Alliance Data Systems Corp., Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., and Moss Adams LLP are the three finalists in the 1,000-plus employee category of the 2017 Best Places To Work Inland Northwest recognition program, conducted by the Journal of Business.

Prominent names also dominate the finalist lists in the three other recognition categories: for large employers, with 300 to 999 employees; medium employers, with 100 to 299 workers; and small employers, with 15 to 99 employees.

Coffman Engineers Inc., Northwest Farm Credit Services, and Wagstaff Inc. are the finalists in the large-employer category.

Imprezzio Inc., Lydig Construction Inc., and Merchant e-Solutions are the finalists in the medium-sized employer group. Lydig Construction and Merchant e-Solutions are both based in Spokane Valley, and Imprezzio is based in Spokane. 

Community Wellness Health Training Network, of Spokane; The Murray Group, of Coeur d’Alene; and PayTrace Inc., of Spokane Valley, are finalists in the small-employer category. 

Winners in each category will be revealed at an awards ceremony Sept. 28, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., at the Spokane Convention Center. Gary Stokes, of KSPS-TV, will be the master of ceremonies for the event, and Kevin Parker, of Dutch Bros. Coffee, will be the guest speaker.

The finalists are among the 25 employers in the region to qualify for the Journal’s Best Places To Work Inland Northwest list.

Employers signed up voluntarily for the recognition program, and about 40 did so. To be eligible, they were required to have at least 15 employees located in Spokane, Stevens, or Pend Oreille counties in Eastern Washington, or Kootenai or Bonner counties in North Idaho.

Participating employers agreed to participate in two comprehensive surveys conducted by Best Companies Group, of Harrisburg, Pa.

One of the surveys was for the employer and included gathering background information about the company, some of that covering its human-resource practices and the benefits it provides. The other survey was for employees and was conducted anonymously, with the results then aggregated. It included questions about leadership, benefits, pay, culture, and other areas, essentially gauging how the employees feel about their workplace and employer.

Best Companies Group then analyzed the data and scored each employer, basing its rankings on a mix of 75 percent of the score from employee responses and 25 percent from employer responses.