20. NEPC
Headquarters: Boston Number of Billable Consultants: 104 Client Industries Served: Public Funds, Taft-Hartley Funds, Endowments & Foundations, Corporations, Healthcare Organizations and Private Wealth Clients Consulting Service Lines: Financial Consulting
NEPC's top priority is always the same: "We want to help our clients achieve the results they need and do so with a work environment that allows us to attract and retain the best people in the industry," says Mike Manning, Managing Partner of the Boston-based firm.
That recipe for success is clearly working as the firm finds itself among the profession's Best Small Firms to Work For for the first time ever.
"It is great to get the recognition for being one of the Best Small Firms to Work For," Manning says. "Having the external validation obviously means good things for NEPC because it reinforces the positive feelings that our employees and our clients already have for us."
To that end, Manning says the morale and culture at NEPC are very strong. "We have a very team-oriented approach to work embodied by a 'We before Me' mindset," he says. "We also say that we take our work seriously but not ourselves, and these both lead to a great work environment."
Manning says there are many aspects of NEPC's culture and approach that make the firm a great place to work. Three particular aspects, he says, are: 1) DNA Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions from individuals and teams during the year, 2) flexible work arrangements, which provide employees a better work-life balance, and 3) the firm's training curriculum, which provides opportunities for employees at all levels to develop their knowledge and skills.
"The items programs and initiatives above are certainly important to us. One unique aspect is our ability to maintain a strong culture while growing significantly, including expanding our geographic footprint across the country," manning says. "We have also been very successful integrating many consultants from other consulting firms."
When he looks at the remainder of this year, next year and beyond, Manning says he still sees plenty of opportunity in the marketplace. "We are seeing a lot of consolidation in our industry right now and I think that presents a great opportunity for NEPC in terms of adding new clients and attracting great consultants," Manning says.
On the survey, the firm excelled in the areas of Compensation & Benefits and Career Development. Why do you think that is?
Manning: We have always tried to be very competitive with our compensation package and our benefits are outstanding. In addition to great healthcare coverage and a profit-sharing plan that we have funded to the maximum level every year, one of the favorite benefits is Flex Fridays during the summer months which gives employees the opportunity to enjoy longer than normal summer weekends. On career development, we have always done a great job with the on-the-job aspect of training and we have added a lot of formal training programs over the year. No matter where people are in their career, NEPC provides good opportunities for learning and development.
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