Employees participate in the annual Tour DaVita, a 250-mile bike ride led by CEO Kent Thiry.

DaVita

In DaVita office-speak, this kidney treatment center isn't "a company." It's "a village." As in, it takes a village to provide quality care. With headquarters in Colorado and a presence in some 700 hospitals and more than 1500 dialysis facilities across the country, the administrative staffers in the Tacoma offices consider themselves essential components in helping people with kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. The company even has a "mayor" -- "Mayor" and CEO Kent Thiry, under whose leadership "teammates" are continually inspired to better themselves both personally and professionally through the company's award-winning training programs. "This company invests so much in their employees to help them succeed," one worker says. "If you enjoy your job, you do a better job."

When DaVita chose to stay in Tacoma after outgrowing its offices earlier this year, rather than relocate to Seattle or elsewhere, it scored huge points from its nearly 900 local workers. It also won the admiration of an even bigger village -- the mayor of Tacoma presented the company with the key to the city, declaring August 10 "DaVita Day."

Other top finalists*

• Columbia Bank
• Fort Lewis
• H&R Block
• Milgard
• MultiCare
• Pacific Lutheran University
• Pierce Transit
• Russell Investments
• St. Joseph Medical Center

*Listed in alphabetical order