What are the 'top workplaces' in the New Orleans area? Check out this year's awards.

More than 80 New Orleans area businesses were named "top workplaces" as part of an annual Times-Picayune program that culminated with an awards ceremony Wednesday at the Higgins Hotel downtown.

The annual competition identifies exemplary companies via independent, anonymous surveys of their employees. This year, more than 41,000 workers were surveyed.

Nearly 300 attendees gathered for the winners' celebration, hosted by Damon Singleton, a native New Orleanian, former Navy commander and meteorologist at The Times-Picayune | Nola.com.

The top three winners in the small company division, in order, were LAMMICO, a medical professional liability insurance company; Restech, an IT and cybersecurity provider; and Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers.

Mid-size winners were Stoa Group, a Hammond-based multifamily developer; the commercial contractor RNGD; and MSB Consulting Engineers.

Top honorees in the large company category were Gallo Mechanical, a construction and service company; the manufacturer Laitram; and the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center.

The large businesses category is reserved for organizations with 400 or more employees. The midsize category includes those with 125 to 299 employees. The small businesses category is reserved for outfits with fewer than 125 employees.

This is the 12th year that The Times-Picayune has partnered with Energage, a 20-year-old employee research and consulting firm based in Philadelphia, to administer the program. In email surveys, the researcher asks employees if they feel valued, respected and aligned with their employer's mission.

"We're here to celebrate work done well," Bob Helbig, Energage media partnerships director, told the crowd, which was in a celebratory mood boosted by free food and drink and dozens of blue and yellow balloons suspended over tables. "Every workplace has a culture, whether accidental or purposeful, and the great ones are purposeful."

Helbig encouraged companies to celebrate and publicize their awards.

"People want to work for and do business with top workplaces," he said.

Click here to nominate a company for next year's program.

The large employer category included 25 companies recognized as Top Workplaces, led by a mix of health care, hospitality, engineering, education and industrial firms.

Winners include:

AmpiricalBoardwalk PipelinesCapital One Financial Corp.ChenMedCox EnterprisesCreole Cuisine Restaurant ConceptsCrescent City SchoolsEisnerAmperFirstLine SchoolsGallo MechanicalHarvest MidstreamHotel MonteleoneKloeckner MetalsLaitramLoews Hotels & Co.Marsh McLennan AgencyThe Ernest N. Morial Convention CenterOchsner HealthPanda Restaurant GroupPENN EntertainmentPT SolutionsRaising Cane's Chicken FingersReNEW SchoolsSonesta International Hotels Corp.The Freeman Co.

The midsize employer category honored 29 organizations spanning health care, engineering, construction, hospitality, financial services and technology. Recognized companies were:

AccuTRANSAudubon CompaniesAVALABelle Chasse AcademyBibbeoChristwood Retirement CommunityCompliance EnviroSystemsCrescentCareCypress Pointe Surgical HospitalGISGlobalstarGootee ConstructionHome InsteadMessina's Catering and EventsMSB Consulting EngineersNorthshore Rehabilitation HospitalOnPath Credit UnionOutSolveRenuityRNGDStoa GroupStone Creek Club and SpaTaste Buds Management/Zea Rotisserie & BarThe Domain CompaniesThe Gray Insurance Co.The Windsor CourtThe Woodhouse Day SpaUniversal ParkingWoodward Design+Build

The small employer category recognized organizations ranging from nonprofits and professional services firms to contractors, financial institutions and technology companies. Winners include:

Agenda for ChildrenBellwetherBlue WilliamsBridge House Corp.DelRicht ResearchECM ConsultantsEdge Financial ServicesEPIC Federal Credit UnionForman Watkins & KrutzInfinity Engineering ConsultantsKarl SennerKean MillerKent Design BuildLAMMICOLandis ConstructionThe Louisiana Public Health InstituteLouisiana Technology GroupMagnolia Physical TherapyMetairie Bank & TrustNew Orleans & CompanyNew Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit UnionNOLA Hotel GroupRestechRyan Gootee General ContractorsScott Vicknair Injury LawyersStar Service New OrleansStokes & AssociatesStryker OrthopaedicsTotal Quality LogisticsVIA LINK