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At Namast Solar, nothing is more important than the idea of workplace democracy. Why democracy? Blake Jones is a longtime student of inequity.

%excerpt% See the article here: Giving Us a Sweet Break From a Stressful World

Foodie and former dotcom entrepreneur Sharelle Klaus was frustrated with her nonalcoholic drink options in fine restaurants when she was pregnant with her fourth child in 2004. So she created her own. Sharelle Klaus —who in 1999 launched Planet Squid, an Internet portal for 10-to-14-year-olds that went under during the dotcom bust—wanted something to drink that would pair well with food, that was all natural, and not too sweet.

When she wasn't satisfied with her career choice, Anne-Marie Faiola decided to make a business out of what she knew how to do best: Make soap. You could say Anne-Marie Faiola made a clean getaway from her original profession of choice: Corrections officer. In December of 1998, then 20-year-old Faiola left the justice system because "it wasn't terribly satisfying or a good fit," she says.

David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim stuck to a positive message, and made Uglydolls into a household name. The story of Pretty Ugly begins with two people who never wanted to work at a toy company. When David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim met at Parsons School of Design in 2001, the pair quickly bonded over their love for design and their hope to create toys with a meaningful message.

%excerpt% Read the original: Reinventing the Town Square

%excerpt% Read more from the original source: Inventing a New Business Model for Butchers

Hopkins Printing has staked its future on cross-training.

Work hard, then take a vacation on the company's dimejust one reason why employees love working for Eric Leighton. "We want to be a place of empowerment for employees, customers and partners," says Eric Leighton, founder and CEO, of LoadSpring Solutions. Established with a written list of core values that each employee must know and keep, Leighton says he's dedicated to keeping his company's identity intact while it expands.

This dog-friendly work environment also encourages employees to be healthy, active, and charitable.

%excerpt% Here is the original post: Linhart Pubic Relations

This law firm tips the scales for its employees, offering remote work arrangements and benefits for part-time employees.

For such a large company, Thomas Mahoney, makes sure his staff is well rewarded for taking care of each other and their customers. It's all about loyalty at ITAGroup. Thomas Mahoney, president and CEO, says his company is both performance driven and family friendly

An employee-run committee keeps n-Link's remote workers close and involved. Due to the busy nature of the business—namely, providing IT services for the federal government—it's common for employees to feel more attached to the government customer where they work than with the company.

An employee's introduction to the company is equally important to the later success of both the individual and the company. Here are some tips from top workplaces on how to handle new hires. Picture this: You've just hired some wonderful new talent to join your company but you don't have a specific role intended for them