The Most Admired Company in the US will Surprise You
When most people think of the “most admired companies” thoughts of Apple, Disney, or Whole Foods come to mind. The actual winner is one that the vast majority of Americans have never been to. Similarly, they have not even heard of it.
Wegmans Food Markets is a family supermarket chain with almost 100 stores in the northeast and mid-Atlantic region Recently it was ranked #1 for corporate reputation among the 100 most visible companies, according to the 2019 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ) study.
“Ours is a family company, where we all work together to demonstrate the shared values that are important to our customers, the communities we serve and to each of us,” says Colleen Wegman, president & CEO. “We celebrate our employees and thank them for the remarkable things they do every day to make a recognition like this possible.”
The Annual reputation study begins with a nomination process which is used to identify 100 companies with the most “visible” reputations according to the general public. The final list of the 100 most visible companies in the U.S. is measured in the RQ Ratings Section. This year’s rating interviews took place online between January 2 and January 18, 2019 with 18,228 U.S. adults as participants to get an average of approximately 300 ratings per company.
The study evaluates three primary dimensions of reputation: Character, Trust (or “affinity”) and Business Trajectory. According to a statement, “Character considers such attributes as Culture, Ethics and Citizenship; while Business Trajectory is measured by Growth Potential, Products/Services and Vision.
“Wegmans was ranked among the top 5 companies for all attributes and was #1 for Culture, Ethics, Citizenship and Products/Services.”
“In today’s purpose-focused era, a company’s reputation has the potential to help or hinder success like never before,” says Wendy Salomon, managing director of Harris Poll’s Corporate Reputation Practice. “Consumers are making choices based on how a company operates – not just what they make or sell. Companies with the highest reputations take their role in society seriously, and make decisions through this broader societal lens.”
According to a statement, “The Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ), an established annual measure of corporate reputation in America since 1999, identifies movement, trends and insights in a changing corporate reputation landscape. It quantifies reputation ratings for the 100 most visible companies in the U.S., as perceived by the general public.
“The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.
“Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 98-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. In 2019, Wegmans will open stores in Virginia Beach, Raleigh, NC and Brooklyn. The family company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 22 consecutive years. In 2019, Wegmans ranked #3 on the list.”
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