Some 700 people rocked the house on Thursday at the 2019 Best Places to Work awards luncheon.

With this year’s theme focusing on the 1980s, and Phoenix rock band Radio London on hand to play hit songs from Prince and The Clash, the scene at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa had more spandex and big hair in the crowd than the set of the movie “Spinal Tap.”

The event, co-hosted by Ray Schey, market president and publisher of the Phoenix Business Journal, and Chelsey Davis from our media partner ABC15, brought together companies and organizations with as few as 10 employees and others with more than 1,000 — across every industry sector — to recognize their efforts to keep employees engaged and build a strong corporate culture.

The awards’ final ranking is based on a complex scoring system using employee feedback calculated by Quantum Workplace, the Business Journal’s longtime research partner for the event.

Besides a rundown of each winner in the five size categories based on the number of employees, other special recognition awards were presented.

The Spirit Award, presented annually to the group of employees who exemplify the event theme, went to Arizona Federal Credit Union (speaking of big hair and spandex).

Each year the event also honors an outstanding human resources executive from the region, with Jessica Lewis of Quicken Loans named the 2019 HR Rockstar. Quicken Loans also finished ranked No. 1 in the Extra-Large Company category.

Click on the photo gallery above to see some of the attendees and award presentations. And follow this link to read about this year’s award winners and finalists.

Premier sponsor for the event was Employers Council, along with supporting sponsors Desert Financial Credit Union and Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

By Greg Barr – Editor in Chief, Phoenix Business Journal