On a Friday in mid-May, the double doors that lead into McKinstry Co.'s spacious lobby are left open, letting in furniture movers and the busy sounds of Third Avenue South. Workers stride past the receptionist in suits and jeans. CEO Dean Allen mingles with employees while buying a cup of clam chowder and a slice of Hawaiian-style pizza in the cafeteria, set beneath McKinstry's artfully transparent ceiling show-casing air ducts and beams.

With nearly a thousand employees in Washington alone, the Seattle-based mechanical and electrical contractor is no boutique operation. Yet, its corporate culture is endearing enough to land it at the top of the large companies on this year's employee-driven "Best Companies to Work For" list.

Nearly 60 percent of 993 employees participated in Washington CEO Magazine's voluntary and anonymous survey, consistently ranking their employer in the 80th to 90th percentile of 10 categories related to their job.

Leadership, which could be seen as a challenge for such a large company, garnered McKinstry an 8.66 out of 10, drawing accolades from employees for the company's business-unit management style. Employees also gave McKinstry an 8.7 out of 10 for communication.

The strategy is a simple one, says Allen. "You need to give employees some guidance and put them in a setting where they can be productive," he explains. "Our view is, everyone who comes to work for us wants to be productive and wants to do a good job. So, we provide them with the tools needed, so they don't have to sit around and wonder why they aren't." He adds: "That's sort of a virtuous cycle that's created, honoring them so they have the tools they need."

The company, which has 100,000 square feet of offices and 150,000 square feet of shop space at its Seattle headquarters, is in the midst of a multiphase renovation geared toward creating a more collaborative environment, says Director of Corporate Communications Genevieve Guinn.

McKinstry offers workers a cafeteria with local, gourmet, organic menu options, which it spends $150,000 a year to subsidize; a full-service gym with a $20 monthly membership fee; and through its in-house university, free classes on subjects such as wine tasting, e-mail communication, first aid, renewable energy projects and  managing personal finances.

Company-sponsored health benefits were expanded in January to include naturopathic services, following input from an employee satisfaction survey the company conducts biannually.

"We call ourselves a big fish in a little pond," says Mari Anderson, vice president of corporate development and human resources. "We like being that size and having that feel and getting to know each other," she says.

Anderson, who has been with the company for almost 15 years, says the company created committees and focus groups to help it become a more "purposeful" organization. Purposeful is a word that gets a lot of mileage among leaders there.

The company is also dedicated to clean energy sustainability, and in March hosted the first meeting for the Washington Clean Technology Alliance. A greenhouse is planned as a future common area, and the company is switching to biodegradable materials in its cafeteria, Anderson says. Stacked in her office, an assortment of disposable dishes made from sugarcane attests to that. "It doesn't hold up to heat very well," she says of the material.

Tangible amenities are "more enduring than flowery speeches" for Allen, who says increased productivity is not the driver for in-house benefits. "Our people are plenty productive," he says. "I think it respects that."

After all, his is the company that did the mechanical design and manufacture work for Qwest Field, Experience Music Project, the downtown Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle Art Museum and the Oregon Convention Center, among scores of other projects.