Ingredients for a Best Place to Work: At Social Imprints (asi/164607), all records are an open book, including salaries and financial statements. Employees work in self-managed teams and are encouraged to help set compensation, schedules and responsibilities. According to Sheng Esquillo, executive manager, it’s one of the United States’ only self-sufficient workforce-development companies that hire individuals who need a second chance. The firm champions upward mobility, and most of its leadership team started as entry-level employees.

Social Imprints aims to provide higher-paying professional jobs to at-risk adults, and 80% of its workforce meets this mission. This includes returning citizens, substance-abuse recovery individuals, those on and off public assistance, and veterans discharged within 5 years. Regardless of background, age, origins, gender, sexual orientation, identity or ability, “We value and respect you for being you,” Esquillo says. “We build an inclusive culture where you can bring your whole selves to work.” With a big focus on gender parity, the company strives to create a gender-balanced workforce, and 45% of employees are female.

The company is on a hybrid model with three days in the office and two days working from home. “Employees enjoy the flexibility of working from home and the camaraderie of working from the office,” Esquillo says. “Plus in the Bay Area, the traffic is horrible. Employees report they get in an extra two hours of work on non-office days.”

Top Benefits & Perks: Support services for employees include counseling and self-improvement and educational training opportunities. Career opportunities include management, sales, marketing, customer service, accounting, graphic arts and warehouse management. The company incentivizes employees through profit sharing, and staffers receive wages consistent with or exceeding those of comparable promotional products companies.

In addition, “Our team members really value our sustainability initiatives,” Esquillo says. “Social Imprints focuses on eco-friendly promo products, curates the world’s largest collection of eco-friendly products, and partnered with Veritree to plant trees and compensate for carbon produced from swag. We also equip customers with tools to meet sustainable development goals.” Esquillo says this year over 75% of the company’s supply chain will be comprised of environmentally conscious, socially responsible suppliers. The distributor also noted its goal to plant 40,000 Mangrove trees in Mombasa, Kenya; each tree can sequester about a ton of carbon.