelps County Bank, Rolla, MO
• Point B Solutions Group, Seattle, WA
• Reflexite Corp., Avon, CT
• Restek Corp., Bellefonte, Pa.
• Summit Aviation Inc., Middletown, Del.

The Journal will continue coverage of this year’s Top Small Workplaces by interviewing leaders of the winning companies every Wednesday on "Independent Street," the new small business blog featured on WSJ Entrepreneur at www.wsj.com/entrepreneur.

The winners will be honored at a conference and awards dinner in Chicago on Oct. 3 and 4.