Top Workplaces 2024 honors 73 companies among the best in Knoxville and East Tennessee

Ryan Wilusz, Knoxville News Sentinel
·5 min read

When you're employed by a Top Workplace, you know it, whether it's culture, benefits packages or leadership that set your company apart.

For the past eight years, in partnership with survey firm Energage, Knox News has surveyed employees across East Tennessee about what makes their workplace special. This year, more than 26,000 employees responded.

Based on analysis of those responses, 73 of the 91 companies we surveyed were honored at The Mill & Mine in downtown Knoxville on July 24 for contributions to their employees and communities.

Check out all the winners below, including those who took first place in the large, midsize and small categories, as well as specialty award winners in leadership, training, communication and more.

Top Workplaces winners in large, midsize and small categories

Large Winner - Axle Logistics

Axle Logistics employees work at the company's Broadway headquarters on April 25.
Axle Logistics employees work at the company's Broadway headquarters on April 25.

Self-dubbed "Knoxville's rocket ship," Axle Logistics is growing at an arguably absurd rate, largely due to its ability to attract and retain talent. Pair this with a pride for company culture, and you have your Top Workplaces 2024 winner in the large company category.

Full story: Axle Logistics is empowering employees as it shoots for the moon

Midsize Winner - Pinnacle Financial Partners

Missy Wallen, Pinnacle Financial Partners' Knoxville chairman, sits in the boardroom of the company's Northshore Drive offices on May 15.
Missy Wallen, Pinnacle Financial Partners' Knoxville chairman, sits in the boardroom of the company's Northshore Drive offices on May 15.

Most bankers at Pinnacle Financial Partners used to work at bigger banks. In the industry, that means they often dreaded going to work. But at Pinnacle, which hires experienced bankers who work as a team, that's not a concern.

Full story: Pinnacle Financial Partners' all-star team makes banking fun again

Small Winner - Tennessee Standard Plumbing

Jacob Wiser unloads equipment at the Tennessee Standard Plumbing headquarters on May 29.
Jacob Wiser unloads equipment at the Tennessee Standard Plumbing headquarters on May 29.

Kelton Balka started Tennessee Standard Plumbing with just one other employee and a truck. Though operations began in early 2020, Balka had years of experience in the plumbing business and a finance degree under his belt. In just a few years, Balka's company has grown to 36 employees and 15 trucks, along with an office building and plans to expand

Full story: Tennessee Standard Plumbing is 'a developer of people'

Full list of Top Workplaces recipients and specialty awards

Of course, 1st place isn't everything. Many Knoxville companies beyond those that placed first received the prestigious recognition of being designated a Top Workplace.

Check out these special awards and the full list of recipients from each company category:

Specialty Awards

  • Appreciation Award (I feel genuinely appreciated at this company): SmartBank

  • Benefits Award (My benefits package is good compared to others in this industry): McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and Interior Designers

  • Clued in Senior Management Award (Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company): CENTURY 21 Legacy

  • Communication Award (I feel well-informed about important decisions at this company): Design Innovation Architects

  • Direction Award (I believe this company is going in the right direction): Axle Logistics

  • Doers Award (At this company, we do things efficiently and well): Brother Wolf & Osteria Stella

  • Leadership Award (I have confidence in the leader of this company): Dr. Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools; Marty Brown, PYA; Jennifer Yearack, RCN Technologies

  • Managers Award (My manager helps me learn and grow): Harmony Family Center

  • Meaningfulness Award (My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful): KARM Stores

  • New Ideas Award (New ideas are encouraged at this company): Tennessee Standard Plumbing

  • Social Responsibility Award (My employer is socially responsible in the community): Allevia Technology

  • Training Award (I get the formal training I want for my career): Sidekick Therapy Partners

  • Values Award (This company operates by strong values): Coulter & Justus, PC

  • Work/Life Flexibility Award (I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life): Edfinancial Services

  • Winners from all eight years: Coulter & Justus, PC; First Horizon; Harper Auto Square, Kramer Rayson LLP; LBMC; Pinnacle Financial Partners; Smartbank; The Trust Company of Tennessee

  • First-year winners: Abercrombie Radiology; AESSEAL, Inc.; Allevia Technology; Bluemont Group; Brother Wolf & Osteria Stella; Century 21 Legacy; Design Innovation Architects; Finish Point Trim and Millwork; Hilton Grand Vacations Inc.; Jupiter Entertainment Inc.; KARM Stores; MS Technology, Inc.; Nisus Corporation; Positively Living & Choice Health Network; Scott's Hotrods 'n Customs; Smoky Mountain Resorts/Collier Development; Tennessee Standard Plumbing; Wallace Real Estate; Y-12 Credit Union

Large Category Recipients

  • First place: Axle Logistics

  • Second place: Oak Ridge Schools

  • Third place: Edfinancial Services

In alphabetical order:

  • Dollywood Parks & Resorts

  • First Horizon

  • KARM Stores

  • Pilot Company

  • 21st Mortgage Corporation

  • UCOR

Midsize Category Recipients

  • First place: Pinnacle Financial Partners

  • Second place: Harmony Family Center

  • Third place: CENTURY 21 Legacy

In alphabetical order:

  • AESSEAL, Inc.

  • Bluemont Group

  • CGI

  • Harper Auto Square

  • Hilton Grand Vacations Inc.

  • Jupiter Entertainment Inc.

  • Mortgage Investors Group

  • Panda Restaurant Group

  • Pipe Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Inc.

  • PYA

  • Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services

  • Sidekick Therapy Partners

  • SmartBank

  • Smoky Mountain Resorts/Collier Development

  • Top Concepts

  • Total Quality Logistics - TQL

  • Wallace Real Estate

  • Y-12 Credit Union

Small Category Recipients

  • First place: Tennessee Standard Plumbing

  • Second place: Design Innovation Architects

  • Third place: Kramer Rayson LLP

In alphabetical order:

  • '58 Foundations

  • Abercrombie Radiology

  • Allevia Technology

  • Arrow Exterminators, Inc

  • AtWork Group

  • Baldwin Risk Partners

  • Brother Wolf & Osteria Stella

  • CBIZ

  • Centriworks

  • ChoiceSpine LLC

  • Coulter & Justus, PC

  • Elo Touch Solutions, Inc

  • ERISA Services, Inc.

  • Executive Building Solutions, Inc

  • F.E. Trainer Construction

  • Finish Point Trim and Millwork

  • Freeman Webb Company Realtors

  • FourSeasons, Incorporated

  • GEM Technologies, Inc.

  • Gresham Smith

  • The Kendall Group

  • LBMC

  • Maple Hall / Babalu

  • McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and Interior Designers

  • MS Technology, Inc.

  • Nisus Corporation

  • Novinger Ball & Zivi, P.C.

  • PCS

  • Positively Living & Choice Health Network

  • Pugh CPAs

  • Rand Property Management

  • Rather & Kittrell, Inc. and TN Pension Admin. (RK Holdings)

  • RCN Technologies

  • Realty Executives Associates

  • Scott's Hotrods 'n Customs

  • Second Harvest Food Bank of East TN

  • Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury

  • TIS Insurance Services, Inc.

  • The Trust Company of Tennessee

  • West Shore Home

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Top Workplaces 2024 honors best companies in Knoxville, East Tennessee