Wayzata-Based Hammer Residences Named to Star Tribune's 'Top 100 Workplaces'

Hammer Residences, Inc., a 90-year-old nonprofit serving adults and children with developmental disabilities throughout the Twin Cities, has been named to the Top 100 Workplaces in Minnesota for the fourth consecutive year based on an employee-based survey from the Star Tribune. 

The Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section was published on Sunday, June 16.

Produced by the same team that compiles the 22-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions about organizational health, job expectations and employee engagement. The analysis included responses from over 64,300 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations. 

Nearly 1,900 organizations were invited to participate in the survey. 

Hammer Residences was ranked 18th in the midsize company listing.

“This honor, four years running, is strong validation from our employees of Hammer’s leadership, company mission and collaborative culture,” said CEO John Estrem. “The core of our success has always been our people and this achievement demonstrates our collective belief in our mission to provide adults and children with developmental disabilities the opportunity to experience life to its fullest.”

Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, “The companies in the Star Tribune Top 100 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.”

Since opening its doors in 1923, Hammer has helped thousands of adults and children with developmental disabilities experience life to its fullest. Founder Alvina Hammer believed that individuals with disabilities had the right to lead full lives in a loving atmosphere where they would feel secure and develop self-confidence. 

At the time of its founding, Hammer was one of only two Minnesota organizations at that time to offer people with disabilities the opportunity to thrive in a school and home setting. Today, Hammer Residences, Inc. provides residential and customized support services, including In-Home Support; Support Planning; Case Management; and Medica Care Coordination to nearly 1,200 people throughout the Twin Cities. 

For more information, please visit www.hammer.org. To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. 

Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses.