It comes as no surprise to those of us who live and work in St. Joseph that it ranks as one of the “top 270 communities to do business” by Inc. magazine. We provide comprehensive financial consulting services to a wide array of industries in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana, and our office is located just blocks from downtown St. Joseph, this office is home to a city with a rich history of commerce and culture, and the office is within walking distance to the beach, restaurants and marinas. Moreover, we offer many of the benefits of a big city with the conveniences of a small town. Here are a few other points of interest:
- The St. Joseph community recently was named to Money magazine's top 10 lists of communities with the shortest commute at an average of just 13 minutes.
- The community is centrally located just 90 miles from Chicago and 180 miles from Detroit. Within a 500-mile radius of the community, you'll find 54% of all of the nation's manufacturing, 48% of retail sales, 54% of the nation's business payroll, and 65% of Canada's gross national product.
- Industry Week ranked Berrien County 61 out of 310 as a world-class community. A world-class community is a metropolitan area that has performed well in attracting and creating new manufacturing, while retaining and expanding its existing manufacturing base
Recognitions
Plante & Moran has been named one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” the past 14 consecutive years.
In March 2011, Plante & Moran was recently named one of West Michigan’s “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” for the sixth consecutive year. We’re honored to be recognized as a leader within our community.
In 2008, the firm was also cited as one of 18 “Great Companies for Millennials” by HRE magazine, and for the second consecutive year, Leadership Development magazine named Plante & Moran to its annual list of the Top 100 Leadership Development Programs. We ranked first in the “small-to-midsize organization” and “large consulting groups” categories.
In 2007, Plante & Moran received the “Excellence in Customer Service” award from Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce. Each year the Excellence in Customer Service award is presented to a local company that exemplifies the true meaning of customer service. Excellence in Customer Service is defined as: The ability of an organization to continually and consistently exceed the customer's expectations.
Community Involvement
Plante & Moran genuinely cares about our communities, and our St. Joseph, Mich., location is no exception. Individually and collectively, our staff donates thousands of hours annually to help make our communities better.
For the first time this summer, the office sponsored a team in the “NASCHAIR” race in downtown St. Joseph to raise funds for Harbor Habitat for Humanity. This is essentially an office-chair race held downtown. In addition, each June, the office participates in the Berrien County Chapter of Relay for Life to raise money for cancer. Approximately 50 percent of staff participate, many of whom stay the entire 24 hours of the relay.
Around the holidays, the St. Joseph office adopts less fortunate families and provides them with the things they need/want. Families and lists are provided by The Readiness Center, a local not-for-profit organization, and 100% of staff participate. In addition, approximately 90% of St. Joseph staff prepare and serve dinner for a local homeless shelter.
Finally, St. Joseph participates in Plante & Moran’s firmwide initiative to send care packages to U.S. troops fighting overseas. We’re donating snacks, condiments, games, and toiletries and working together to assemble these care packages to send them off to our troops.
Sustainability
All of us at Plante & Moran have long prided ourselves on being responsible corporate and community citizens, so it’s only natural that we adopt an even stronger environmentally friendly and sustainable approach going forward. We’ve made significant strides in the areas of building design and furnishings, energy efficiency, paper conservation, and environmental awareness/waste reduction. Here are just a few of the initiatives currently in place:
- Each staff has work tools that allow remote access and document sharing from different locations. This has reduced gas consumption and provided greater flexibility while improving collaboration.
- We’re increasing our use of recycled paper products, including our firm letterhead and new firm brochure. As we update existing literature and add new pieces, we’re using recycled content and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper where possible.