It’s a wild economic world we live in today, with uncertainty about interest rates, tariffs, and federal claw backs giving all of us pause, but one thing remains consistent, and that’s the importance of attracting and retaining good employees. 

As employers, we continue to operate in a competitive marketplace, and we also still know that hiring and training new employees is far harder and expensive than keeping the ones we have. Which, of course, means that that focusing on having a workplace environment and culture that helps us attract and retain workers remains critical. 

We must provide the tools, support, and encouragement our employees need. We must do all we can to ensure they are engaged. And we must strive to know what they’re really thinking about their experience working for us. 

That requires solid employee feedback, as well as a desire to learn from those who do it best. Fortunately, we have some very good employers in the Inland Northwest. We know this because for the past 10 years, through the Journal’s Best Places to Work in the Inland Northwest program, we have learned a lot from the organizations that have participated.

For instance, while competitive pay and benefits are an expectation for all employees, what differentiates employers are factors that are more intangible. In this year’s survey process, we identified a handful of the most significant motivators for employees. Pay isn’t among them. They include statements such as: “I am treated respectfully by my manager,” and “I am satisfied with my work-life balance.” Others include: “I understand what is expected of me,” and “We have a cooperative culture in this organization.”

This year, 37 employers scored high enough—in some very intensive employee engagement surveys—to be considered Best Places to Work. This continues to give me great optimism about our region, because as you well know, talent is the No. 1 factor companies ask about when looking to move or locate an operation here. 

We provide this annual program by contracting with Workforce Research Group, a national research firm that does employee engagement studies like this across the country. We ask employers in our region to participate in a rigorous survey process to measure employee engagement. Though participating in the process is free to employers, they have the option of buying a comprehensive report from Workforce Research Group to use as a benchmark for where they stand with their employees, where they excel, and where they have work to do.

To participate, an employer must have been in business for at least a year and have at least 15 employees in our five-county region, which we define as Spokane, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties in Washington, and Kootenai and Bonner counties in Idaho.

Participating employers take part in two distinct surveys that ultimately score each company as a Best Place to Work. Part one (20 percent of the score) consists of an employer survey about the company’s benefits, policies, practices, and other information. Part two (80 percent of the score) consists of a confidential employee survey used to evaluate the employees’ workplace experience in the areas of engagement and satisfaction.

The statistical results of that survey ultimately determined if and where an employer would rank on the Journal’s Best Places to Work list, which appears on page 14 of this supplement. The employers you see recognized in this supplement are doing something right when it comes to creating an environment in which employees can thrive. It’s a huge win to make the list.

We also categorized the employers on this year’s list based on the size of their U.S. workforce, understanding that larger companies have more resources to dedicate to human resource initiatives. We established those categories as Large (300 or more employees), Medium (100-299), and Small (15-99). In the following pages, you will see short vignettes on each of the employers honored this year, organized by rank within their size category. 

Take a look at those brief pieces, paying special attention to how they have found countless ways to help their employees succeed. Also take a look at some of the aggregated statistics you’ll find scattered throughout this publication. Those “Facts” provide examples of specific traits and practices common to those that made the list.

Use that information as a recipe, and perhaps your organization, too, could be recognized in the future as a Best Place to Work. We plan to relaunch the program early next year for the 2026 analysis. Visit www.BestPlacesToWorkInlandNW.com for more information.

I want to thank the sponsors that made this program possible, especially Providence Health Care, and the Inland Northwest Society of Human Resource Management (INSHRM), which have been our two founding major sponsors for 10 years. Also returning this year is our other major sponsor, Bank of America, so a big thanks to them as well. Hats off also to Greater Spokane Incorporated for their in-kind sponsorship this year.

Personally, I also want to thank our Best Places to Work INW committee members, without whom this program would not be possible. They are Julie Orchard, of Providence; Wade Larson, of Wagstaff; April O’Hair, of Numerica Credit Union; Mike Church, of Stamper Rubens PS; and Suzanne O’Neil, of Mercer. Thank you for all of your hard work, wisdom, and moral support.