Wisconsin-based Maple Ridge Farms (PPAI 114165, Gold), the No. 60 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100, scored No. 1 when it comes to Employee Happiness. This comes as no surprise, as the purveyor of tasty treats has appeared three times on our Greatest Companies To Work For list. This annual honor is based on employee responses to an online survey about benefits, culture, leadership and other factors.

For its most recent honors in 2023, Maple Ridge employees cited efficient operations, feeling well-informed about important company decisions and feeling welcome to share new ideas as hallmarks of the company’s operations. They also said the company motivates employees to do their best and offers tools and training to help them succeed, which helped the company earn its High Marks in Professional Development.

“We have actively cultivated a culture at Maple Ridge Farms that values and honors our employees, acknowledging their contributions,” said Tom Riordan, company founder, in a statement announcing the 2023 honor. “We take immense pride in our passionate and committed team, whose outstanding efforts have made this award a reality.”

Jodie Schillinger, MAS, executive vice president, called it “a rockstar moment” in the same statement. “This truly outlines the characteristics of being a Ridger in that we smile with joy, work smart, play hard and deliver excellence in all that we do.”

The company was also recognized by ASI’s Counselor magazine earlier this year as one of 2024’s Best Places to Work.

Regarding this latest recognition as tops in Employee Happiness in this year’s PPAI 100, Schillinger says the company’s core values of listening and serving drive the supportive culture at Maple Ridge Farms.

“We believe that by actively listening to our team and customers, we can ensure a level of joy that goes beyond mere satisfaction,” she says. “An element of what we do is to foster a culture of support, where all team members feel valued and heard with ‘catch-up and connects,’ open door policies and a genuine interest in their well-being.”

That culture of support is one of the guiding principles of Maple Ridge Farms, as described on the company’s “Who We Are” page, which says, “We have always believed that by putting our customers and employees first‚ success will certainly follow.”

  • The average tenure of a Maple Ridge Farms customer service associate is over 10 years.
  • Each team member receives more than 120 hours of training so they are well-versed in the details of every Maple Ridge product and service.

“Providing training and tools to understand first the industry that we work in, then how our company fits into that picture, and finally our jobs next, allows each team member to see the bigger picture,” says Schillinger.

The company also prioritizes work/life balance and invests in professional development and community involvement and give-back. “We believe that by giving back in whatever capacity we can, we not only enrich the lives of our community, but offer a sense of purpose and fulfillment to our team,” adds Schillinger. “… When a team is more concerned with overarching goals, instead of promoting themselves before the team, they tend to find broader solutions.”