Workplace praise

These 10 Houston companies rank among best U.S. employers for young professionals

Gotta keep them motivated.

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Ten businesses in the Greater Houston area are clocking in among the country’s best employers for millennials, according to a new report.

The Best Workplaces for Millennials list is published annually by Fortune magazine and compiled by Great Place to Work, a company that focuses on improving workplace culture.

Looking at the 10 Houston-area employers, mega developer David Weekley homes takes the top spot. The company appears at No. 12 on the list of large employers.

“It’s an honor to once again be recognized as a top company for working millennials,” said Robert Hefner, David Weekly vice president of human resources, in a statement. “We are very proud to offer a rewarding workplace culture as well as competitive benefits and amazing perks to draw this group of young talent to our award-winning team.”

In that survey, 97 percent of staffers called David Weekley Homes a great place to work. The home builder previously ranked at number 26 on the 2020 list.

Joining David Weekly on the list are these large, mid-size, and small Houston-area companies:

Large employers:

Camden Property Trust, No. 32
Hilcorp, No. 37
Cornerstone Home Lending, No. 38
Transwestern, No. 65
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, No. 95

Small and midsized employers:

Continued, No. 33
Venterra Realty, No. 49
Republic State Mortgage, No. 90
E.A.G. Services, No. 91

Here’s how employers in Texas’ other major metro areas fared.

Dallas

Plano-based Granite: No. 6
Addison-based Credera, No. 36
Dallas-based Pariveda Solutions, No. 76
Dallas-based Embark, No. 97
Dallas-based PrimeLending lands at No. 29
Dallas-based Ryan LLC at No. 35.

Austin

Large employers:

Round Rock-based Dell Technologies, No. 75

Small and midsized employers:

Austin-based OJO Labs, No. 51
Austin-based SailPoint, No. 60
Austin-based Sedera Health, No. 69
Austin-based The Zebra, No. 86

San Antonio

Large employers:

San Antonio-based NuStar Energy, No. 91
San Antonio-based USAA, No. 98

“The Best Workplaces for Millennials treat their employees like people, not just employees,” says Michael Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “These companies foster caring and respect for one another, at every level of the organization. The result is millennial employees who say they look forward to coming to work and — as our research says — are 50 times more likely to stay a long time.”

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helping disabled houstonians

Meta picks Houston nonprofit for innovative AI Glasses grant

Photo courtesy of Meta

Meta AI Glasses may innovate accessibility.

A grant by Meta will help Easter Seals Greater Houston determine whether wearable smart frames make life easier for disabled Houstonians. The local nonprofit is one organization that received a share of $2 millions that Meta allocated on Monday, July 27.

"Meta is proud to select recipients, including the Easter Seals Greater Houston, based on demonstrated impact, scalability, and relevance to areas where hands-free technology can make the biggest difference," Meta executive Beth Murray said in response to CultureMap's request for comment. "It was exciting to receive nearly 500 applications from organizations across the country, and now the real innovation begins here in Houston with the Easter Seals project to understand how different local communities can benefit from AI glasses."

Meta launched its AI Glasses Impact Grant program in January with the goal of delivering nearly $2 million in funds to organizations across the country to see how their Meta AI Glasses could improve people's lives. It selected over 30 recipients from more than 500 applicants.

Easter Seals is using the grant to help pay for a program to incorporate smart frames into support for individuals with visual impairments, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and cognitive aging. Easter Seals is part of one of the oldest networks in America for disabilities, delivering disability support, veteran training, and other services. The Greater Houston branch was established in 1947.

Meta AI Glasses integrate AI personal assistance with wearable tech to give a hands-free connective experience. While many people use their built-in cameras and social media access to create content, the Impact Grant promotes how the technology might assist people with disabilities as well as innovate in industrial and scientific fields. Data storage and recall could aid people with memory loss, while interpretative AI facial recognition software may let neurodivergent and developmentally delayed people recognize social cues. The pilot program at Easter Seals will explore some of these possibilities.

Two other Texas organizations received grants. The University of North Texas will also explore disability assistance through Meta AI Glasses, albeit through a school environment rather than in the general public space. Austin software company Embarcadero Technologies will be using the glasses to build a remote training platform that can simultaneously mentor five junior workers at once.

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