All across the state — and nation — businesses are struggling to attract and retain employees. But those companies may be able to learn something from the companies that will be spotlighted here in the days to follow. The 100 Best Places to Live and Work in Arizona earned the most support in voting for the 2022 edition of Ranking Arizona, the state’s biggest business opinion poll.
READ ALSO: Here are the Ranking Arizona Top 10 lists for 2022
“We really do put people first,” says Cathy Graham, executive vice president at Desert Financial Credit Union, one of the Best Places to Work in Arizona. “The employment environment is really tough right now with the Great Resignation. So we try to be really purposeful and clear about the organization: where we’re going, what we’re striving for, what success looks like and then connecting the dots. People want to feel like part of something bigger than just the role that they fill every day.”
Enjoy learning more about the 100 Best Places to Live and Work in Arizona. Today, the spotlight is on WaFd Bank Arizona.
WaFd Bank Arizona
Washington Federal, parent company of WaFd Bank, was recognized as one of America’s Best Employers 2022 by Forbes. “We’ve been working diligently to make WaFd Bank an employer of choice,” says Brent Beardall, president and chief executive officer of WaFd. “The strength of WaFd is our people. We genuinely care for our clients and one another.”
DIFFERENTIATOR: “The difference in the culture is that we’re very team oriented and collaborative,” says Todd Gerber, Arizona regional president for WaFd Bank. “We win as a team. We lose as a team. Most of the time we win as a team. And that is something that is completely different from some of my past experience in the banking industry. The customer is always at the forefront of our decisions. So, that helps us keep that culture going.”
LESSONS LEARNED: “One of the things that has worked very well for us is — and we’ve evolved even in the three years I’ve been there — is we’re more and more flexible with scheduling, remote work, and what’s best for the employee to best serve the customer. What’s nice is that as a mid-size organization, it was very easy to adopt.”
FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS: “From the culture perspective and from the team members perspective, it’s very important to WaFd Bank that we do what we say we’re going to do for our customers. We keep our word. We keep our promises. What makes us really competitive is we’re big enough to compete and provide financial services with the large money center banks, but we’re also small enough to be nimble and quick with our decisions. There’s only three or four levels of management total in WaFd bank and that helps us make very quick decisions for the customer.”
100 Best Places to Live and Work in Arizona
Here are the 100 Best Places to Live and Work in Arizona for 2022, based on public voting for the 2022 edition of Ranking Arizona, the state’s biggest and most comprehensive business opinion poll. Companies and cities are listed in alphabetical order.
ABI Multifamily
ANDERSON Advertising & Public Relations
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Aker Ink PR & Marketing
Alliance Residential Company
Arizona Central Credit Union
Arizona Complete Health
Arizona Federal Credit Union
Aurora Behavioral Health System
Avison Young
BMO Harris Bank
Banner Health
Bel-Aire Mechanical
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona Properties
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Signal Search
Burch & Cracchiolo
CBRE
CHASSE Building Team
CORE Construction
Cachet Homes
Canyon State Electric
Cawley Architects
City of Chandler
City of Flagstaff
City of Glendale
City of Mesa
City of Peoria
City of Phoenix
City of Scottsdale
City of Tempe
City to City Commercial
Colliers
Corgan
DP Electric
dpa architects
DPR Construction
Delta Dental of Arizona
Desert Financial Credit Union
Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
Dignity Health in Arizona
Great Impact
Gust Rosenfeld
HDA Architects
Haydon Building Corp
HomeSmart
Homeowners Financial Group
HonorHealth
IMPACT Technology Recruiting
Ideation Design Group
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon
Johansen Interiors
K2 Electric
Keap
Kidder Mathews
Kitchell
LAVIDGE
LGE Design Build
Land Advisors Organization
LaneTerralever
LevRose Commercial Real Estate/TCN Worldwide
Marcus & Millichap
Mark-Taylor Companies
Mark-Taylor Residential
Mayo Clinic
McCarthy Building Companies
Menlo Group Commercial Real Estate
Merestone
National Bank of Arizona
OneAZ Credit Union
P.B. Bell
Pacific Premier Bank
Precision Air & Plumbing
ReThinc Advertising
Republic Bank of Arizona
Rocket Mortgage (formerly Quicken Loans)
Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty
Ryan Companies US
SDB Contracting Services
Speedie & Associates
Sunstate Equipment
TBConsulting
Team Select Home Care
The Brokery
The CORE Institute
Town of Gilbert
Town of Queen Creek
Tri Pointe Homes
TruWest Credit Union
USAA
VIP Mortgage
VIP Mortgage Inc.
ViaWest Group
WaFd Bank Arizona
Wallace, Plese + Dreher
Walton Global
Weitz Company
Western Alliance Bank
Willmeng Construction
Wood, Patel & Associates
