CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Russell's Heating & Cooling was named the No. 9 place to work in the third annual Top 25 Places to Work in Hampton Roads rankings. A panel of judges with expertise in human resource management and employee satisfaction reviewed all nominations and chose the winners based on several key factors. At Russell's, employees receive a birthday card and a small check on their big day. A $50 credit is put in service technicians' tool accounts every time they take the pager for a week of on-call duty. These are done in addition to normal pay.

Managers are rewarded quarterly with a share of 10 percent of the net profits from their department. This keeps them focused and allows them to run their department like it is their own business, according to the company.

Corey Lescoe has been a technician with Russell's for about seven months, but already raves about the differences between Russell's and other HVAC companies he's experienced. "I've never been happier in my life working for somebody else," said Lescoe. "Employees are paid well and are proud of the stand-up jobs they do."