AUM: $10 billion
Employees: 35
When Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area in August 2017, management at Bridgeway Capital Management Inc. agreed: "We have to up our game," President and CEO Tammira Philippe said.
The Houston-based manager established a relief fund through the Greater Houston Community Foundation to help the handful of Bridgeway staff members impacted directly by Harvey. The foundation served as an independent administrator and reviewer for dispersing the funds.
In addition, Bridgeway contributed to several organizations that served people and communities affected by Harvey. And it gave employees an additional two days of paid time off for community service to help with the recovery — on top of the four days that staff members take annually to serve their preferred causes.
Bridgeway, a four-time Best Places to Work in Money Management honoree, always has been philanthropically minded. Since its founding in 1993, it has donated half of its profits to charity, Ms. Philippe said.
Remaining profits are retained on the company's balance sheet. With company stock owned by employees, "we don't have owners taking money out of the firm every year," Ms. Philippe said. "Everyone gets the value of long-term appreciation."
Another core tenant is servant leadership, the understanding that management serves employees and puts them in position to succeed.
New hires go through a six-day training program where they learn the tools and skills required to be servant leaders. Established employees receive annual refresher sessions. The training has become more detailed, Ms. Philippe said, adding, "we've gone deeper into the idea of providing difficult feedback and using active listening to do that."
In August, the company took employees on an appreciation trip to the Cayman Islands, Ms. Philippe said. The last company trip — to Costa Rica — was in 2007.
"Bridgeway invests heavily in its staff to create an environment of trust and respect," an employee wrote in the survey.
