For the first time in three years, an employer other than Ent Credit Union has been named the top large workplace in Colorado Springs.

In a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to change the way they operate, a health care business, Hero Practice Services, was selected as the top workplace for employers with 300 or more employees in The Gazette’s Best Workplaces program. Hero manages dental, vision and orthodontic practices that specialize in pediatric patients. Ent, which topped the list in 2018 and 2019, finished second in the extra large employer category this year.

The three other winners all come from the real estate industry — The Cutting Edge, Realtors, repeated its 2019 win in the large employer category with 76-299 employees, Sellstate Alliance Realty & Property Management won in the midsize category with 30-76 employees and The Treasure Davis Team won in the small employer category with 10-29 employees.

“We all really need to hear about the folks who are getting it right when so much about the situations we’re facing these days feels so wrong,” said Chris Reen, president and publisher of The Gazette. “Even at six feet distance, it’s plain to see these high-performing companies and their leaders value their people and have forged a very special connection with them all. The 110 employers (honored by the program) have created an environment that nurtures this kind of everyday wellness we all crave in our workplaces.”

The Best Workplaces program is designed to be an annual free survey and workplace health analysis to identify companies, organizations and agencies that are creating strong, healthy workplace cultures. The Gazette has partnered with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC and DataJoe, a Boulder-based data collection and analysis firm, to determine the top workplaces in the Colorado Springs area since 2017. Hero operates as Academy Kids in Colorado Springs and Adventure Dental along the Front Range.

Hero was started in 2006 by Dr. Ronald Montano, using the first two letters of his wife’s first name (Heather) and the first two letters of his first name, to expand dental care to pediatric Medicaid patients. The company expanded a year later to include optometry and locations in Greeley and Wichita, Kan., and kept growing. Hero, acquired in 2015 by Silver Oak Services Partners, now operates 67 clinics in six states and employs 1,100, including more than 300 at its Colorado Springs headquarters.

Sophia Reyes, a leadership training specialist for Hero, said she was drawn to the company its benefits, pay, person time off, flexible hours, education opportunities and access to life-coach programs. Hero’s website says the company offers providers a competitive base salary plus an incentive plan, and all employees have medical, dental and vision benefits plus paid vacation and holidays and a 401(k) retirement plan.

The Cutting Edge, owned by Amy Kunce-Martinez and her husband, Gary Martinez, has grown in 2½ years to 100 agents in the Colorado Springs and Denver areas. The company brings in speakers, participates in local and national organizations and relies on mentors to contribute to its ability to be on the frontline of real estate-related trends and issues.

Sellstate is a full-service real estate and property management company founded in 2009 that was acquired 2½ years ago by Carrie Lukins and Preston Smith. The company, which has 62 employees, plans to open an office in Pueblo later this month and an office Falcon next year. Sellstate’s charity arm, COS Network, has given more than $1 million to community causes in the past 2½ years.

The Treasure Davis Team was started in 2013 and has grown to 16 people, including 11 agents. The team has donated $175,000 this year from commissions to help military personnel and Davis teaches home buying classes at Fort Carson. Davis had been an agent with Re/Max Properties in Colorado Springs before starting her own company.

The Gazette sought nominees for best workplaces beginning June 26 and by Aug. 31 received nominations from 218 private, public, nonprofit and government organizations in the Pikes Peak region. Those organizations rolled out online surveys to employees by Sept. 9. Surveys had to be completed by Sept. 23.

Employees were asked to answer 24 questions about organizational health, engagement and leadership plus other areas like work-life balance, training, pay, benefits, corporate social responsibility and the COVID-19 pandemic. They rated their employers with scores ranging from 1-7 and could also write comments on topics such as motivation, referrals of potential employees, retention, leadership, values and ethics, direction and cooperation.

Employers were required to have a response rate of at least 40% to be honored as a best workplace. Any employer with mostly negative responses was excluded. As a result of the increased participation, 110 employers were honored during a virtual event Dec. 3 as best workplaces and featured in a 44-page magazine published in today’s Gazette.