According to president and CEO Sam Schwartz of Sam Schwartz Engineering (SSE), a transportation engineering and planning firm, it was named a "Best Place To Work For" by Crain's Magazine coming in at #16 in the Top 50. SSE was also one of the highest rated engineering companies on the list. "Being a best company to work for is very important to me and I know the rest of the company," said Schwartz. You spend what could be the majority of your awake time (depending on how much you sleep) with us. We want it to be an extraordinary time mixed with great people, exciting work and personal growth." "It is a great honor to be recognized by Crain's for all the hard work our employees do," said Rob Phillips, executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer for SSE. "It is exciting to be part of an organization that enjoys the work they perform as much as the company they work for." Crain's partnered with an independent research firm to conduct a survey of over 13,000 employees throughout New York City. Employees and their employers both filled out confidential surveys on a variety of topics from the types of benefits provided to advancement opportunities and interoffice communication. The scores from those surveys were then combined with staff surveys making up 75 percent of the overall score. The remaining 25 percent came from employer surveys. Among the over two dozen awards and distinctions SSE has received over the past few years include being named a "Best Place to Work in NYC" by CRAIN's in 2008 and a "Zweig White Best Firm" in 2009. Since the birth of SSE in 1995, the company has grown from a staff of less than ten people in one office to a staff of over 100 people in offices throughout the United States including Tampa, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Newark, New Jersey, Chicago, Illinois and most recently Los Angeles, California.