| Rank | Company name | Location | Business |
| 1 | Axia NetMedia Corp. | Calgary | develops and operates broadband networks |
| 2 | Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse Restaurant | Vancouver | restaurant |
| 3 | Windsor Family Credit Union | Windsor, Ont. | financial services provider |
| 4 | DRN Commerce Inc. | London, Ont. | debt recovery software provider |
| 5 | Kawartha Credit Union Ltd. | Peterborough, Ont. | financial services provider |
| 6 | Sapphire Technologies Canada Ltd.* | Toronto | high-tech staffing and recruitment |
| 7 | 4Refuel Canada Ltd. | Langley, B.C. | fuel delivery and management technology |
| 8 | Dempsey Corp. | Toronto | distributor of specialty products |
| 9 | National Leasing Group Inc. | Winnipeg | equipment leasing |
| 10 | Skjodt-Barrett Foods Inc. | Mississauga | food manufacturer |
| 11 | Fuller Landau LLP | Toronto | chartered accounting and consulting |
| 12 | High Road Communications | Toronto | public relations and marketing |
| 13 | Kingston Ross Pasnak LLP | Edmonton | chartered accounting |
| 14 | Benefits By Design Inc. | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | administered benefits agency |
| 15 | Spectra Credit Union | Estevan, Sask. | financial services provider |
| 16 | Allergan Inc. | Markham, Ont. | multi-specialty health care company |
| 17 | SOCAN | Toronto | performing rights organization |
| 18 | Chevron Canada Resources Ltd. | Calgary | energy company |
| 19 | Lakeside Process Controls Ltd. | Mississauga | process automation solutions |
| 20 | GrowthWorks Capital Ltd. | Vancouver | venture capital |
| 21 | Rare Method Interactive Corp. | Calgary | interactive marketing firm |
| 22 | Hood Group | Sherwood Park, Alta. | consulting services for petroleum industry |
| 23 | Innovation Place | Saskatoon | operator and developer of research parks |
| 24 | Sovereign General Insurance Co. | Calgary | property and casualty insurance |
| 25 | Mega Group Inc. | Saskatoon | marketing, promotions, technical sales support for retailers |
| *formerly CNC Global Ltd. |
When Phil Roberts had an idea for expanding his company's broadband services to share with his boss, he had no need to make an appointment with a secretary or knock on an executive's closed door.
Instead, Mr. Roberts, a marketing strategist employed at Axia NetMedia Corp. in Calgary, simply took a few steps away from his cubicle to company president Geoff Thompson's neighbouring, same-sized cubicle, tapped him on the shoulder and began a discussion out in the open for all to hear.
"In many organizations, it would be very rare, if ever, for any employee to take five minutes of the president's time [like that] to explore a new idea," Mr. Roberts says.
Or to have such easy access. But Axia is a company where there are no fancy corner offices, where boardrooms are glass-walled for all to see through, and where all 132 employees - including Mr. Thompson and chief executive officer Art Price - work at cubicles alongside colleagues, sparking plenty of idea sharing and teamwork among employees and the top brass.
Axia's open and highly collaborative environment and culture of transparency are among a handful of qualities that helped the company gain the No. 1 ranking on the latest top 25 list of the best small and medium employers in Canada.
It's the fourth annual such survey by Queen's Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen's School of Business and Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services company, in partnership with The Globe and Mail.
Axia beat out about 70 other eligible companies, all with 50 to 399 employees, for the top honour.
Other key traits the best employers demonstrated ranged from ample opportunities for career advancement to clear communications practices and hiring and training practices that go beyond basic human resources.
"In each case, companies made the list because of a subtle combination of many factors usually connected to a clearly articulated philosophy of where their people fit into the organization's culture and direction," says survey co-ordinator Einar Westerlund, director of project development at the Queen's School of Business at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
"Good companies are led by business leaders who connect their people to the business and have a way of making results more intimate for employees and showing how employees' jobs are important to the big picture," Mr. Westerlund adds.
What key attributes do the Top 25 organizations share? Here are five:
1. WANTED: EMPLOYEE INPUT
