
Inc Magazine released its inaugural list of 50 Best Workplaces on Wednesday—and Bisnow got the chance to chat with Apto CEO Tanner McGraw about why his company made the cut. Here's our roundup of all the winners in the commercial real estate industry.
JLG Architects
Location: Fargo, ND
CEO: Lonnie Laffen (COO Michelle Ann pictured)
No. Of Employees: 90
Sector: Architecture
Over three-quarters of Inc's list match 401(k) contributions—but JLG outdoes the typical 3% to 4% matching with a 12% matching program. Not only did JLG make this Inc list, but is also Inc's fastest-growing architectural firm.
Keller Williams Realty International

Location: Austin
CEO: Chris Heller (co-founder Gary Keller pictured)
No. Of Employees: 265
Sector: Real Estate Brokerage
Keller Williams, founded in 1983, gives its employees access to a full-time wellness coach, and closes its doors to customers in an annual wellness day. The international company has more than 139,000 associates affiliated with the firm across the globe.
GRS Group

Location: Irvine, CA
CEO: Charles Victor (pictured, left—president Noreen Clindinning, right)
No. Of Employees: 49
Sector: Real Estate Advisement, Transaction Management
The firm, founded in 2009, has advised on over $1 trillion in commercial real estate transactions. Among other things that keep its workforce happy, the company is very open to telecommuting by employees.
C1S Group

Location: Dallas
CEO: Julie Strong (pictured)
No. Of Employees: 22
Sector: Construction
Founded in 2009, C1S Group specializes in sustainable construction, and employs things like standing desks and workout stations to keep employees happy and healthy. Pictured is the company's renovation of the "Bomb Factory," a historical industrial building-turned-concert hall.
Apto
Location: Denver
CEO: Tanner McGraw (pictured)
No. Of Employees: 55
Sector: Real Estate Tech
Tanner tells Bisnow that Apto's spot on the list comes from the company's recent pivot in personnel practices—from hiring simply to fill positions to hiring based on specific traits that have given others success at the company. Apto is a leasing and management platform that came out of the 2008 downturn with a mission to address some of the inefficiencies that we saw leading up to that last down cycle.











