NewsVGM Group Named A Best Place For Working Parents

VGM Group is excited to once again earn The Best Place for Working Parents® business designation in 2025. This is the fourth year in a row VGM has received this honor, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to offering support for its working parents.  

"We are constantly adding new benefits and resources that help ease the way for our working parents and all of our employee owners,” said Katie Morris, VGM Director of Employee Benefits. “That commitment to investing in our employee owners and their families really is part of our culture. And we are truly honored to be recognized as one of the best.” 

One of the major additions in recent years was VGM Group’s on-site child care center, which opened in November of 2023. Operated by Community United Child Care Centers, the center has been a much-needed solution to the shortage of options in the Cedar Valley area.  

“I appreciate that VGM listened to its employee owners and the community, and then did something about it,” said Irina Hageman, Underwriter for VGM Insurance, whose son attends the center. “So few companies would see parents struggling like that and choose to do anything about it. And VGM did.”    

As a 100% employee-owned company, VGM Group has a vested interest in supporting its employee owners and their families. For example, VGM employee owners and their immediate family members have access to a free clinic in the Cedar Valley as well as an employee assistance program to keep people happy and healthy.  

Additionally, VGM offers direct support to the children of VGM employee owners through its annual scholarship program. Each year, VGM, in partnership with Waterloo Community Foundation, awards six scholarships of $1,500 to high school seniors who have a parent or legal guardian working at VGM. And it is open to students located anywhere in the country.    

There are also numerous employee engagement events throughout the year dedicated to family outings. These include trips to a pumpkin patch, tickets to hockey or baseball games, family bowling nights, and even a drive-in movie night at VGM Headquarters in Waterloo, Iowa.  

VGM doesn’t stop at perks for its employee’s human family members, though. On Valentine’s Day this year, VGM announced that a pets-at-work “PAWlicy” was coming soon—a new benefit focused on all the VGM pet parents.  

“At VGM, our employee owners are our company,” said VGM Group Chief People Officer Sara Laures. “Investing in them and their families is one of the easiest decisions we can make. When we take care of our employee owners, that helps them take better care of their customers and be more engaged in the community they call home. I love that we’re able to help make a difference at that level.”  

VGM employee owners, for their part, are dedicated to paying it forward. In 2021, VGM organized a Family Fund Fundraising Committee to offer financial support for employees in their time of need. The VGM Family Fund is an employee-funded program. Whether employee owners are dealing with a temporary setback or a life-changing event, the VGM Family Fund is there to help them get back on their feet. To date, over $200,000 has been awarded to employee owners in need. 

The generosity extends beyond the walls of VGM, too. Each year, VGM makes charitable donations to numerous organizations and causes focused on assisting area families. These include Habitat For Humanity, Kadens Kloset, and House Of Hope, to name a few. And VGM employee owners are always quick to lend a helping hand. In total, employee owners contributed over 3,179 hours to volunteering in 2024.  

“The employee owners at VGM never cease to amaze me,” said VGM Group CEO Jeremy Stolz. “They are always willing to roll up their sleeves and offer support, whether it's for a customer, someone in the community, or a fellow employee owner. VGM is more than a place to work—it’s a place to belong. And it’s all thanks to our dedicated employee owners.”  

That dedication and VGM’s continued family friendly, employee-focused efforts have earned the company recognition from several other organizations over the years as well. These include designations as a Cedar Valley Employer of Choice and an Iowa Top Workplace on multiple occasions.