NEW ORLEANS – June 29, 2009 –  Badger Mining Corporation has been recognized as the number one best small company to work for in America by the Society for Human Resource  Management (SHRM) and the Great Place to Work Institute, Inc. (GPTW).  Winners were announced on June 29, 2009 at SHRM’s 61st Annual Conference in New Orleans, the largest gathering of HR professionals in the world.

SHRM and GPTW have revealed the nation’s top 25 small and top 25 medium-sized employers for the last six years.

Michael Hess, CEO of Badger Mining Corporation was in attendance in New Orleans and accepted the award on behalf of all BMC Associates.  Mike said the family owned company’s success is “due to attracting and retaining skilled workers.  BMC’s flexible benefits and work hours, the 401(k) plan, and safety and wellness programs are all tools we use to motivate and reward associates.”

Pictured left to right: Linda Arzt, Jodi Wellhoefer, Julie Hess, Mike Hess, Beth Nighbor, and Robb Van Cleave SHRM Board Chair.
Click on the link below to see the complete list.
http://www.greatplacetowork.com/best/list-sme-2009.htm

Hundreds of companies across the United States submitted entries in the very detailed and competitive analysis conducted by GPTW.  The rankings are primarily determined from employee opinion surveys that analyze an organization’s workplace culture. Employee-survey responses count for two-thirds of an organization’s score.  The evaluation process also includes the assessment of organization practices and perspectives from the leadership team, which accounted for one-third of the group’s score.  

Badger Mining has appeared on the top 25 list all four years it has participated.  They debuted at number one in 2006, repeated in 2007, placed 2nd in 2008 and regained the number one position in 2009.  This is a true testament to BMC’s hard-working and dedicated associates and the family-centric culture BMC lives by.

Full coverage of the award ceremony and other details are available at http://www.shrm.org/.  The organizations will also be listed at http://www.greatplacetoworkinstitute.com/ and http://www.cnnmoney.com/.

About the Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. Visit SHRM Online at http://www.shrm.org/.

About Great Place to Work Institute, Inc.
The Great Place to Work Institute, Inc. is an international research and consulting firm dedicated to building great workplaces.  The Institute uses its employee survey and assessment process to select the companies appearing on the annual “Society for Human Resource Management 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America” list and “FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For” list.  In addition to its global headquarters in San Francisco, it has 29 affiliates in countries throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia.