Press Release 2011.08.16

Bainbridge Island, 8/16/2011  – IslandWood today was named to Outside Magazine’s fourth annual “Best Places to Work” list. IslandWood was ranked No. 18 out of 50 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the September issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands August 16, 2011.

IslandWood is a nationally recognized outdoor education facility located on Bainbridge Island, Washington. IslandWood's mission is to provide exceptional learning experiences and to inspire lifelong environmental and community stewardship. Each year, more than 17,000 adults and children come to IslandWood’s private 255-acre campus for nature-oriented school and graduate programs, camps and community programs, and retreats and celebrations.

Outside’s “Best Places to Work” project celebrates the innovative companies setting a new standard for a healthy work-life balance. The list was compiled with the help of the Outdoor Industry Association and Best Companies Group. The yearlong selection process began with an outreach effort that identified a wide range of non-profit and for-profit organizations with at least 15 employees working in the United States. Participating companies were then sent confidential employee-satisfaction surveys and employer-questionnaires to collect information about benefits, compensation, policies, job satisfaction, environmental initiatives, and community outreach programs.

“As a nonprofit entering its tenth year of operations on a growth spurt, being recognized alongside so many of the national leaders in outdoor recreation like Patagonia, Eddie Bauer, and NOLS is affirmation not just for IslandWood, but for the entire field of environmental education,” says Ben Klasky, IslandWood’s Executive Director. “We look forward to sharing this honor with everyone who has helped us connect more than 30,000 kids with nature since 2002.”

All of the results were analyzed by Best Companies Group experts, who selected the 50 companies that strive to enhance their employees’ enjoyment of active endeavors, and environmental and social involvement.

“These 50 companies are successful precisely because they support a proper work-life balance,” says Michael Roberts, Executive Editor of Outside. “Happy workers that feel part of a active community are guaranteed to be more engaged and productive. And the companies on our list are offering amazing benefits: organic cafeterias, on-site fitness classes, reimbursements for gym memberships and ski passes, opportunities for on-the-clock community service, and much more.”

Executive Assistant Cristina Butler recalls her discovery of IslandWood two years ago. “I was working in the hospitality industry in Colorado,” says Butler. “I took a public site tour and I knew immediately that I wanted in.  A couple of weeks later I was volunteering on campus; a couple months after that I was hired as a part-time employee, and the rest is magic.”