December 4, 2006
WILKES-BARRE, Pa., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Scott Sanfilippo, Solid Cactus co-founder and President has announced that his web development company has been selected #21 on the list of “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania.” This honor follows national and regional recognition of Solid Cactus as a successful and rapidly growing internet design firm. Solid Cactus won in the medium-sized category (under 250 employees) and was one of just 5 firms from Northeastern Pennsylvania selected for this prestigious list.
“Everyone sets out in business to be financially successful,” said Sanfilippo. “But co-founder Joe Palko and I also measure our success by the happiness of our people. This award proves we really are a success. We try to make work less ‘work-like.’ We have no dress code; we provide free snacks, a free gym, regular company outings, performance bonuses and health and retirement plans. No company with serious plans for its future should do any less.”
This has been a year of conspicuous honors for this young company which doubled in size to 75 during 2006. “A few weeks ago we won two ‘Davey Awards,'” said Sanfilippo. “The ‘Davey’ honors outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide. We were also proud when Joe and I were named one of the ‘Top 20 Under 40’ by the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal for our accomplishments in founding Solid Cactus and Neeps Inc. We believe this ‘Best Places’ honor reflects the values we bring to work every day.”
The “Best Places to Work in PA” program is made up of 50 medium-sized companies (50 to 250 employees) and 50 large-sized companies (251+ employees). The award was established to distinguish businesses in the Commonwealth that attract and retain Pennsylvania’s talented workforce and to help other companies do the same.
A survey sent to employers and employees is analyzed to determine the top companies. 75% of the decision comes from anonymous employee responses and 25% is employer response. The award is modeled after Fortune’s “100 Best Places to Work” and is organized by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Team Pennsylvania Foundation and the Best Companies Group.