Raises for everyone

3 Houston employers clock in among Fortune's 100 best companies to work

Camden Property Trust continues to be one of Houston's best places to work.

Hunting for a job in Houston? A new ranking from Fortune magazine suggests you might consider three local companies.

Camden Property Trust, David Weekley Homes, and Hilcorp Energy Co. all rank on Fortune’s 2020 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, published February 18.

Fortune bases its annual list of the best workplaces on a nationwide study done by analytics firm Great Place to Work. This time around, the study featured input from more than 4.1 million U.S. workers who responded to over 60 survey questions.

Houston-based apartment owner and operator Camden Property Trust comes in at No. 18, an improvement over last year’s rank of 19. The real estate owner and operator is known for a lighthearted corporate culture that has seen executives willing to poke fun at themselves and others at company events and celebrations, according to the list.

There are also perks to working for an apartment landlord; 44 percent of employees live in Camden-owned apartments and take advantage of a 20 percent rent-discount benefit that collectively saves them more than $1.9 million per year.

Not far down the list, at No. 23, is Houston-based homebuilder David Weekley Homes, which makes a big leap over last year’s rank of 41. Family comes first at this nationwide homebuilding company, says the report. Prospective employees often participate in Key Influencer Visits, where they are interviewed (often in their homes) alongside family members or close friends to help hiring managers better understand their personalities and backgrounds.

There’s also an internship program designed specifically for employees’ children and a discount on homes sold to staffers and their family members (a set percentage based on tenure). One worker says, “It really exemplifies how the company puts the employees first, even before customers.”

New to the list this year is Houston-based oil and gas production company Hilcorp Energy Co. The largest privately held oil and natural-gas production company in the U.S., Hilcorp challenges its employees to think in terms of Big Hairy Audacious Goals, the lofty performance goals it sets every five years. For every BHAG met, employees are rewarded with significant cash bonuses and even new cars.

To meet these goals, CEO Greg Lalicker believes, total transparency is a must, from frontline employees to the CFO, according to the report. All financials, cash flow, investments, oil- and gas-price impacts, BHAG progress reports, and other critical information are shared in monthly, companywide “lifting cost” meetings. “It blows your mind to be in your first lifting-cost meeting and hear supersecret information,” recalls one new hire.

Five other Texas-based employers also appear on this year’s list:

No. 15: Arlington-based Texas Health Resources ranks first among Texas-based employers and 15th nationwide. Last year, the organization ranked ninth nationwide.
No. 55: San Antonio-based financial services provider USAA. Last year’s rank: 30.
No. 66: Dallas-based Ryan LLC, a provider of tax software and services. Last year’s rank: 52.
No. 86: San Antonio-based oil pipeline and terminal operator NuStar Energy LP. Last year it was unranked.
No. 88: Dallas-based Encompass Health Home Health & Hospice, part of Birmingham, Alabama-based Encompass Health Corp. Last year’s rank: 54.

Nationwide, McLean, Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. ranks first on this year’s Fortune list, followed by Weston, Florida-based Ultimate Software Group Inc., Rochester, New York-based Wegmans Food Markets Inc., San Jose, California-based Cisco Systems Inc., and Pleasanton, California-based Workday Inc.

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signing off

Chris Shepherd's TV show Eat Like a Local ends its run after 3 years

Photo by Julie Soefer

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Chris Shepherd is signing off. After three seasons, Eat Like a Local, Shepherd’s TV show on KPRC devoted to local restaurants and other food-related topics, will air its final episode this Saturday, May 30.

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Shepherd, a James Beard Award-winning chef and CultureMap’s wine columnist, filmed at almost 250 restaurants across greater Houston, ranging from fine dining classics like Brennan’s of Houston and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse to casual spots like Champ Burger and Fountain View Fish Market. After spending almost 30 years leading restaurants such as Catalan, Underbelly, One Fifth, and Georgia James, hosting a TV show allowed Shepherd to visit places that were never on his radar.

“I got to learn the stories of the people. You see the restaurants, but I got to have the conversations with people and learn why people are doing things,” Shepherd tells CultureMap. “Each one gives me something a little different, whether it’s eating something for the first time. If I didn’t like something, we just didn’t air it. I had some things that were not for me but were technically correct.”

Houstonians demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm for the show. Whenever Eat Like a Local featured a restaurant, crowds would descend to devour whatever dishes Shepherd featured in the segment.

Joseph Mandola, co-owner of East End staple Mandola’s Deli, remembers when his restaurant’s segment aired in November 2024.

“They aired it. Thirty minutes after that, my restaurant was full. It didn’t stop until we closed the doors. About 600 people came into the restaurant that day,” he tells CultureMap. “He has an affect on people that’s easy to see. It’s such a cool phenomenon that one guy can motivate people in Houston.”

Since each episode is available on KPRC’s YouTube page, the Eat Like a Local affect extends far beyond its original airdate.

“I’ve had people come from as far as Brenham, College Station, who drove here to check the restaurant out. It’s such a humbling experience to know people took time to visit the place we’ve devoted our lives to,” Mandola says.

Burger Bodega owner Abbas Dhanani echoes Mandola’s sentiments. Not only did Shepherd feature Burger Bodega on one episode, he invited Dhanani to collaborate on a December 2024 episode devoted to Pakistani restaurants such as Bismillah Restaurant & Cafe and Aga’s Restaurant & Catering.

“Eat Like a Local has shifted the trajectory of any restaurant that has been featured on the show. Within the industry, we would warn each other about the ‘Eat Like A Local Bump,’ which meant once featured, you better be ready,” Dhanani explains.

“The surge almost immediately after airing Saturday was truly remarkable. For any restaurant, that surge would last quite a while and you could almost see it in the customers face as they walked in and recognized the familiar faces of the staff. The Houston community hasn’t seen anything quite like Eat Like a Local and I know I can speak for everyone when I say, we are truly grateful to have had any part in it.”

While Eat Like a Local has come to an end, Shepherd isn’t necessarily done making TV episodes. After all, Houston’s a big city, and he still has lots of restaurants he’d like to visit.

“There’s a lot of places I didn’t get to and stories I wanted to tell,” he says. “I wanted to visit Terrence (Gallivan at Hypsi) and Nick Wong (at Agnes and Sherman). I wanted to go out to the ranch at 44 Farms and have the conversation about Texas beef, just as much as when we went to the coast and talked about oysters.”

At the end of every episode, Shepherd always asks “what’s next.” He isn’t quite sure, but it might involve more TV.

“Getting back into a restaurant isn’t my forte anymore, but being in this part of the restaurant business I really like,” he says.

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