6-time winning workplaces

18 Delaware Valley companies have made the Top 100 Workplaces list every year the project has run. Here's a snapshot of those standouts, as excerpted from their survey profiles.

Center For Family Services
Founded: 1920
Headquartered: Camden, NJ
Local Employees: 744
Take Note: The Center hosts an annual Staff Unity and Networking (SUN) Day, which provides the opportunity for more than 700 staff, volunteers and interns to connect with coworkers, celebrate accomplishments, and participate in training and team-building activities. Our 2014 SUN Day event raised awareness around issues of race, discrimination, and mental health stigma. Throughout the year, the Center also hosts team-building events around topics such as wellness and intercultural activities.

Community Action Agency
Founded: 1979
Headquartered: Media, PA
Local Employees: 96
Take Note: A private non-profit corporation that has been designated as the County's anti-poverty agency by Delaware County Council, Community Action Agency serves the county's economically disadvantaged residents. Medical coverage is a rich HMO and the cost for single coverage for all benefits is paid by the agency and begins immediately.  During the summer employees enjoy an early dismissal on Fridays. In July, the CEO delivers cold, icy treats to all employees.

Edmund Optics
Founded: 1942
Headquartered: Barrington, NJ
Local Employees: 162
Take Note: Founded by Norman Edmund as Edmund Salvage, the company that became Edmund Scientific supplied optical equipment that traveled to the moon as part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft in its historic lunar landing. The company refocused on industrial optics during the mid-1980s. In addition to traditional benefits, Edmund Optics offers a complete wellness program including weight loss challenges, free flu shots, discounts for healthy and delicious prepared food.

Elliott-Lewis
Founded: 1905
Headquartered: Philadelphia    
Local Employees: 457
Take Note: Plumbing/Electricals/Heating installation provider Elliott-Lewis partners with the Philadelphia Work Ready Program, opening its doors each year to area students for summer and yearlong internships offering both administrative and trade opportunities, earning it the 10+ Club Award from Work Ready Philadelphia in 2010. Many interns have gone on to become full-time members of the Elliott-Lewis family.

The Graham Company
Founded: 1972
Headquartered: Philadelphia
Local Employees: 152
Take Note: An insurance brokerage and consulting firm, the Graham Company gives employees the day off before their wedding, and workers receive quilts and flowers when a new baby arrives.  Graham also has a sick room and a lactation room for nursing mothers. Employees get time off to volunteer for charities. And Graham hosts stress and nutrition "brown bag" lunches where employees can go and learn about ways to reduce stress and have a healthy lifestyle.

Hill International
Founded: 1976
Headquartered: Marlton, NJ
Local Employees: 244
Take Note: Hill is the 9th largest construction management firm in the US. Under the company's flexible benefits plan, workers have a cash pool that they can choose to use for benefits that suit their needs, e.g. HMO vs PPO coverage for medical and dental coverage, long term and/or short term disability insurance, life insurance and a choice of whether to take sick days or receive cash for those sick days. Hill offers localized medical coverage for its offices worldwide.

Karr Barth Associates
Founded: 1967
Headquartered: Bala Cynwyd, PA
Local Employees: 393
Take Note: Karr Barth is the Philadelphia Branch for the financial services company, AXA, ranked as the No. 1 global insurance brand. The firm has both sponsored and competed in the TriRock Philadelphia Triathlon since 2008, raising money for The Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In 2014, Karr Barth raised over $33,000 for CHOP. Starting in 2014, Karr Barth Associates introduced its first annual Toy Drive, which collects toys for the children at CHOP.

Lincoln Investment
Founded: 1968
Headquartered: Wyncote, PA
Local Employees: 229
Take Note:  In 1969, Lincoln obtained its first major contract, the School District of Philadelphia. Today, more than 45 years later, the firm is still a leading provider of 403(b) plans in the district. Lincoln Investment offers products with a focus on providing objective advice and careful, long-term planning. On average, Lincoln Investment employees have been with the company for almost 10 years.

Mastery Charter Schools
Founded: 2001
Headquartered: Philadelphia
Local Employees: 1,233
Take Note:  Mastery Charter Schools is a non-profit charter school network currently operating 17 schools in Philadelphia and Camden, NJ serving over 10,500 students in grades K-12. Ten of the schools are turnarounds of formerly low-performing district schools. Mastery notes that "test scores have increased, on average, more than 40 percentage points per grade and subject after three years, violence decreased by 80 percent and student turnover dropped by one-third."

Medical Solutions Supplier
Founded: 1994
Headquartered: Glen Mills, PA    
Local Employees: 56
Take Note: Medical Solutions Supplier has Free Lunch Fridays and special summer hours (with teams able to depart on Fridays at 2:30p.m.); each week a masseuse comes in to de-stress aching shoulders of employees, a quarterly celebration for a job well done has taken this group on a scavenger hunt, to Dave and Busters and on the Spirit of 76 for a party. Among other popular events are the monthly "MSS Star" drawings for employees who were thanked by their co-workers.

Movers Specialty Service
Founded: 1978
Headquartered: Montgomeryville, PA
Local Employees: 150
Take Note: MSS, Inc. provides expert custom crating and specialized handling services to the relocation industry. Timothy Hughes, a dispatcher for a nationwide van line in the 1970's, was often faced with the time-consuming task of identifying and coordinating the schedules of multiple tradesmen required to assist in a household move. He introduced a "one-stop shop" skilled technician at residences to provide all the required services. MSS benefits include comprehensive medical and dental coverage, a computer purchase program, annual profit sharing contributions and free retirement planning support. In addition, the company is uniquely renowned for "MSS University," an in-house, best-practice training and development curriculum for employees, complemented by innovative performance management, tuition reimbursement and leadership development programs.

Penn Jersey Paper
Founded: 1963
Headquartered: Philadelphia    
Local Employees: 277
Take Note: Operating out of a 250,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art office and warehouse facility in Northeast Philadelphia, Penn Jersey Paper Company offers customers over 8000 stock items, including leading national brands, and also distributing packaging, paper, chemicals, consumables, smallwares and equipment. The company offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, life and AD&D insurance.

Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Founded: 1962
Headquartered: Bala Cynwyd, PA
Local Employees: 625
Take Note: The company supports employees in adopting Healthy Lifestyles and offers a range of Wellness Programs including Health Club Reimbursement, Extended Lunch Fitness Hour, Employee Assistance Program, Smoking Cessation, Weight Watchers, and Annual Flu Shots. Committed to work/life balance,it also offers the following Family Benefits: Adoption Assistance, Parental Leave, Parental Flex Policy, and a Mother's Room. Since 1980, the Company and its employees have donated more than $14 million to charitable causes and organizations.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Founded: 1874
Headquartered: New York City
Local Employees: 1,600
Take Note:  In June 2012, PwC US launched PwC's Earn Your Future - an investment of $60 miliion in cash donations and one million volunteer hours, worth $100 million, to address youth education with a focus on financial literacy. Says PwC: "Our most valuable asset is our people and because of the important work we do for the financial markets we have a vested interest in the financial literacy of our nation's youth."

SPIN
Founded: 1970
Headquartered: Philadelphia
Local Employees: 949
Take Note: SPIN provides residential, employment, home and community and behavioral health services for adults with intellectual disability or autism and Head Start, Pre-K, Early Intervention and Child Care for young children with or without a developmental delay. Benefits include on-site day care with employee discount, on-site gym with employee discount and discount tickets to area entertainment attractions.

Toll Brothers
Founded: 1967
Headquartered: Horsham, PA
Local Employees: 843
Take Note: The nation's leading builder of luxury homes serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, and second-home buyers and operates in 19 states. All full-time employees can reserve luxurious Toll Brothers guesthouses in fabulous locations. These are available all year round, and employees are encouraged to invite family and friends to experience the Toll Brothers lifestyle. On their 10th, 20th, and 30th anniversaries, employees receive expense-paid trips for two to destinations of their choice.

TruMark Financial Credit Union
Founded: 1939
Headquartered: Trevose, PA
Local Employees: 303
Take Note: TruMark was founded by telephone company employees - as the Bell Telephone Employees Federal Credit Union - and originally operated from one of the founders' apartments in the 4700 block of Sansom Street. Among worker perks are discount tickets for amusement piers in Wildwood and Ocean City. For the company's 75th anniversary, employees spent the day at Citizens Bank Park, touring the stadium, walking the bases, and enjoying a day with their colleagues.

Urban Engineers
Founded: 1960    
Headquartered: Philadelphia    
Local Employees: 291
Take Note: This consulting practice features a tuition reimbursement program that helps employees to continue to develop professionally through continuing education. Completing an E.I.T., P.E., C.P.A, Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree program in approved curriculums results in a 5 percent salary increase, up to a maximum of $4,000 after documentation of the accomplishment is provided.

The Vanguard Group
Founded: 1975
Headquartered: Malvern, PA
Local Employees: 9,838
Take Note: Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. Employees can invest a portion of their income in Vanguard funds on a pre-tax (or after-tax) basis, and receive additional contributions from Vanguard. From the first day of hire, each employee is eligible to invest up to 50% of his or her base salary and any performance-related bonus into the 401(k). After one year of service, Vanguard matches the crew member's contributions dollar for dollar, up to 4 percent of eligible compensation.