New Jersey Companies Named 2009 Best Employers

Applications Set Record for 9 Year Old Program; New Hospital-Health Care Honor Established

Washington, DC – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield in Newark, Atlantic Health in Morristown, Avis Budget Car Rental in Parsippany, Solix, Inc. in Whippany and Pearson based in Upper Saddle River have been named by AARP to its 2009 list of Best Employers for Workers 50 and Over.

More than 200 employers applied for Best Employers honors, the highest total in the nine year history of the program designed to highlight exemplary policies toward aged 50 and over workers.

“We are delighted that these five employers have been selected,” said AARP Senior State Director Jim Dieterle. “They all offered a number of progressive policies in their approach toward older workers,” he added.

A separate hospitals and health care Best Employers honor roll was established by AARP for the first time this year. AARP decided to set up a separate category in order to acknowledge efforts in the health care field to creatively deal with shortages in qualified workers that have faced the health care industry for years.

Atlantic Health made the list in the first year of this Hospitals-Health Care list of Best Employers for Workers Over 50. Not only may employees take advantage of programs, development opportunities, and free continuing education unit classes, but retirees are also able to tap into a large list of retirement planning workshops. Thirty-four percent of Atlantic Health employees are ages 50+.

Horizon BCBS, #32 on the company Best Employers list, was also named in 2008. The company is in its second year of the Journey to Health program, which is a five-year health and productivity initiative that is coupled with classes and activity programs to reach and maintain a healthy style of living. Twenty-four percent of Horizon Blue’s employees are ages 50+.

At #34, this year marks Solix Inc.’s inaugural appearance on the AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 list. Nearly half of the workforce at Solix Inc. is age 50 or older. Both current workers and retirees younger than age 65 receive long-term care coverage.

Avis Budget Car Rental, #35, was on the list in 2001. The company stays attuned to the needs of its employees by conducting employee opinion surveys every 18 months. Almost half of its workforce (47 percent) is age 50+.

2009 is the second consecutive year that Pearson has appeared on the AARP Best Employers for Workers over 50 list. Pearson, #38, utilizes senior placement agencies to target and recruit mature workers and offers both employees and retirees access to long-term care coverage.

Any U.S.-based employer with at least 50 employees is eligible to apply for the Best Employers award. Candidates are vetted to ensure that practices meet the needs of mature workers.

AARP The Magazine will feature the 2009 Best Employers in its November-December issue, available in homes September 24.

See more information on the 2009 Best Employers.