Is Your Company One of Orange County’s Best Places to Work?
We want to hear from you.
The Orange County Business Journal is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Best Places to Work ranking—our highly anticipated annual report recognizing the region’s most exceptional employers. This year’s list will be published in the July 13, 2026 edition as part of a comprehensive Special Report, consistently one of our most-read issues of the year.
Why Participate?
Earning a place on the list brings recognition that matters. Companies selected join a distinguished group of employers celebrated for outstanding workplace culture, employee satisfaction, recruitment, and retention.
Participation offers several advantages:
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A morale boost for current employees
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A valuable recruitment tool for attracting top talent
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Positive visibility among clients, customers, vendors, bankers, and community peers
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Credibility as an employer committed to supporting and engaging its workforce
All types of Orange County employers are encouraged to participate—including locally headquartered companies, divisions of national or international corporations, banks, professional services firms, nonprofits, hospitals, universities, and government entities.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, employers must:
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Have at least 15 full- or part-time employees in Orange County
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Have been in operation for at least one year
Companies will be evaluated and ranked in the following size categories:
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Small: 15 – 49 U.S. employees
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Midsize: 50 – 249 U.S. employees
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Large: 250+ U.S. employees
How It Works
Participating employers complete a two-part survey process consisting of:
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Employer Questionnaire
Management provides information on organizational policies, benefits, practices, and demographics. -
Employee Engagement Survey
Employees share candid feedback about their experiences, satisfaction, and workplace culture.
Employee email contact information is required for distribution of the survey. All responses are completely confidential and will not be shared with third parties.
The final published list includes only basic employment and benefits information, along with general employer profiles. Comments and detailed survey data remain private. Companies that participate but do not make the final list will not be identified publicly.
Cost
There is no fee to participate.
A small charge applies only to companies that elect to use paper surveys instead of electronic formats.
Submit Your Company
Learn more and begin the nomination process at:
www.bestplacestoworkorangecounty.com
Showcase your organization’s commitment to building an exceptional workplace—and see how you compare to Orange County’s most admired employers.
Workforce Research Group
The Business Journal is working with Houston-based Workforce Research Group on the development of our list.
Peter Burke, founder of Workforce Research, has nearly 21 years of experience managing this program for other business publications and magazines across the country, and has a track record that meets the standards of the Business Journal.
Survey results, if desired, are available for purchase from Workforce Research Group.
We’ll solicit employers to be surveyed through March 6, 2026. Employers and employees will be queried in the following weeks.
A timeline with all of the 2026 Best Places deadlines is available at www.bestplacestoworkorangecounty.com.
Contacts
For more information, contact Desmond Celo at celo@ocbj.com.
You can also get more details from Megan Burns of Workforce Research Group at (281) 602-5006 or mburns@workforcerg.com.
Go to www.bestplacestoworkorangecounty.com and nominate your company today!
Registration Deadline: March 6, 2026