Enhancing its exceptionally bright quality of life, the City of Dayton and partners in leadership are building a collaborative new vision of the region’s future, developing commerce, jobs and a work culture that’s attracting new talent and businesses. Diversity, inclusivity and a sense of belonging is the centerpiece of Dayton’s outstanding workplaces.
“Creating a sense of family is one of the number one things we’re focused on,” said Scott McGohan, chief executive officer of McGohan Brabender. “But our definition of family goes far beyond the workplace. It encompasses home, work and community. If our company and workplace are helping to create better moms and dads, and men and women who make the community better, then we’re doing our job very well as a company.”
With three locations in Ohio, McGohan Brabender is one of the largest independent health insurance brokers in the state, focusing on employee benefit consulting, compliance and health risk management, with upwards of 185 employees.
The company was founded by McGohan’s father 40 years ago, with a focus on celebrating virtue and praising employees. It’s a tradition that continues in high spirits today.
“We have three buildings full of cool stuff, a victory cart we push people around on when they do something amazing, a toy closet for kids when they visit our offices, and a family wall with photos of every single person and their families framed and on the walls,” McGohan said. Each office has an immersion room, too, a place to talk to people about our story, experiences and people.”
CareSource is another innovator in work culture development, and one of the nation’s largest Medicaid-managed care plans. The national headquarters are situated in Dayton.
“Our company fosters an environment where people are respected not only for their skills and talents, but for who they are as individuals,” said Dan McCabe, chief administrative officer. “We encourage open communication where staff can ask questions, share ideas and make recommendations. We recently adopted a relaxed and casual everyday dress code, too, which provides a commonality for all employees.”
A diverse workforce is a prime reason the company is so successful.
“We’re very proud of our workforce,” McCabe said. “It is culturally and generationally diverse, and a key factor in our keen ability to understand and relate to the members we serve.”
Henny Penny is another outstanding company with a unique culture and ownership model. Founded in 1957, the company has been employee-owned since 2015. Supporting more than 800 employees around the world, Henny Penny designs, develops, and manufactures premium foodservice equipment for a notable list of clients including KFC, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Chicken Licken. n