Farm Credit Services of America has been named the 2012 Young Professionals Choice Award winner for the company's work in attracting, retaining and developing young professionals.
The award this year was driven by company culture and specific initiatives that Farm Credit employs with its workforce, said Sarah Johnson, manager of the Greater Omaha Young Professionals.
Each year, the agricultural financier holds what it calls "Geekfest," a two-day brainstorming session that gets employees from across the company bouncing ideas off one another in small groups.
Additionally, Johnson said, since the company has offices, satellite offices and employees in 42 cities and towns, many of which are in rural areas, the company has its own young professionals network called "Roots" to help keep employees engaged with one another. Overall, the company has about 1,100 employees, 461 of whom are in Omaha.
"They just have a heavy, heavy investment in the personal development of their young employees," Johnson said.
The award and other attention given to young professionals by groups such as the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce are aimed at fostering workplaces that are attractive to young professionals and at helping companies recruit employees that, historically, may not have chosen to relocate to the Midlands.
At Farm Credit, "brain drain" — or the trend of educated, talented workers leaving their rural hometowns for larger metropolitan areas — has not been an issue in recent years, said Ann Finkner, the company's vice president and chief administrative officer.
"When you start making inroads with your own employees they become your best recruiters," she said. "That's what really has helped us."
Farm Credit was selected over a group of four other finalists: Goodwill Inc.; Home Instead Senior Care; TD Ameritrade; and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture.
In total, there were 76 applicants for the award, which is sponsored by UMB Bank. The award selection committee spent time at each of the finalist's businesses and held separate meetings with each company's leadership and then with groups of young professionals.
"I would say that the bar was raised this year, by far," Johnson said. "We had a lot of companies that are doing really good stuff.
"In the past, the winners have been clear. This year the group was very top-heavy."
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