Photo Credit: Frederick News Post. Winners shown from left to right are Vaughn Thurman, Swift Systems;
Karen Smith, St. John Regional Catholic School; Nick Damoulakis, Orases;
Pat Fitch, Battelle National Biodefense Institute; Major General Joseph Caravalho Jr., Fort Detrick;
Michael Shollenberg, Regent Education; Lisa Shuster, iHire.com and Shawn Pierce, Experient.
The awards are hosted annually at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center through a county-wide partnership between local Frederick businesses, government and county community residents. Frederick County Workforce Services sponsors the event, along with Frederick County Chamber of Commerce and the Offices of Business Development and Retention.
The Frederick County Maryland Best Places to Work campaign began in late February when employees of Frederick businesses were asked to nominate their organization based on employee satisfaction including benefits, vacation, professional development, salary and work/life balance. “This is a true honor for our team. We continually strive to maintain a fun, healthy and successful working environment. This award represents one of our greatest accomplishments in our 14-year tenure. I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have,” says President Nick Damoulakis. Orases was named Best Medium-Sized Business in Frederick for their ability to accommodate employee interests, development, initiatives and team-building exercises including:
- Generous paid time-off
- Flexible work schedules
- Healthy living initiatives that include Team Fitness Challenges and healthy snack options
- Sponsored off-site passion events
- Monthly happy hours
- Comfortable and relaxed work environment including ergonomic standing desk options
- Professional development opportunities and certifications
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Company cell phone program
- “Family first” philosophy
- Registered Green Maryland Company
- Employee input on major decisions
- Annual Cookouts
