Thanks to employee input, CEE named a 2024 Top 200 Workplace
Center for Energy and Environment has been named one of the Top 200 Workplaces in Minnesota by Star Tribune. The complete list of top companies is posted online and published in Star Tribune’s Top Workplaces special section for Sunday, June 23. Clean energy nonprofit CEE ranked 43rd among midsized employers with 150 to 499 employees.
"Happy to be working in a nonprofit setting, great flexibility, and work-life balance is the best I have ever experienced."
“In pursuit of our mission, nothing’s more important than the big, dedicated team behind CEE’s efforts,” said Chris Duffrin, CEE’s president. “Across programs and operations, it’s critical that our employees know they are heard. I’m grateful that a full 97% of CEE’s 220 staff offered frank feedback and insights through this survey. Their ratings and comments give us concrete data to strengthen our colleagues’ best job experiences while also identifying CEE’s most meaningful areas for improvement.”
Produced by the same team that compiles the 33-year-old “Star Tribune 100” report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the best companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions that measure engagement, organizational health, and satisfaction. This year’s analysis included responses from 149,176 employees in Minnesota’s public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Rankings are based on survey information collected by Energage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention.
"[CEE is a] mission-aligned company that values its employees."
In nearly all measures, CEE’s positive staff responses outpaced national nonprofit benchmarks, often by more than 10%. Among the most striking findings, 91% of surveyed staff would “highly recommend” working at CEE. Of those who completed the survey:
-
96% say CEE is guided by strong values,
-
91% believe their manager cares about their concerns,
-
90% feel confident that CEE is going in the right direction, and
-
92% report their job makes them feel part of something meaningful.
“We’ve grown to keep up with higher demands for energy savings and decarbonization in homes and businesses,” explained Stephanie Haddad, CEE’s chief operating officer. “And with each new hire, we’ve worked hard to foster transparency, a shared vision, and a staffwide sense of community. This work is ongoing, but I’m delighted that most CEE employees report feeling good about our culture, leadership, and strategic direction.”
To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Over 5,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses. Star Tribune CEO and Publisher Steve Grove said, “The companies in the Star Tribune Top 200 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.”
“I have the opportunity to try new things and bring my own ideas to the table.”
About CEE
CEE seeks a healthy, carbon-neutral economy that works for all people. A 501(c)(3) clean energy nonprofit with over 30 years' experience in energy efficiency, we align our strategies behind technical research, program development and implementation, community engagement, policy advocacy, and project financing. Working across homes, businesses, and communities, CEE discovers and deploys the most effective energy solutions to improve the environment and strengthen the economy for everyone. Online at mncee.org.