Headquarters: Bethlehem, Pa.
AUM: $7.8 billion as of June 30
U.S. employees: 36
Years Won: 2016-2020, 2022-2024
In their own words:
“Cornerstone is an employee-owned investment consulting firm. When every employee has an equity stake, you are going to have three dozen highly engaged, motivated and committed teammates. They do. The organization strives for excellence in everything it does, and understands that to achieve such a lofty goal, you must treat your employees well. Cornerstone is deliberate in engaging every member of the firm to help them grow and also to understand what motivates them. This is a group that works hard but also knows how to have some fun.”
Three cool things:
- Offers equity stake in the firm through employee stock ownership plan, and has contributed an average of 13% of annual salary to participants in the plan’s most recent year. Being 100% owned by employees, is designing a “Wall of Owners” to celebrate each staffer becoming an employee-owner, fully vested owner and — upon leaving the firm — a foundation member.
- Provides unlimited paid time off, requiring at least two weeks be taken per year.
- Promotes camaraderie through team-building activities such as ax-throwing contests, indoor golf matches and bowling tournaments. To recognize life milestones, the employee experience committee organizes events such as lunches and cocktail hours.
Employees say:
- “The firm’s leaders do all of the expected things — checking in on employees’ mental health, sponsoring team building events and mentoring rising leaders — but they also show incredible compassion when a team member faces a personal hardship and needs to step away for a while. Of our 36 employees, we just celebrated our 8th 20-year anniversary, which we see as a real tribute to building a place people like working.”
- “There is not one person at Cornerstone that has their own agenda that they prioritize over that of their team or the company — nor is there one person shouldering the entire weight of a team’s responsibilities. Everyone together, and that grows our bond that much stronger. It also makes us all accountable to one another, making us that much better at our work.”
- “We have built a culture of caring and achievement at the company. People are challenged and rewarded to use their leadership skills to take on greater levels of responsibility over time. They show up for each other in their time of need, and go out of their way to serve our clients.”
