Hill, Barth & amp; King chosen as a top Ohio employer

Most of the scoring was done by employee evaluations.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- A Boardman-based accounting firm has been named one of the top employers in Ohio.
Hill, Barth & amp; King is one of 23 employers that will be recognized at a ceremony Saturday in Columbus. It is the only company based in the Mahoning Valley that's being honored, although several other winners have a local presence.
The firm's policies include a mentoring program for all employees, staff training, flexible scheduling and tuition reimbursement.
The Best Employers in Ohio 2007 competition was conducted by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Manufacturers' Education Council and the Ohio Society of Human Resource Managers. It was sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross & amp; Blue Shield.
"Our employees feel that Hill, Barth & amp; King is a great place to work," said Phillip Wilson, chief operating office.
There is no doubt about that. Three-quarters of the score is tied to employee surveys.
The rest of the score is based on the company's policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics.
Wilson said the primary reason HBK entered the contest was that it included the gathering of employee feedback. The firm's principals like to see if the policies they've put in place are effective, he said.
Human resource philosophy
Wilson said the HBK promise is at the heart of all of the firm's human resource policies. Each letter in promise stands for a value or intention: Passion. Respect for associates and their personal lives. One unified business model. Maintain close, personal relationships with clients. Integrity. Sustain continuous learning and development. Enjoy your career and life's journey.
Stemming from that promise are several policies, Wilson said.
The firm has a mentoring program that links all employees with a principal or manager. They meet quarterly but also hold informal talks as needed.
An employee task force recommended adding a second component to the program. Starting later this year, employees also will be paired with someone from their peer group.
HBK also has a formal staff training program. It recently created the position of director of training and development to make sure the program has the proper oversight.
The firm also has used flexible scheduling for a long time, but it is in the process of creating a formal policy so workers can maintain a good balance between work and home life, Wilson said. For example, the policy will allow workers to go to part-time status or work their full-time hours in four days instead of five.
The firm also pays for 50 percent of the cost for the training needed for employees to prepare for the test to become a certified public accountant.
Others with local offices
The Best Employer competition had two divisions. HBK was one of 10 winners in the category for companies with 25 to 199 employees. One of the other winners was Cohen & amp; Co., which is a Cleveland-based accounting firm that has an office in Youngstown.
HBK has 108 employees in Boardman, Youngstown, Warren and Alliance. It also has five offices in Pennsylvania, including Hermitage and Grove City, and three offices in Florida. Overall, it employs about 300 employees.
Among the winners for the larger employers were three companies with a presence in this area: Edward Jones, InfoCision Management Corp. and Sheetz.
shilling@vindy.com