BZI® (bzi.com), a top steel and construction company nationally recognized for transformative innovations in its industries, continues to receive significant recognition for its exceptional work culture. The company announced today that it has been honored with several USA TODAY Top Workplaces 2026 Awards highlighting BZI as one of the best companies to work for in the nation. BZI received the following 2026 recognition for companies with 500-999 employees:
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- Leadership Award to BZI CEO James Barlow
- #1 Employer for Frontline Workers Award; and
- #7 USA TODAY Top Workplaces
BZI leaders accepted and celebrated the recognition with other national companies focused on developing and fostering thriving cultures, at the recent USA TODAY Top Workplaces Annual Conference. Spencer Douglas, BZI’s Chief Marketing Officer, shared the company’s approach to facilitating a positive and thriving employee culture with conference attendees.
“Earning a USA TODAY Top Workplaces award is a testament to an organization’s credibility and commitment to a people-first culture,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “These awards, driven by real employee feedback, are more than just a recognition — it’s proof that your employees believe in the organization and its leadership. Job seekers and customers look for this trusted badge of credibility and excellence. It signals a company that values its people, and that kind of culture resonates in today’s competitive market.”
The award honors organizations with 150 or more employees that have created exceptional, people-first cultures. This year, more than 42,000 organizations were invited to participate. The winners are recognized for their commitment to fostering a workplace environment that values employee listening and engagement. Recipients are determined by authentic employee feedback captured through a confidential survey conducted by Energage, the HR research and technology company behind the Top Workplaces program since 2006. The results are calculated based on employee responses to statements about Workplace Experience Themes, which are proven indicators of high performance.
The 2026 USA TODAY Top Workplaces Leadership Award recognizes top-performing executives of organizations with 150+ employees, based on employee feedback. It highlights those leaders who inspire confidence in company direction, demonstrate care for employees, and cultivate an exceptional, people-first culture, as surveyed by Energage. The award is determined solely by anonymous employee feedback collected by Energage, and shines a light on leaders who are deemed to have a clear vision, high integrity, and a supportive, caring approach to management.
“Creating high-value opportunities and building thriving communities is the driving purpose of everything we do at BZI,” said James Barlow, CEO of BZI. “The distinguished recognition from Top Workplaces is extremely meaningful to me personally and the company. It represents honest feedback from the team and their expectations. We are honored that our team members feel valued and fulfilled.”
“James is an exceptional leader who consistently exemplifies all the qualities needed to build the outstanding culture at BZI, resulting in success and exponential growth as a cohesive, healthy and wholistic organization,” added Thomas Harker, President at BZI. “James inspires us and leads with his actions and commitment. I am humbled to work alongside and benefit from his visionary strategy, leadership and authenticity.”
The several 2026 USA TODAY Top Workplaces awards join the additional eight Top Workplaces Culture Excellence and Industry Awards, BZI announced in early April. BZI was recognized with the Construction Industry Award and seven culture awards for the following areas of accomplishment:
- Innovation
- Compensation & Benefits
- Leadership
- Purpose & Values
- Employee Appreciation
- Professional Development
- Employee Well-Being
“A culture starts at the top, and all of our 2026 Top Workplaces awards illustrate many unique and impactful approaches that set the company apart. James Barlow would be the first to say that all of our Top Workplaces awards are due only to the collective and committed efforts of all of our team members,” added Harker.
ABOUT BZI
Considered one of the top steel and construction organizations, the BZI® group of companies headquartered in Kanarraville, Utah, operates through three primary organizations: Building Zone Industries, LLC is responsible for steel erection, while BZI Steel, LLC specializes in steel fabrication. InnovaTech®, LLC specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing innovative construction equipment and processes to enhance efficiency and safety on the job.
BZI’s solution to the construction industry’s labor shortage is accomplished through a partnership with the BZI Academy™. The academy provides training, certifications and continuing education to all its team members. An exclusive technical, safety, vocational and leadership training center, the academy provides training in OSHA (10) and (30) certifications, equipment operations, fall protection and industry-specific welding certifications. Since 2021, the academy, formerly known as SteelTech Academy, has issued thousands of certifications across these disciplines and logged over 33,000 student contact hours in 2025. As part of this expansive training curriculum, the academy also offers a Department of Labor certified Apprenticeship Program, helping to shape relevant skills and advance careers for those wanting to pursue construction as a vocation.
The company continues to receive numerous industry awards and accolades for its exceptional performance and contributions to its industries. The company has been the recipient of:
- BZI’s President Thomas Harker honored in 2026 Utah Business Forty Under 40
- BZI named No. 6 in ENR’s List of Top 20 Steel Companies
- The Salt Lake Tribune named BZI No.3 Utah Top Workplaces 2025 for Large Businesses
- BZI®’s affiliate InnovaTech® — First place in the 2025 Utah Business Innovation Awards in the Industrial Manufacturing category
- No. 1 Construction Top Workplaces
- Inc. Best in Business 2024 for Construction: BZI Innovation Park
- USA Today’s Top Workplaces (Second year – Ranked No. 11 in the nation for midsize companies in 2025)
- Utah Business Fast 50 (No. 12 ranking)
- Top Workplaces Construction Industry Award
- Salt Lake City Tribune Top Workplaces for two years (No. 5 ranking in 2024)
- One Utah Summit “Rural Rockstar” Award presented by Utah Governor Cox
- Best Employer by Cedar City Chamber of Commerce
- CEO of the Year by Cedar City Chamber of Commerce
- CEO of the Year 2025 Award – Utah Business
- Trade Partner in Safety Excellence (Layton Construction)
BZI is a proud member of and accredited by AISC, an organization that has recognized BZI with its top safety awards, the “Erector Award of Honor” and “Safety Award of Merit.” CEO James Barlow serves on the Forbes Business Council and Inc. Leadership Forum and is a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award. Jakob Harker, President of InnovaTech, is a proud member of the Fast Company Executive Board, an organization of select senior executives, founders, business owners, and industry experts who are defining the future of business.
BZI’s mission is to revolutionize the steel construction industry through innovation and team performance, while accelerating project delivery and setting new standards in safety and efficiency.
BZI is completing and executing major construction projects across the United States and is recognized as a leading provider of innovative construction solutions nationwide. Its reputation for excellent client and operational performance is attracting premier companies from around the world. These organizations are building with BZI as a trade partner and bringing new economic opportunities across the U.S. through the many BZI projects. Top customer industries include data centers, e-commerce retail, manufacturing facilities for batteries, aerospace, microchips, electric vehicles and food and beverage.
For more information about BZI, visit bzi.com, email office@bzi.com, or call 888.509.2280.
ABOUT ENERGAGE
Making the world a better place to work together. Energage™ is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 20 years of culture research and the results from 30 million employees surveyed across more than 80,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.
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