Top workplaces, small: 1. Hosts Las Vegas

It’s a company that may fly under the radar of residents, but when it comes to its Las Vegas employees, it’s THE place to work.

Hosts Las Vegas, which handles corporate meeting event planning, earned the top spot among businesses under 150 employees as the best place to work in the valley.

“It’s superexciting for us,” says Joshua Jones, the company’s vice president. “I think it’s a nice recognition for a culture we worked hard to create. It’s a celebration of all of our team here at Hosts.”

Hosts Las Vegas, which started in 1978, is headquartered in Las Vegas and has 47 offices worldwide, handles corporate meeting event planning. When convention groups, trade shows and companies hold meetings in Las Vegas, Hosts handles ground transportation, entertainment, food and beverage needs, tours and other activities.

“I think it starts from the top,” Jones says. “Our mission statement is to be a company people want to work for. We have a culture that strongly believes in a work-life balance. We encourage people and give them the tools to help them, whatever their goals are. We find out what motivates them because not everybody is motivated by the same thing.”

Jones says the company does a lot of cross-training of employees so they can handle each other’s jobs. That enables co-workers to fill in when their colleagues need to take off so they don’t miss the important events happening in their lives, he says.

“We try to have a lot of fun, and we celebrate a lot,” Jones says. “We have an hour of fun, like wine-tasting, games and yoga. We have a giant living room in our office that serves as a gathering place that the office is built around. It’s a place to collaborate and brain storm, and it’s a place to step away from work.”

Jones credits an incredible leadership team that makes decisions about not only what’s right for the company but the employees. It’s not about the bottom line, and it’s vital to create a great environment where people stay a long time.

“There’s a lot of turnover in this industry, and we hire people that want the ideal workplace for them where they can be taught and trained,” Jones says. “For us, the most flattering thing we hear from applicants is they don’t care what their role or title is, they just want to be part of the company.”

Employees echo that.

Some talk about how they work with people they consider friends first.

“I work with people I care about and love,” one employee says. “We all have a common passion to make every event flawless and the feeling we all get at the end of a successful event is priceless.”

Another calls the company culture fabulous because it allows for creativity, growth, camaraderie and happiness. Many blend their work and personal lives because they are friends outside the office, one says.

“We create happiness and are empowered on a daily basis,” another employee says. “There’s something very special about Hosts and its culture. Our management team believes in work and family balance and supports each and every one of us in all areas. We are not co-workers. We’re family and I love being a part of each and every moment. I’m very blessed.”

As for how Las Vegas companies can become a top workplace like Hosts, Jones says his advice is for executives to listen to employees. Most of the best ideas don’t come from the top but from employees of all backgrounds and positions, he says.