2024 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Starting Monday, April 8, 2024 at midnight through Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 11:59pm, you will find a nomination form above at MoodyontheMarket.com.
Do you know a powerhouse business that is making a positive impact in our community? Fill out the nomination form and submit it. Nominations go to a committee who will select the 20 Best Places to Work for 2024. Then, in May & June, we will unveil the Twenty Best Places to Work on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM and on 98.3 The Coast’s Social Network. The MoodyontheMarket.com team will detail each company being recognized and honored in a special section inside this page. Plus, all of the businesses and their teams will be invited to a cocktail reception where they’ll be recognized and receive a special keepsake award!

Eligibility Requirements

Best Places to Work recognizes the type of business that everyone would like to work at – they’re the businesses that are going above and beyond for their team and the community, setting the gold standard for others to aspire to.

No matter the industry or sector, we’d love to hear about those stellar businesses among us that are making a difference at their workplace, excelling in their industry and making valuable contributions to betterment of Michigan’s Great Southwest. These companies clearly stand head and shoulders above all others in the region and have been able to excel at what they do regularly. Those selected for representation in the Best Places to Work will be those that set the tone for what every good company or organization should ascribe to in Michigan’s Great Southwest.

To nominate a business or organization, please keep reading and pay attention to the pointers below for a successful and competitive nomination.

To submit a nomination, click the link above (only available during the nomination window) to go to an online survey where you will be asked to answer in-depth questions about the business being nominated. Be sure to read the following information, which explains requirements and eligibility. Don’t forget to share your nominations and spread the word about this program on social media using hashtag #SWMBestPlacesToWork!

Before clicking the link to fill out the nomination form, please read the following requirements and tips for a successful nomination:

– Nominations open Monday, April 8, 2024 at Midnight Eastern

– Nominations will close on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern

– If a business or organization is chosen for this program in the past, they are automatically ineligible to win Best Places to Work recognition in the future. To see if a business has been nominated in the past, please scroll down and view the list of past winners. Before submitting your nomination, be sure you check this list!

– Nominee companies or organizations must be headquartered in the following Southwest Michigan counties: Berrien, Cass and Van Buren

– Chosen businesses are expected to attend the awards presentation, or have someone representing them, during the award ceremony occurring in June at the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph

– Selected businesses are expected to provide a high resolution logo, and additionally be available for a short Q&A-style interview for the recognition on Moody on the Market.com in mid-June; failure to make time to complete these assets will result in disqualification from the program

– Self-nominations ARE permitted for this program, but all entries will be scrutinized for completeness, correctness, and honesty

– Nominations that are not substantially fully completed or that simply feature incomplete or cursory information will be at minimum given less than full consideration or at worst, be removed from consideration completely

–  One single nomination for your nominee business is requested. Multiple entries do NOT enhance a business’s chances. Nominations featuring identical responses will be removed; please refrain from repeatedly submitting the same nomination or asking others to do so on your behalf

– Only one business nomination is permitted in each questionnaire. If you wish to submit more than one business for consideration, you must submit separate nominations for each entry

– It is highly encouraged to submit nominated businesses that are actively engaged in best practices, have outside interests in the community that they are passionate about, and include any information you have on achievements and recognitions they have been honored for elsewhere in the community, in their industry, or among their peer groups as evidence of their own drive for excellence

– Each essay question should be answered in complete sentences. Do not use bulleted or hyphenated lists unless they are appropriate to the question asked

– Nominations must be submitted through this online process only and will not be accepted via email, in-person, or any other format under any circumstances

– Nominated companies or organizations will be contacted by the selection committee to verify their willingness to participate, and to see if they can attend the reception in June

Judging:

A panel of independent judges will review each nomination submitted and assign a score to each entry.  This is done privately, and the judges do not share information. The scores are totaled and compared to all entries submitted to help the selection committee determine the 20 honorees. Pat Moody retains one vote on this committee; the independent committee members (made up of local non-profits, past winning organizations and businesses, and winners from other award programs) contain the majority of the rest. Sponsors of this program receive no preferential treatment for selection by the committee, and committee members are not comprised of sponsors.

If your company or organization is chosen:

Those who are chosen as the 20 honorees will be notified within 2-4 weeks after the entry deadline.  All businesses will be invited as guests to the Best Places to Work Cocktail Reception where they will have a table reserved in their honor, and be presented with their award. In addition, the winners will be recognized in advertising promoting their recognition across Mid-West Family brands.

Good luck!