Best Places to Work 2012

December 10, 2012

Fifteen firms are being honored by Pensions & Investments as the Best Places to Work in Money Management.

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Wish you worked here?

The �winners� come in all sizes and stripes, yet they share some common � and critical � characteristics. All of the companies had strong cultures, positive work environments, high employee engagement and good benefits.

Winners with over 1,000 employees

Principal Financial Group

An art-filled campus in Des Moines, Iowa, and a global perspective have helped Principal Financial Group attract and retain a diverse workforce.

Diversified

CEO Peter Kunkel says one way to understand the culture of Diversified is to drop by the company gym at the firm's Harrison, N.Y., headquarters.

Bridgewater Associates

Bridgewater Associates LP's culture is little changed since its start 37 years ago, but it did have to migrate to written tenets when the company grew from 10 people working from the apartment of founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer Raymond T. Dalio to 1,300 people in five buildings in semi-rural Fairfield County.

SEI

Pythons are not your typical workplace motivational tool, but at SEI, they are an expression of the company's passion for reinvention.

Invesco

Not every boss invites employees to his home, but Martin Flanagan, CEO of Atlanta-based Invesco Ltd., decided this year to host company's annual picnic in his backyard, even setting up a petting zoo and a rock-climbing wall.

Winners with 100 to 1,000 employees

Hamilton Lane

Hamilton Lane's top executives are self-proclaimed investment nerds who rock.

ClearBridge

On a clear day, visitors to the 48th floor glass-walled offices of ClearBridge Advisors near New York's Times Square can see south to where the new tower is rising from ground zero of the old World Trade Center � where the core of the firm was forged before ClearBridge was even founded.

AEW Capital Management

AEW Capital Management has the front end of an Edsel � with operational headlights � in the lobby of its office.

William Blair & Co.

In the entryway of the seemingly austere Chicago offices of William Blair & Co. LLC hang formal oil portraits of the four men who led the firm until 2004.

Western Asset Management

At Western Asset Management Co., top executives expect you will do a great job, but don't be too egotistical about it.

Winners with under 100 employees

Robert W. Baird & Co.

In 2004, Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co. became an employee-owned company, a key reason employees rank it as a Best Places to Work in Money Management.

Balentine

�The way we've always done it� might be the guiding principle for some firms, but for the founding partners of Balentine LLC, which runs $1.6 billion, it's a good reason to do the opposite.

Modera Wealth Management

The principals at Modera Wealth Management LLC do not take much stock in formal titles or job descriptions. Tom Orecchio, for example, is Modera's CEO, but prefers the title of principal and wealth manager.

Perkins Investment Management

A rock-solid, fundamental valuation process for stocks has been the mainstay of Perkins Investment Management LLC since its founding 32 years ago. But it's not widely known that the company applies a very similar approach to recruiting and retaining its staff � emphasizing the quality of their abilities and opinions.

Dana Investment Advisors

Founder Mike Dana created a family-like atmosphere at Dana Investment Advisors Inc. more than 30 years ago, building his company on professional integrity and employee support.