The Rancho Sahuarita Management Company has won the prestigious Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Best Place to Work Award. The award, which was presented by the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce as part of their annual Copper Cactus Awards on Friday, September 13th at Casino Del Sol, recognizes companies that demonstrate offering an outstanding work environment and resulting employee morale.
The Copper Cactus Awards as a whole are designed to highlight Southern Arizona businesses in various categories for their positive impacts on the community. After receiving nearly 400 nominations for the awards, the Chamber announced the finalists for each category in July. The awards are comprised of six categories, which include “Best Place to Work”, “Workforce Development”, “Small Business Leader of the Year”, “Business Growth”, “Innovation” and “Charitable Non-Profit Business”.
Rancho Sahuarita Management Company, which oversees the development and operation of the Rancho Sahuarita community in Sahuarita, Arizona, began its development nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the company has remained dedicated to its mission of “Creating a Better Life” for its community of approximately 18,000 residents. As part of this, it now offers more than 200 events per year, over 30 free Health and Wellness classes per week, special programs and outstanding amenities to those who call the community home.
Jeremy Sharpe, Chief Operating Officer for Rancho Sahuarita, said of the award, “We are honored to have been named the winner of this year’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Best Place to Work award! Our employees work hard each day to deliver on our mission of Creating a Better Life for our residents, and in turn we strive to do what we can to Create a Better Life and a better place to work for them. They are the ultimate key to success in all that we do.”
The company’s commitment to making lives better extends to its employees, who enjoy various job benefits, employee recognition and internal advancement opportunities, and chances to engage in various rewarding community initiatives beyond the scope of their daily job duties. In addition to various opportunities to learn, develop and harness their skills, employees can also take part in fun employee luncheons, group outings and more.
These qualities have resulted in exceptional longevity of employees, as over 50% of the company’s 100 year-round employees have been with the company for longer than 4 years. Out of the 32 people in leadership positions for the company, 81% were promoted internally and 66% are women.
Community Director of Rancho Sahuarita, Michelle Moreno shared her experience working for the company for over 12 years saying: “The ability to become part of something bigger drew me to this employer, but the sense of fulfillment that I get working for Rancho Sahuarita is what keeps me working for this great company. The company invests in you as not just an employee but as a person. They encourage balance between home life and work. I have worked many places in my career but never have I experienced the sense of “home” that I feel working for this company.”