Detail from the company's annual Thanksgiving card.

Sterling Reference Laboratories

When the four co-owners of this small Tacoma toxicology lab bought the floundering business seven years ago, they cashed in their 401(k)s and refinanced their homes in order to keep it afloat and managed to save 50 jobs. When they didn't have the kind of cash to offer bonuses in the early days, the owners rolled up their sleeves and washed their employees' cars, making sure to show their appreciation in whatever way they could. Those are the kind of ethics that inspire one employee to tell us, "It's great working for a company that truly cares about their employees." Now the company has 85 lab workers and administrative staff, and it has even added jobs in the down economy. Workers appreciate a culture of flexibility and mobility, with a strong on-the-job training program that makes sure staff are always being challenged and advanced to their full potential.

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