A lot has changed in the workplace since the start of 2020.

Working from home became something that wasn’t accompanied by a telling wink. Social distancing became the norm, not an occasional response to a colleague’s poor grooming habits. The #MeToo and #BLM movements have changed the way we interact with our co-workers, neighbors and strangers. And a pandemic has changed the way we live — or don’t live — our lives and do business on a daily basis.

And through all of that, 45 companies have risen from the adversity of 2020 and earned the right to call themselves Arizona’s Most Admired Companies of 2020.

“Most Admired Companies is the most comprehensive and prestigious annual corporate awards program in Arizona,” said Denise Gredler, founder and CEO of BestCompaniesAZ, who co-founded the Most Admired Companies program with the team from Az Business magazine. “To win, a business must demonstrate excellence in its leadership, corporate culture, vision, innovation, customer relations, and community engagement through corporate social responsibility programs.”

The primary goal of the Most Admired Companies program is to find and recognize those organizations that excel in these five key areas:

• Customer opinion

• Innovation

• Leadership excellence

• Social responsibility

• Workplace culture

Based on those five pillars of excellence, a selection committee comprised of Az Business magazine’s editorial board, BestCompaniesAZ’s leadership team, and professionals from a wide range of industries rated and selected the most accomplished and prestigious companies in Arizona.

With hundreds of nominations representing the most innovative, impactful, and successful companies in Arizona, being one of Most Admired Companies for 2020 shows that the companies selected truly represent the best in Arizona business.

The 11th Annual Most Admired Companies Awards will be presented in a virtual format on October 15, 2020. Click here for more information. The Most Admired Companies of 2020 will also be profiled in the September issue of Az Business magazine.

The Most Admired Companies of 2020

Adopt Technologies

American Express

Axon

Banner Health

Blue Yonder (formerly JDA)

CBIZ

CBRE

CHASSE Building Team

Charles Schwab

Copperpoint Insurance Companies

Corgan

Cresa

DP Electric

Desert Financial Credit Union

Duffy Group

Farmers Insurance Group

Fennemore Craig

FirstBank

Gallagher & Kennedy

GoDaddy

Greenberg Traurig

Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona

Homeowners Financial Group

Jennings, Strouss & Salmon

Jokake Construction Services

Kitchell

Lovitt & Touché, A Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company

MJ Insurance

Make-A-Wish America

Microchip Technology

Mortenson

Pioneer Title Agency

Quarles & Brady

STORE Capital

Small Giants

Spear Education

Sundt Construction

Suntec Concrete

Terros Health

UnitedHealthcare

Vanguard

Voya Financial

WaFd Bank Arizona

Waymo

Willmeng Construction