South Jersey’s American Water makes Forbes list, but other big names left off

A national business publication has put several South Jersey firms on its annual list of “Best Large Employers.”

But a few of the area’s biggest firms are surprise omissions from Forbes’ tally of 600 firms.

The ranking is based on a survey of workers at U.S. firms with more than 5,000 employees.

“Survey respondents were asked to rate their employer, and if they would recommend their employer to others,” according to Forbes.

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At the top of the national list is a New Jersey firm, Novo Nordisk of Plainsboro, Middlesex County. It’s the U.S. arm of a Danish pharmaceutical company with some 55,000 workers, according to Forbes.

The next Garden State employer is Camden-based American Water, a stock-owned utility with 6,500 employees. It's ranked 52nd.

The list of 28 New Jersey employers also includes these local firms:

∎ No. 88 - TD Bank of Cherry Hill, with 28,280 workers in its U.S. market.

∎ No. 485 – NFI, a logistics firm with headquarters in Camden and 16,800 employees.

∎ No.505 - Spencer Gifts of Egg Harbor Township. The retailer employs 10,000 people.

TD Bank was “honored to be recognized for creating an inclusive and empowering environment," the company said in a statement.

And an NFI executive said its ranking reflected the firm's "core values of teamwork and integrity."

"We continue to foster a culture that supports all employees to grow personally and professionally while supporting our customers and communities," said Nancy Stefanowicz, NFI's executive vice president.

American Water's president and CEO, M. Susan Hardwick, said the firm was "extremely fortunate to have such an engaged, talented and diverse workforce, focused on building a better workplace where our people can thrive.”

Other firms on Forbes' Best Large Employers list

Garden State representatives also include two schools — Princeton University, 118, and Rutgers University, 188.

North Jersey-based employers with a presence in this area include Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, 90; NJ Transit, 178; and PSE&G, 394.

Among regional firms, the list includes Philadelphia-based Comcast, with 130,200 workers, and Urban Outfitters, with 2,300 employees.

It also names two healthcare providers based in the city, Main Line Health and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

And the list has companies based in other states but with a local presence.

These include:

∎ No. 29 - Keller Williams Realty of Texas, ranked 29th, with 187,000 employees.

∎ No. 93 - Wegmans Food Markets of New York, with 53,000 workers

∎ No. 101 - Lockheed Martin Corp. of Maryland, with 106,000 workers

The list also has many familiar names from national chains, like Chick fil-A, and The Cheesecake Factory, Lidl and Labcorp, Trader Joe's and Texas Roadhouse.

There are a few notable omissions.

A selection of 15 food and beverage producers omits Campbell Soup Co. of Camden, with 14,500 workers.

"We’re not familiar with this survey, but we don’t need a list to know Campbell's is a great place to work," said Emma Wright, a company spokeswoman.

Also missing is Wawa, the 36,000-worker convenience store chain with its base in suburban Philadelphia and locations throughout South Jersey.

But the list does include Sheetz, Wawa’s counterpart in western Pennsylvania. Sheetz has 24,000 workers and headquarters in Altoona.

And the list excludes Bayada Home Health Care of Pennsauken, although the nonprofit last year placed 20th on Forbes’ list of New Jersey top employers. It has 29,000 staffers.

Also missing: Subaru of America, the Camden-based auto distributor. Instead, the list gives 369th place to a Midwestern affiliate, Subaru Indiana-Automotive.

The reason: Subaru in Camden employs fewer than 5,000 workers and so it was not among the firms to be surveyed, a spokeswoman said. Its Indiana operation, ranked No. 369, has 6,500 employees.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Two Camden companies have spots on Forbes list of best large employers