Winners:

Best place to climb the career ladder

• Premera Blue Cross
• Verity Credit Union
• Schwartz Brothers Restaurants

Premera Blue Cross's rabid voters talked about the "many training opportunities within the company, and with outside vendors." More than one employee mentioned how "it's a company that rewards its employees for hard work and dedication." At Verity Credit Union, one employee said, "Verity mentors its staff to achieve their best potentials. We see this in theory and in practice!" And it turns out the restaurant biz isn't against promoting its ranks, either. Schwartz Brothers Restaurants received kudos for its policy of trying to promote from within the company before hiring outsiders.

Honorable mention:

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Today's young gun tech companies can't match the claim of one happy ADP employee: "Most of the employees here have been here 15, 20 or 30 years. A lot of people start in the mail room and work their way up to manager and retire from the company 25 years later."