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TENTH YEAR IN A ROW,
STEW LEONARD'S CHOSEN BY FORTUNE MAGAZINE
AS ONE OF THE 100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
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TENTH YEAR IN A ROW,
STEW LEONARD'S CHOSEN BY FORTUNE MAGAZINE
AS ONE OF THE 100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
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NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 20, 2011 - FORTUNE magazine announced their list of 2011's "100 Best Companies to Work For" today, and family-owned and operated fresh food grocer Stew Leonard's has once again earned a spot on this prestigious list, coming in No. 18. The rankings, available now at Fortune.com/BestCompanies, appear in the February 7 issue.
This marks the tenth consecutive year that Stew Leonard's has made the list. Stew Leonard's is one of 5 other grocery stores on the list and one of two headquartered in the state of Connecticut. The company rose in the list this year to spot number 18, up from a 2010 ranking of 64.
Stew Leonard Sr. said, "It is wonderful for my wife Marianne and me to see how Stew Leonard's has grown from a little dairy store selling just seven items to the company it is today with more than $400 million in sales, four food stores and nine independently-owned wine shops. When we first opened in 1969, all of our employees really were family! Now, we hope that each of our 2,200 Team Members know that they are integral members of the Leonard family for all that they do."
"The secret is simple: A great place to shop must first be a great place to work," said Stew Leonard, Jr. CEO of Stew Leonard's. "To achieve this level of service, we employ twice as many people per square foot as the average food retailer and provide least 50 hours of training per year for full-time Team Members. Plus, advantages like our comprehensive benefits plan, extensive on-site medical screenings, and competitive pay package, which includes profit sharing, helps us to retain some of the very best talent in the business. "
Stew Leonard's culture has been built on a devotion to creating happy Team Members. 97% of Team Members participated in Stew Leonard's 2010 Excellence Survey and the feedback scores broke the record - yet again - for Team Member satisfaction. Stew Leonard's customers also rewarded the company this year with a record number of WOW notes, praising our Team Members for their exemplary service.
"We are always looking for new ways to grow and recognize our team, "said Jill Leonard Tavello, Executive Vice President of Culture and Communication. "Stew Leonard's is dedicated to providing top-notch training to our Team Members and our training curriculum has been strengthened at every level, from new skills-based training to executive coaching for our senior leadership team."
Stew Leonard's by the Numbers:
- 500,000: the dollar amount in scholarships awarded to high school student Team Members
- 2010: The year The Voluntary Action Center of Mid-Fairfield (VAC) honored Stew Leonard's with Corporate Leadership Award in recognition of Team Members' volunteer involvement over many years in the community
- 82: percentage of our management team across the entire company has been grown internally
- 31: percentage of Team Members have a family member working at Stew's
- 20: the number of years Stew Leonard's Team Member have served as mentors to local youth
- Zero: the number of layoffs Stew Leonard's has had since 1969
Methodology
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. Three hundred eleven companies participated in this year's survey. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the Institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third of the scoring is based on the company's responses to the Institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, internal communications, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts. Any company that is at least seven years old with more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible. The deadline for applying for next year's list is June 15, 2011. For an online nomination form, go to www.greatplacetowork.com.
About Stew Leonard's
Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y. Stew's earned its nickname, the "Disneyland of dairy stores" because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard's legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores' passionate approach to customer service: "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 - If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1." This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store's entrance. The company's culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com .
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Meghan Bell, 203.750.6107, mbell@stewleonards.com
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