Award-winning workforce innovation in Fort Worth
2025 Fort Worth Innovator Awards
2025 Policy Innovator
“As a family-owned company, our people are truly the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re committed to offering a comprehensive suite of benefits that are impactful for our employees, especially for our working parents. This means building strong partnerships with our providers and regularly re-evaluating our offerings to ensure all employees and their loved ones can receive the best possible care. Family-friendly policies aren’t just the right thing to do – they’re an investment in our people, our culture, and our longer-term success.”
Sunitha Vegerla
General Manager
2025 Family Resource Innovator
"The Ashton Depot implements family-friendly policies because all of our success can be traced to one thing: happy staff. Our formula is simple; when our employees feel valued and cared for, our customers feel valued and cared for.”
Ashlee Johnson
CEO
2025 Events Innovator
“BNSF strives to be a company that supports working parents through its employee programs, benefits, and overall work environment. We will continue to pursue opportunities to be an inclusive employer that understands and appreciates the unique needs of every family."
Judy Carter
SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer
Previous Fort Worth Innovator Award Winners
2024 Policy Innovator
“Investing in work-life balance is not just a benefit for our employees—it's a cornerstone of our success. When our team feels supported in their personal lives, they bring their best selves to work.”
Jason Harvison
CEO
2024 Family Resource Innovator
"We believe a career is a tangible way to share your talents and gifts with the world. A career is a part of your life’s journey – it should be something you are proud of, something that supports you along the way, and most importantly, something that is aligned with your values and goals in life. Businesses like ours have the responsibility and privilege to be change agents, transforming social paradigms, modeling ethical practices, and fostering a family-friendly culture that benefits us all."
Jessica Miller Essl
Co-Founder
2024 Events Innovator
"At Trademark, we believe that supporting working parents is essential to enhancing the well-being of our team members. This award reflects our dedication to fostering a work environment where parents can thrive, both personally and professionally, and we're honored to be recognized for our efforts in implementing family-friendly practices."
Terry Montesi
Founder & CEO
2023 Policy Innovator
“At Apex, we prioritize people and believe that nurturing happy parents leads to a more engaged workforce. Our inclusive culture emphasizes flexibility with options like remote work and flexible hours to empower parents. We offer tailored benefits, including parental leave and counseling services. Beyond policies, we foster community through events like our annual Family Picnic at the Fort Worth Zoo. As a leader in parent-friendly workplaces, we're dedicated to nurturing work-life harmony for all.”
Sarah King
Senior Health & Wellbeing Manager
2023 Family Resource Innovator
“Our team members bring purpose and passion to work each day. As they balance the complexities of life, we want to make it easier for them to truly live well at home, at work and in their communities—and our comprehensive wellbeing offerings are designed to do just that.”
Charles Williams
President of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth
2023 Events Innovator
“Providing a parent-friendly workplace is more than an annual goal at Balcom – it’s backed by a 30-year history as an advertising and branding agency built on caring for employees and clients openly and intentionally. We welcome the need for flexibility in a modern age, help our people make life work well for their families and throw some great family-friendly events annually to celebrate our larger B community. We couldn’t be more proud of how our agency supports from within, and our retention rate shows that what we’re doing resonates well with parents and their peers.”
Ashley Freer
Principal, Group Director and Strategist
2022 Events Innovator
"We believe in supporting the health and well-being of our employees and their families because when our employees thrive, our business thrives.”
Lonnie Nicholson
President & CEO
2022 Policy Innovator
“We want our employees to bring their best to work, and that means recognizing and respecting each team member’s ability to build their own schedule that fits their (and their family’s) unique needs. Family-friendly is core to our culture – and to our success.”
Ken Schaefer
President & CEO
2022 Family Resource Innovator
"Our policies reflect our priorities. We are proud to support and empower our people, so they are able to meaningfully contribute not just to the workplace, but at home in their personal lives, and in our community."
Rusty Reid
President & CEO
2022 Micro Business Innovator
"We seek to help our employees feel supported and welcomed every day, but especially during the critical transition into new parenthood. We appreciate how hard they work for us, and we want to show them that appreciation during what can be a particularly challenging time balancing home and work responsibilities.”
Benson Varghese
Managing Partner
2021 Events Innovator
“We have worked to build a name that is synonymous with excellence in construction projects and services. Like a connected family, we work hard to tangibly rejoice and support our employees regardless of the challenges and successes that life brings with it!”
Matthew Avila
CEO
2021 Resource Innovator
"We know that providing our employees and their families with comprehensive benefits, wellness programs, and robust resources is one of the keys to our long-term success. Supporting working parents is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do to be an employer of choice in an ever-changing competitive environment.”
Sean Donohue
CEO
2021 Policy Innovator
"We believe in promoting a diverse workforce and a workplace in which our team members are able to achieve work/life harmony. We are constantly looking for ways to innovate and develop new policies and benefits that fully support all of our team members and thus we were quickly able to assist when the pandemic occurred.”
Mark G. Nurdin
CEO & EVP
2020 Small Business Innovator
2020 Family Resource Innovator
2020 Events Innovator
2020 Policy Innovator
