Introduction
Close Connections
2025 Winners
Meet the 2025 winners of the Southwestern Ontario's Top Employers competition. Click on any employer name below to discover our editors' detailed Reasons for Selection.
Employees from Ward & Uptigrove supporting local businesses during their lunch break in Listowel, Ont.
Introduction
Southwestern Ontario’s Top Employers feel part of the community
Dan Hurley, the president of Tatham Engineering Limited, had to complain when the town of Collingwood put in a new traffic light.
“My commute went from 10 to 11 minutes,” he joked. “I mean, our head office is based in Collingwood for a reason. We’re right next to Georgian Bay, the ski hills and mountain bike trails and we take full advantage. It connects the staff outside of work and to their community at a deeper level. It’s fundamental.”
A deep connection to the communities they serve is a defining feature of Southwestern Ontario’s Top Employers (2025), published by Mediacorp Canada. With offices throughout the 519 area, Hurley says staff are passionate about local projects because “it’s not just a transactional thing, it’s part of the community.” That extends to volunteering — each office is unique and rallies behind different causes.
“We need to appreciate how special these mid-sized communities are,” says Hurley. “It’s a privilege for us to build infrastructure here and support their growth. That’s what keeps us happy and our staff engaged.”
Emily MacRobbie, human resources manager at Ward & Uptigrove in Listowel, says clients appreciate the close connections and sense of care their small-town environment fosters.
“We’re big enough to attract and retain some of the best and brightest minds in the industry, while simultaneously being small enough that staff and clients are known on a more personal level,” says MacRobbie. “Employees really appreciate the flexibility the firm offers, such as work location (in office or hybrid) and hours of work arrangements. We keep a pulse on what’s happening and make sure we remain competitive with things like paid time off and flexible health benefits.”
What Miovision Technologies Inc. appreciates most about Kitchener-Waterloo is access to talent.
“We regularly host co-ops from Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo and those relationships help us recruit really talented people,” says Jill Jutzi, vice president, people operations. “The Region of Waterloo is also a place with a critical mass of fast-growing, innovative companies, so elements a company needs to grow — whether that’s access to capital, professional services or innovative customers — are available. That’s helped us scale from a handful of people to over 400.”
– Diane Jermyn
Methodology
Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in the approximate region between Lake Huron/Georgian Bay and Lake Erie (excluding the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara) is eligible to apply for Southwestern Ontario's Top Employers. With a diverse mix of industries fostering innovation and growth, employers have a strong motivation to ensure their benefits remain competitive to attract the region’s top talent.
To determine competition winners, employers are compared to organizations in similar industries and of similar size. Employers are evaluated on eight selection criteria, which are: (1) Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement.
While the underlying criteria have remained consistent since the project’s inception, areas of review have expanded and evolved with the advent of new programs and policies. Examples include workplace safety, hybrid and remote work options, and health and wellness.
Now in its second year, Southwestern Ontario's Top Employers represent a vast array of organizations across various business models and professions, many with deep, historical ties to the region.
– Sonja Verpoort
Located on the University of Waterloo's campus, OpenText helps employees improve their skills with tuition subsidies (to $3,000 annually), plus in-house and online training options.
Apply
If you are an exceptional employer with progressive HR programs and policies, consider applying for next year's edition of Southwestern Ontario's Top Employers. Now entering its 26th year, our project is the nation's longest-running editorial competition. Applications for 2026 open in February. Join our mailing list for more info.
