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While Southern Pipe and Supply has been selected several times by the national business magazine, Fortune, as one of the ”Top 100 Best Medium-Size Companies to Work for in America,” this year Fortune also recognized Southern Pipe and Supply in its “Best Workplaces for Millennials Top 100” list.
Fortune worked with its long-standing research partner Great Place to Work to help find the best employers for those born between 1981 and 1997— a generation known for appreciating firms with strong values and thirst for growth opportunities. Fortune has been compiling this Millennial designation since 2015, when the youngest group of Millennials turned eighteen years old and first entered the workforce.
Southern Pipe and Supply, with 124 locations in seven states, is one of the largest privately-owned distributors of plumbing, HVAC, industrial, mechanical, and waterworks materials in the Southeast. Southern Pipe and Supply is the only distributor in the United States to have been selected to the Fortune list.
To be considered for this honor, companies must submit an application documenting over two hundred data points describing their human resource programs and practices. Fortune compiles this list annually with its research partner, Great Place to Work. “Family members,” how Southern Pipe & Supply refers to employees, submit anonymous feedback through an extensive cultural survey.
“I have never worked for a company that I feel is more cohesive across the board,” an anonymous family member said. “I almost do not feel the hierarchy. Everyone is very giving of their time and never makes you feel like it is a burden when you ask for help.”
Ninety-three percent of respondents rated the company a great place to work, compared to the national average of fifty-nine percent. In Fortune’s analysis of the company, the top two reasons employees gave for ranking Southern Pipe and Supply so highly were the remarkable sense of family and working with people that care for each other.
Southern Pipe and Supply’s director of human resources, Ron Black, recently commented on the honor. “We are extremely proud to be recognized by Fortune.” Black said. “As a company, one of our primary objectives is to invest a great deal of time and effort into being a company that attracts and retains great people. But the real reason we are a best place to work is because of our family members. They create an amazing, inclusive culture of respect that allows everyone to be themselves and have fun at work. “
President and CEO, Jay Davidson, is the fourth-generation leader of the family owned company that opened its doors in 1938. “I am thankful and grateful to be working with the best on the planet," he said. "We are fortunate to have family members that genuinely care about each other and find great joy in serving others."
On top of this national accomplishment, the Mississippi Business Journal named Southern Pipe and Supply, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi, ”the state’s top place to work” for a remarkable thirteenth time in June. Southern Pipe and Supply has been named to this list more than any other company in the history of the magazine. Participating companies are required to have employees participate in an extensive cultural audit provided by the Mississippi Business Journal to qualify for the recognition. Now located in seven states across the Southeast, Mississippi was home to the first Southern Pipe location to open for business ten decades ago. Southern Pipe now operates thirty-five locations in the Magnolia state.