Glacial Ridge Health System in Glenwood has been named one of the Star Tribune’s 2019 Top 150 Workplaces. Glacial Ridge Health System (GRHS) was second among 50 midsize companies on the list!

Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive Minnesota companies based on employee responses measuring engagement, organizational health, and satisfaction. The analysis included feedback from over 140,000 employees at a record number of public, private and nonprofit organizations in Minnesota. Over 2,000 businesses were invited to participate, and GRHS was among the top 7% of those companies to make the list.

Ivan Fossen, lifetime resident and long-term hospital board member, said, “I’m always bragging to community members about the work being done at Glacial Ridge. We have the most skilled medical staff and everyone there is kind, caring, and they make people feel good when they leave.” Fossen adds, “People rave about the compassionate care they got. They are impressed that everyone at Glacial Ridge is truly happy and treats them so kindly. I experience it when my family and I need care, and it makes me proud to constantly hear wonderful stories from others.”

Fossen also stated, “Our community is so blessed and fortunate to be hiring and keeping the best staff, doctors, and providers that fit with the culture of heartfelt care. The growth has always been because of the people.” Glacial Ridge has experienced significant growth even in the past 5-10 years when many independent hospitals and health systems were shrinking or merging with larger systems.

In addition to hiring the right people, Fossen pointed out that GRHS invests in high-tech equipment to increase the capabilities of their doctors and staff.

CEO Kirk Stensrud explained the culture, “It’s always been about our team and who our managers hire, encourage, trust, and appreciate that makes it a great place to be. We hire for attitude.” He continued, “I’ve always believed that as long as a person has the necessary skills, you can train further and they’ll do well, but it’s hard to teach or change one’s attitude. If a person is only motivated by a paycheck or doesn’t have a positive mindset, they won’t fit our culture or be happy here – so we wait until we find the right people to fill our open positions.”

In addition to the latest accolade from Top Workplaces, Glacial Ridge has maintained a 5 Star Rating for Patient Experience by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for several years. In the annual employee survey by an independent vendor, 99% of staff strongly agree or agree that they would recommend Glacial Ridge Health System as a great place to work.

“People say you can just feel it when you walk in the door – it’s a welcoming place and they feel good to be here,” said Stensrud. “It’s a result of employees feeling valued and that what they do matters because they hear it from co-workers, patients, and visitors. We have 360 employees now so to maintain the culture of heartfelt care and the level of respect, trust, and friendliness with a growing team is phenomenal.”

Michael J. Klingensmith, publisher of the Star Tribune, said, “The companies in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota.” A complete list of companies selected is available at Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces.

To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Rankings were composite scores calculated by the Energage survey company purely on the basis of employee responses.