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Tri County Tech received several accolades on Monday that are well worth celebrating.

According to Superintendent and CEO Lindel Fields, Tri County Tech has been named as a Great Place to Work US certified organization. He said TCT has also been ranked 11th on the Fortune Best Small and Medium Workplaces 2020 list.

Fields said it means so much to Tri County Tech because it means they're doing everything right for their employees. As an employer, Fields said finding the best talent is extremely difficult and they have to do what nobody else is doing. He said having the designations help them recruit people as they sometimes have dozens if not hundreds of applicants for a position. This allows Tri County Tech to get the best talent and put out the best product.

Tri County Tech is one of two public education institutions in the nation to be awarded the prestigious recognition from Fortune and the only in Oklahoma. Fortune ranked 100 companies for the list. QuikTrip is routinely on the list, so being in good company is something to be excited about as well. Fields said he hopes more Oklahoma companies can make it on the list in the future and be in good standings with Tri County Tech.

Vision 2020 was rolled out by Tri County Tech in 2008 with the hopes of being named as one of the top places to work in the nation. Fields said TCT was named as a Great Place to Work four times since then. He said TCT rolled out Vision 2025 last year with the goal of being one of the Top 20 places to work in the nation. The organization went on and achieved a five-year goal in one year.

Fields said they know they've transformed Tri County Tech's culture into a "world class culture capable of world class results." He said to accomplish this goal during a global pandemic shows that they're really doing everything they need to do to take care of their employees.

The employee retention rate is approximately 90-percent, according to Fields. When openings do occur, Fields said they normally have people call quickly because they want to be part of the team at Tri County Tech. He said having a brand and a reputation of being a great place to work helps them tremendously when they do need to recruit new talent, which doesn't happen often.

Tri County Tech is honored to represent the communities they serve in Washington, Osage and Nowata counties. Fields said they're proud of their employees for receiving a tremendous recognition. He said Tri County Tech will continue to take care of their staff each and every day.