Announcing the Best Places to Work 2026
With the addition of a new category, even more companies make the cut to be considered The Best
By Dori Grinder
May 2026
The results are in for Biz 417's sixth annual Best Places to Work contest. As chosen by Best Companies Group, we've identified local organizations that are winning at the workplace culture game. For 2026, we added a new employer category to better reflect the business community and honor more 417-land employers who meet the mark. We now have three categories based on the number of employees. With the addition of workplaces with as few as 10 employees, the categories shift to include a mid-size employer group. We are thrilled to have seen a large jump in the number of companies choosing to participate in the 2026 survey.
The Best Places to Work honorees are divided into three categories based on the number of employees: small employers, mid-size employers and large employers.
Biz 417's Best Places to Work of 2026
Businesses are listed in alphabetical order within each category.
Top Small Employers (10–50 employees in the United States)
417 Integrative Medicine
Achieving Your Best
ADSmith Marketing & Advertising
Barnabas Foundation
Cantrell Real Estate
Duckett Ladd Advisors, LLC
Erica Lea Design Studios
Graddy Real Estate
Paragon Architecture
Unique Tile
Top Mid-Size Employers (51–149 employees in the United States)
Abacus!
Barker Phillips Jackson
J&L Contracting LLC
JMARK
Keep Supply
Kinetic Design + Development
Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors
Phelps County Bank
West Plains Bank and Trust Company
Williams Construction Company
Top Large Employers* (150+ employees in the United States)
Abilities First
Arvest Bank
Emery Sapp & Sons
First Residential Independent Mortgage
Holloway America
Jack Henry
OMB Bank
Summit Natural Gas of Missouri
Toth & Associates, Inc.
*Please note that only nine employers made the cut to be recognized. We had several more applicants in this category that did not qualify.
Best Places to Work Celebration
The exact rankings will be revealed on Wednesday, September 2, at the Biz 417 Best Places to Work Celebration presented by Grooms Office Environments. This event is likely one of the most raucous business luncheons you will ever attend as team spirit leads the way, with a healthy sense of friendly competition complete with foam fingers and noisemakers.
Read About the Winners' Rankings
Curious to learn how these businesses earn high marks from their employees? In the September/October issue of Biz 417, we'll unpack the reasons for their workplace awesomeness. You'll learn more about the qualities, perks and processes that earn them the right to be celebrated.
How the Results Were Determined
The Best Places to Work survey process is managed by Best Companies Group (BCG), an independent workplace excellence research firm. The assessment process consisted of two parts. In part one, BCG collected information about each employer's benefits, policies, practices and other general information. Part two involved a confidential survey of employees, which was used to evaluate workplace experiences and culture. The combined data allowed the experts at BCG to conduct an in-depth analysis and determine the winners.