We began reporting about this particular Outside project in 2011, when the lineup ended at fifty. Back then, seven businesses from Colorado placed — and the operations in the four top slots were all located here. In our 2014 roundup, the Colorado total rose to 28 out of 100. In our Colorado best-places-to-work compilation for 2015, the number was 31. And in 2016, the sum climbed to 36 — more than a third of the businesses celebrated across the country as a whole.
Given this performance, it's no surprise that this year's total is nearly 14 percent higher than the 2016 count, with six firms in the top ten, including places one through four. Still, Colorado's dominance remains astonishing. Note that the thirteen ranked businesses from Boulder represent almost as many slots as the entire state of California, which finished second to Colorado, with fifteen businesses represented.
Denver (nine on the list), Golden (three) and Aspen, Carbondale and Littleton (two each) also finished quite well. And towns such as Basalt, Crested Butte, Durango and Highlands Ranch managed to get one past the goalie, too.
Count down the photo-illustrated roster of the 41 Colorado winners below, featuring links to each and excerpts about company perks from Outside text. Click to visit the complete post for even more information.
By the way, we received a note about Colorado's Outside performance from Turner PR, a Denver agency that landed at number 89, and the folks there note that "we're hiring." Act accordingly.
95. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (Dillon, Colorado)
Perks: Access to ample pro deals for gear and apparel (both winter and summer); ski passes (allowing employees to ski nearly everywhere in Colorado for free); twice weekly yoga classes....
94. CCY Architects (Basalt, Colorado)
Perks: Annual wellness allowance of $850; annual education allowance for continuing education, conferences, and community leadership programs; Friday “Beer30” events — a weekly in-office happy hour....
89. Turner (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: "Recess" activities, organized group volunteer outings, and comp time....
85. Ascent360, Inc. (Golden, Colorado)
Perks: Annual pool party picnic for employees and their families. Also, once-a-year Habitat for Humanity group build project....
84. Apto (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: “Powder days” policy lets employees take day off at last minute in winter and on beautiful off-season days, too....
83. New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina)
Perks: Local Grants Program “serves and connects with the communities where we sell our beer. Since 1991, we’ve donated $8 million.” Also: one hour of PTO for every two hours volunteered....
82. Tendril (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: On-site masseuse twice a month; zero waste initiative that involves recycling and composting with the aim of creating zero waste....
80. Ska Brewing Company (Durango, Colorado)
Perks: “FREE BEER!” Also: Ska and Avery Brewing companies co-founded “BoulDurango,” a six-day road biking charity event challenging brewery employees to ride from Boulder to Durango or vice versa....
77. Namaste Solar (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Weekly road bike rides, periodic acupuncture and massage sessions, yoga classes, seasonal softball and bowling leagues....
67. Backbone Media (Carbondale, Colorado)
Perks: Staff has a fleet of eight cruiser bicycles to share and use for commuting around town....
65. First Descents (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: “We believe strongly in local community creation. Festive contests, family-style pot luck meals, and ping-pong tournaments abound!” Also: Pro deals with dozens of outdoor vendors....
64. BSW Wealth Partners (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Mentorship program, on-site meditation and relaxation groups, and financial support for professional education and development....
63. Zen Planner (Highlands Ranch, Colorado)
Perks: Weekly on-site fitness classes (yoga, pull-up progression workshop, bootcamp) taught by team members. Plus: "Dogs in the office every day"....
60. RA Nelson (Avon, Colorado)
Perks: "We offer a yearly scholarship program for employee dependents from 1st grade through college and support physical and intellectual pursuits, including academics, athletics, and the arts"....
58. CampMinder (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Community service is a big deal: The company has donated backpacks and school supplies to an underserved Denver school, volunteered at Food Bank of the Rockies, and run a canned food drive....
56. TDA_Boulder (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: One powder day per year "to go chase the unexpected storm," ice cream truck visits on summer half-day Fridays, and TDA matches employees’ donations to their favorite charities....
53. Mondo Robot (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Full bar on the premises with 2 micro beers on tap. Plus, an annual company outing "where we rent a school bus and tour local breweries"....
52. SummitCove Vacation Lodging (Golden, Colorado)
Perks: Various team-building days, including a company rafting trip, a Hike for MS team, Highway Clean Up day, and meal prep for cancer survivors....
50. Powder7 (Golden, Colorado)
Perks: In addition to on-site foosball, a liberal pets-at-work policy, and “surprise powder ski days off,” employees get a month sabbatical after working five years....
47. Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc. (Glenwood Springs, Colorado)
Perks: Silly Hat Day! Chili Cook-offs! Bi-annual meetings with river rafting, skiing, and other outdoor activities! Also: Employee Appreciation Week with games, massages, prizes, food, and "a white elephant party"....
43. VictorOps (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Super Job Keep It Up award bequeathed at each CEO-hosted company meeting (winner gets a trophy and a $100 gift card). Employees are also encouraged to give 1 percent of their time to charity through the GiveOps program....
41. Creative Alignments (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Flexible schedules, weekly lunches, and an annual volunteer day where "the whole company goes onsite at a local nonprofit to assist with their needs"....
36. Polar Field Services, Inc. (Littleton, Colorado)
Perks: Daily organized stretching in headquarters and flex hours to allow exercise during work hours. Plus an office garden....
35. Colorado Outward Bound School (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: Families are welcome at the office and base camps, fostering a deep sense of community across generations....
31. Sterling-Rice Group (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Company-sponsored athletic and charity events, such as Bolder Boulder, the Ragnar Relay Race, and the B Strong Ride....
30. 303 Software (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: A $50 monthly cash bonus for employees who don’t use their allotted parking spots and bike/bus/walk to work instead, plus a partnership with a local bike shop that includes free maintenance....
29. FullContact (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: Twelve weeks of 100 percent paid parental leave for primary care givers, three weeks 100 percent paid for secondary. Plus: all-company “Truancy Day” encourages employees to "play hooky and head to a local brewery to eat, drink, play, and connect"....
27. Cloud Elements, Inc. (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: Company-sponsored hike and ski days, catered lunches three days a week, and a training, education, and conference budget for employees to expand their learning....
25. TeamSnap (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: A "culture of trust" is emphasized. "Everyone is trusted to do their jobs however they feel most capable"....
23. Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte (Crested Butte, Colorado)
Perks: Free ski pass to Crested Butte Mountain Resort....
19. MyRounding (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: Free Ecopasses (unlimited light rail/bus pass) to all full-time employees....
The caption on this Facebook photo reads: "Beer fridge is fully stocked to celebrate this exciting announcement!!! OutsideMagazine featured Bluetent as one of the best places to work for the 6th year in a row!"
Facebook
Perks: Bluetent sponsors a weekly HIIT class led by a private instructor and tailored to individual skill levels, as well as a Friday morning yoga class....
14. Pellucid Analytics (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Periodic company outings and teams — bubble soccer, bowling, go-karting, indoor soccer team, tennis team, gym group....
13. Natural Habitat Adventures (Louisville, Colorado)
Perks: Company ski house in Summit County, Colorado, for employees and their families and friends to use throughout the ski season....
11. Charles Cunnife Architects (Aspen, Colorado)
Perks: On Friday mornings, CCA provides a healthy breakfast by Whole Foods so that folks can eat and enjoy the TECH talk before going into their workday....
7. Room 214 (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: In-office culture of giving back to the community, including pro-bono work, volunteer events, and fundraising for nonprofits....
6. Pax8 (Greenwood Village, Colorado)
Perks: "Three-tap kegerator with bi-weekly voting on what new local brews we should stock it with"....
4. WhippleWood CPAs (Littleton, Colorado)
Perks: Hero Awards — $110 rewarded to someone on staff who is deemed to have given 110 percent. Also: they have a "Zen Room" on the premises and employees are encouraged to attend "Board Meetings" — "firm-wide breaks to ride longboards in parking lots"....
3. Avid4 Adventure (Boulder, Colorado)
Perks: Annual paid month-long sabbatical to travel, in addition to an annual all-expense-paid trip to Moab to hike, bike, and climb in the desert....
2. GroundFloor Media (Denver, Colorado)
Perks: Annual Outward Bound and other offsite team-building events....
1. Forum Phi Architecture (Aspen, Colorado)
Perks: Forum Phridays team-building events: Take a Friday off to hit the slopes, go biking, or do a hut-to-hut trip. Also: Employees who recommend someone for recruitment get a $500 bonus after that new hire’s ninety-day review....
