These four companies follow Supreme Lending Southeast Region, which was named the top midsize company for a third year in a row.
2. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.
When safety concerns over the pandemic forced millions of Americans to start working from home, CEO Steve Jacobson and the leadership team at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. made certain their employees weren’t short-changed.
They spent $19.6 million buying and distributing 5,828 professional-grade exercise machines so their employees could work out at home, just as they could at the office before the pandemic. (Only employees with a year or less were excluded.)
“We wanted them to be healthy while working from home,” said Julie Fry, the company’s head of human resources.
The company also started offering virtual fitness classes to all employees as part of its commitment to workers’ total well-being, she said.
Fairway is a full-service mortgage lender, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and Carrollton, Texas, employing almost 10,000 people and operating more than 500 branches nationwide.
The company has 27 offices in metro Atlanta, employing 266 people. It funded more than $71 billion in home loans in 2021, a record for an organization that said it aspires to soon be one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders.
Company executives say Fairway’s focus, from CEO Jacobson on down, is faith, family and work, in that order.
“It’s not about the loans we do; it is about the hearts we change and the people we help,” said Jacobson, who founded the company 26 years ago. “We aim to provide great customer service, speed and support by being kind, humble and giving 100% every day.”
The company has established its own charity, Fairway Cares, which provides care packages and assistance to individuals who have lost a loved one, face a critical illness or have experienced physical trauma. A second charity created by its employees, the American Warrior Initiative, provided financial assistance and 101 service dogs to wounded veterans in 2021.
Learn more at www.fairway.com and www.home.com.
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Credit: spe
3. Dorsey Alston, Realtors
Atlanta’s oldest privately owned residential real estate company lives by the motto that reads in part: “We will not sacrifice reputation for growth. We will not sacrifice quality for quantity. We do the right thing.”
The company with a metro staff of 278 and locations in Buckhead, Intown and East Cobb, had $1.4 billion in revenues for the last year available.
Its motto dovetails with what Patrick Wood, senior vice president and managing broker, said he believes sets Dorsey Alston apart from other local real estate companies.
“The focus of Dorsey Alston is not growth or the bottom line. It is, and has always been, about providing the best life possible for our agents and staff,” Wood said.
Each member of the team has a different definition of success, and, “We spend a lot of time listening to them to find out what their definition is,” he said. “Then we do everything we can to help them achieve that success. We believe that our company growth and success come as a direct result of our agents’ and staff’s happiness and success.”
Since the start of the pandemic, the company has been able to resume in-person weekly sales meetings and training classes while still offering its “shelter in place” virtual option.
Wood said the virtual option has increased attendance and participation, and is expected to continue.
“However, the biggest effect, as we came back together from the pandemic, is a renewed appreciation for how much we love and enjoy one another,” he said. “We are even more grateful for how special the people and culture are at Dorsey Alston.”
The company was the first real estate firm in the market to offer a health insurance option to its agents, all of whom are independent contractors.
Learn more at: www.dorseyalston.com
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4. Windham Brannon
With headquarters in Atlanta and clients in 75 countries, Windham Brannon is a recognized leader in providing assurance, tax and advisory services.
The company, which has 185 employees in metro Atlanta, generated $32.5 million in revenues in 2021 and is a top 200 nationally ranked accounting firm. Its leadership team touts it as more than just the traditional CPA firm.
“At Windham Brannon, we put our people first and consider ourselves a family-friendly workplace,” said Heidi LaMarca, CEO and managing partner of the 65-year-old firm.
The company’s motto is simple: “Create exceptional outcomes for our clients and people.”
“We know that if we take care of our people, they take care of our clients, and that’s how we can remain results-driven and client-focused,” LaMarca said.
The company is entrenched in the community, providing employees with volunteer days to further their civic stewardship. In recent years, Windham Brannon has supported organizations such as Kate’s Club, sending children off to Camp Good Mourning; Toyland with North Fulton Community Charities; and numerous other organizations that are near and dear to their professionals’ hearts.
In addition, the firm has partnered with the Georgia Society of CPAs to participate in the Georgia Accounting Food Fight, raising food and funds for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Since 2020, the company has more than doubled its giving, supportingthe Anti-Defamation League, Caregiver Action Network, Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia, Stop AAPI Hate, Latino Community Fund Georgia, National Coalition for Black Woman, Leap for Literacy and other local organizations.
Corporate giving aside, the firm strives to continuously improve, embracing change and incorporating innovation into the way they do business. ‘We have an incredible culture where our curiosity and professional development is cultivated, which has helped differentiate our firm.” LaMarca said.
The company invests in its people and provides them with an environment that supports their needs. Employee benefits include flexible work schedules, paid parental leave, employer-paid dependent care, pet insurance and tuition reimbursement, LaMarca said.
Learn more at www.windhambrannon.com.
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5. Team Rehabilitation Services LLC
Since opening its first clinic in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in 2001, Team Rehabilitation Services has expanded in its home state and added clinics in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Georgia.
The clinics, which offer physical, occupational and speech therapy, made $144 million in revenue in the latest year for which figures were available.
The company employees 1,600 therapists and staff nationwide, with 153 of them in Georgia. But, according to physical therapist and CEO Scott Delcomyn, what sets the organization apart is how it operates.
“Each of our clinics are owned and operated independently, thus allowing for a small business, family type of feel, despite the size of our overall organization,” Delcomyn said.
Although some administrative staff moved to a hybrid of working from home and the office.
But since the company is a medical provider, most of the staff still comes to its clinics “to provide great quality care to our patients,” Delcomyn said. “We continue to wear masks in our clinics and do our best to provide a safe and healthy place for our patients to get better.”
Delcomyn said the company has worked hard to keep employees apprised of the latest information on COVID-19 and vaccine access, and has made counselors and free mental health care access available, Delcomyn said.
Learn more at: www.team-rehab.com.
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