WESLEY CHAPEL, FLA. — Ten companies have earned recognition as a "best place to work" in Plastics News' inaugural awards program designed to identify and honor the U.S. and Canadian plastics industry's best employers.

The Top 10 ranking was revealed on Feb. 24 at the Plastics News Executive Forum in Wesley Chapel. The companies, starting with the No. 1-ranked firm, through No. 10, were:

• Micro Mold Co. Inc. of Erie, Pa. (mold maker).

• Plastikos Inc. of Erie, Pa. (injection molder).

• Techmer PM LLC of Clinton, Tenn. (compounder).

• Reschcor of Elkhart, Ind. (profile extruder).

• Extreme Tool & Engineering Inc. of Wakefield, Mich. (mold maker).

• B&B Molders LLC of Mishawaka, Ind. (injection molder).

• Team 1 Plastics Inc. of Albion, Mich. (injection molder).

• Forecast 3D of Carlsbad, Calif. (prototype tooling and custom short-run parts).

• Plastic Components Inc. of Germantown, Wis. (injection molder).

• Niagara Bottling of Ontario, Calif. (blow molder).

The following types of companies were eligible to enter: plastics processors of any type, plastics recyclers, compounders, and tool or mold makers with at least 15 employees in the United States or Canada. Entrants must have been in business for at least one year and must derive at least half of their income from plastics operations.

Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group, which oversees dozens of such programs across North America and beyond, independently manages all aspects of the project. BCG gathers the information and does the judging using an extensive, proven set of criteria. It solicits employee and management input via very detailed, separate surveys. The employer survey responses count for 25 percent of the grading, and the employee feedback accounts for 75 percent.

No one sees those employee survey results except the firm's senior management. This allows management to obtain the honest, anonymous feedback from their employees after the survey closes. Firms pay nothing to participate. BCG compiles and assesses information on subjects such as leadership and planning; corporate culture and communication; role satisfaction; work environment; relationship between employee and supervisor; training and development; and pay and benefits.

All 10 of the winning companies will be profiled in Plastics News' March 17 issue.