Located in Stearns County, Minnesota, St. Cloud and its surrounding areas are home to nearly 200,000 people. A short drive from the Twin Cities, St. Cloud has job opportunities for job seekers pursuing a variety of career paths.
Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), for example, started in 1955 as a two-driver trucking company. Today, ATS is proud to rank among the transportation industry’s largest companies with more than 1,200 full-time corporate and maintenance employees and 1,500 drivers.
Over the years, we’ve witnessed other local companies grow at a similar pace, drawing more talented people to the St. Cloud area.
Although we’re always looking for new team members and firmly believe that our culture, values, benefits, history, and the growth potential offered here are hard to beat, we also recognize there are other options out there — and some pretty great ones at that.
That’s why this article will list 10 of the best companies to work for in the St. Cloud area this year. We've also included some criteria you should consider when choosing your next employer to ensure you make the right decision for you.
Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of the best companies in St. Cloud. Instead, we’ve listed a group of the most prominent businesses in this area.
Top 10 Companies to Work For In The St. Cloud Area
These companies are ordered based on the year they were founded.
- Blattner Energy
- Xcel Energy
- Stearns Bank
- Bernick’s
- Coborn’s, Inc.
- Magnifi Financial Credit Union
- Park Industries
- Microbiologics
- Marco Technologies
- CentraCare
Blattner Energy
Founded Date: 1907 (became Blattner Energy in 2008)
Headquarters Location: Avon, Minnesota
Ownership: Privately held
Values: Leadership, Legacy of Learning, Character, Personal Fulfillment
Mission Statement: “We strive to be the most preferred service provider in the renewable energy construction industry and create value for each client by: delivering solutions that will result in client satisfaction and trust; through seeking to discover what barriers may exist to the attainment of their objectives; by understanding our clients’ business; and teaming with them to fulfill their desires."
Industry: Energy and Construction
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: More than 1,500
Information according to Blattner’s website
Xcel Energy
Founded Date: 1909
Headquarters Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ownership: Publicly Traded
Values: "Ensure safety for ourselves, our coworkers, and the public. Work productively and create a challenging and rewarding workplace. Treat all people with respect. Conduct all our business in an honest and ethical manner. Work together to serve our customers. Be accountable to each other for doing our best. Promote a culture of diversity and inclusion. Protect the environment. Achieve operational excellence.”
Mission Statement: “We provide our customers the safe, clean, reliable energy services they want and value at a competitive price.”
Industry: Energy and Utilities
Number of Locations: 20
Number of Employees: More than 11,000 employees
Information according to Xcel Energy’s Website
Stearns Bank
Founded Date: 1912
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Employee-owned
Values: Trailblazing Creativity, Constant Progress, Sense of Urgency, Ambitious Hard Work, Proactive Communication, Common Sense, Tenacious Pursuit of Excellence, Employee Ownership, Surpassing Expectations, Community and Family, Culture of Success, Teamwork, Integrity and Accountability, Constant Progress
Mission Statement: “We are driven by our passion to help others achieve their greatest ambitions. We get the job done with urgency, tenacity, and unlimited imagination. We are an unrivaled trailblazer, most admired for our people, our imagination, our simplicity. Business starts here and thrives here — we are the bank you can’t live without.”
Industry: Banking and Financial Services
Number of Locations: 11
Number of Employees: More than 500 employees
Information according to Stearns Bank’s website
Bernick’s
Founded Date: 1916
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Privately held
Values: Team Members and Customers, Building Long-Term Relationships, Community Involvement, Strive For Excellence
Mission Statement: “Refresh our communities by delivering the fun with quality products for every occasion."
Industry: Beverage Warehousing and Distribution
Number of Locations: 6
Number of Employees: More than 650
Information according to Bernick’s website
Coborn’s, Inc.
Founded Date: 1921
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Employee-owned
Values: Fresh, Guest Focus, Health & Nutrition, Promotional Excitement, Sustainability
Mission Statement: "To empower employee owners to create unique shopping experiences, anticipate needs, and exceed expectations for our guests."
Industry: Food and Beverage
Number of Locations: Over 100
Number of Employees: Nearly 10,000
Information according to the Coborn’s, Inc. website
Magnifi Financial Credit Union
Founded Date: 1939
Headquarters Location: Melrose, Minnesota
Ownership: Member-owned
Values: Trust, Respect, Expertise
Mission Statement: "Magnifi Financial is committed to its core values of building up our shared communities, providing financial solutions that are easy and simple, earning the trust and respect of each member through our expertise, and doing what is right for our entire membership."
Industry: Banking and Financial Services
Number of Locations: 24
Number of Employees: More than 300 employees
Information according to Magnifi Financial’s website
Park Industries
Founded Date: 1953
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Privately held
Values: Trust, Integrity, Respect
Mission Statement: "Creating outstanding experiences by providing the most dependable, high-precision manufacturing solutions that enable our customers, associates, and community to thrive.”
Industry: Steel and Stone Fabrication Machinery
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: More than 280 employees
Information according to Park Industries’ website
Microbiologics
Founded Date: 1971
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Privately held
Values: Trust, Customer Focus, Innovation, Engagement, Accountability, Winning
Mission Statement: "To provide the highest quality biomaterials for a safer, healthier world."
Industry: Biological products and services
Number of Locations: 4
Number of Employees: More than 200
Information according to Microbiologics’ website
Marco Technologies
Founded Date: 1973
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Privately held
Values: "We will act in a manner that demonstrates our commitment to doing what is right for our employees, clients, vendors, and communities."
Mission Statement: “To help our customers effectively apply technology that contributes to their success.”
Industry: Technology Services
Number of Locations: 47
Number of Employees: More than 800
Information according to Marco’s website
CentraCare
Founded Date: 1995
Headquarters Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership: Nonprofit
Values: Health and Wellbeing, Listening, Expert Clinical Care and Collaboration, Human Dignity, Smart Stewardship, Community and Relationships
Mission Statement: “Our collective mission is to serve, providing expert health care that is close to home.”
Industry: Healthcare
Number of Locations: More than 50
Number of Employees: About 11,800
Information according to CentraCare’s website
Things to Consider When Selecting an Employer
If you’re looking for a new job in the St. Cloud area, these ten companies are a great place to start. Obviously, the type of work you’re looking for will influence which businesses you explore first. Your interests will likely play a role here too.
To help you do so, here are the most essential considerations to make when analyzing and selecting which business is right for you:
- Financial stability
- Reputation
- Environmental impact
- Compensation and benefits
- Career growth and training
- Work-life balance
Let’s touch briefly on why each of these is important and what you should, ideally, be looking for.
Financial Stability
The value of working for a financially sound company is difficult to quantify. Knowing that their income stream won’t falter due to an economic downturn, or for any other reason, is comforting.
It's not unreasonable to seek a company that will be there, no matter what the world throws at it, offering you employment well into the future. Though they’re terribly inconvenient and stressful, layoffs happen. However, they occur far less frequently at financially stable companies.
Additionally, financially stable businesses can invest in their employees more substantially than companies that struggle to make ends meet. For these reasons, look for a financially stable institution, a company that grows through downturns, is constantly adding new talent, and gives back to the communities they operate in.
Reputation
Companies with a bad reputation usually struggle to offer their employees the same opportunities as more reputable organizations.
Individuals tend to steer clear of those with a bad reputation — whether it’s for service quality, trustworthiness, or otherwise.
Look for companies that are in good standing within their industry and community. Ask yourself: Does this employer seem to have high turnover? Do they generally have a reputation for treating their employees well?
Don’t overlook a potential employer’s reputation when seeking out work; in the end, this reputation (good or bad) is passed to those associated with them.
Environmental Impact
Many companies have started to take steps to monitor, assess, and improve their overall environmental impact. This strategy can take many forms. At ATS, for example, we consistently work to reduce our fleet’s emissions and strive to remain on the cutting edge of technological advancement in our industry.
Many companies have similar strategies and environmental impact goals. Ask your prospective employers about theirs.
Compensation and Benefits
Feeling like you are being properly compensated for the work you do is important. Some companies pay better than others. As a result, if you are driven by money and determined to find the job that will pay you the most, you may have to sacrifice in some other areas.
Make sure to ask each potential employer about the pay scale for the role you’re looking at. Though many make this information readily available, some don't. The last thing you need is to get through the interview process to find out the pay range is not where you need it to be.
Benefits are another thing to consider here. Often a company’s benefits affect the pay they can offer. As such, it’s important to weigh benefits and pay in tandem instead of individually. Ask each business about their benefits packages and make sure they’re offering everything you’re looking for.
Related: Understanding Your Benefits Package: What to Look For and Consider
Career Growth and Training
We all want to grow in our careers. Plenty of businesses offer people the chance to expand their skill sets and grow professionally.
It can be really frustrating to start a new job only to find years down the line that there is no opportunity to expand in your role or progress into the organization. If this is important to you, make sure your next employer lays out a path for employee growth and training before signing on.
Work-Life Balance
Some professions make achieving work-life balance a priority by giving employees avenues for achieving it, motivating them to take paid time off, and allowing them to disconnect during non-work hours. Other companies aren’t as good at this and form something of a burnout culture where work comes first and everything else falls by the wayside.
As you job hunt, it's crucial to understand what every position can offer you. Without this knowledge, you may find yourself accepting a job that doesn’t meet your expectations or needs.
Have You Considered Working in Transportation?
Any of these businesses have the potential to be the career home you’re looking for and now you know exactly what to look for during your search.
Here at ATS, we're also proud to rank among the top employers in St. Cloud.
With regional offices around the country, if you’re looking to join a growing company that values integrity, determination, responsibility, innovation, and excellence, we’re confident we have the right position for you.
However, it’s not uncommon for people to have trouble seeing themselves in the transportation industry. If you feel the same way, we get it; from the outside looking in, it can be difficult to imagine your place in such a large, complex space.
We want you to be sure when making such an important decision. Check out this article which goes over a few of the pros and cons of working in transportation. We’re willing to bet some of the advantages will surprise you.
If you would like to learn more about what working at ATS could mean for you, check out our careers page today!
