Pinnacle is the No. 1 Top Workplace in South Carolina

Pinnacle Financial Partners is the No. 1 Top Workplace in South Carolina in the medium-sized companies category by South Carolina Top Workplaces. The list was published today in Greenville Business Magazine, Charleston Business Magazine and Columbia Business Monthly. It is the second consecutive year Pinnacle has taken the top spot and fourth time it has placed in the state competition. Previous rankings were No. 5 in 2019 and No. 7 in 2020.

Pinnacle associates in South Carolina have consistently given their workplace culture high marks. They had this to say on the company’s annual anonymous survey in 2020:

"I appreciate the transparency and honesty from leadership. They do a great job of explaining the 'why' behind the task, and this helps pull everyone in the same direction. We are given the freedom to manage our offices and hold ourselves accountable from a performance standpoint. Having worked at other large institutions, the culture is truly something special here. I feel that every associate feels included and is comfortable in providing feedback."

"Pinnacle has been great to me and my family. The firm provides the tools and resources needed to do the job and the flexibility to have time to spend with your family. Pinnacle is the best place I have worked, and my hope is that I can retire here."

"I appreciate and love the culture of the firm. Coming from a large bank, it is amazing how much less stress there is about selling, with a greater focus on client relationships, which ultimately leads to acquiring a greater share of business and referrals from existing clients."

"I'm grateful to be seen as an individual and have the ability to be open with my team about anything, both from a professional and personal standpoint. The culture that [our leaders] have built for our team is intentional, and I feel personally cared for at Pinnacle. Additionally, I love that there has been a focus on diversity and inclusion and on investing in our communities and that we are given the opportunity to take ownership within these realms and positively influence each other and those around us."

“Pinnacle’s vision is to be the best place to work and the best place to do business,” said Ed Stein, Pinnacle’s regional president in the Upstate. “That comes from a principal that says people are important. We’ve built our entire company on that belief because it’s the right thing to do and because it builds an unmatched client experience. Our Upstate team is fully bought into the ‘why’ of this firm. They love their work, love their clients and work intentionally every day to fulfill our vision.”  

Pinnacle has won dozens of national and local workplace awards and has been recognized in nearly every market it serves. The firm was ranked No. 28 on the list of America’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and was named as one of the country’s top 10 Best Banks to Work For by American Banker, as well as a top six Best Workplace for both Women and Millennials.

“From a corporate level, we set our people up for success by eliminating bureaucratic middle management and creating an environment where people look forward to coming to work,” said Mary Garcia, Pinnacle’s regional president on the South Carolina coast. “The real hard work, though, happens at all levels. Our associates genuinely care for and give their discretionary effort to each other and their clients. They always do what needs to be done and then take the extra step to make it as distinctive and personal as possible. We love working here.”

Rankings and awards from programs like Top Workplaces are a key way to measure whether Pinnacle is fulfilling its vision. While leaders conduct internal surveys every year, it’s important to see how the firm stacks up in independent, third-party programs like Top Workplaces.

The Top Workplaces list is based on anonymous employee surveys and research from Energage, a leading provider of employee engagement tools. The surveys measure several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, connection and more. Pinnacle’s survey was administered by Energage in January 2022, with 80% of the firm’s then 205 South Carolina associates responding.