The Arbella Insurance Group Named One of Boston Business Journal's 2011 "Best Places to Work" for Third Year in a Row

QUINCY, MA--(Marketwire - Jun 1, 2011) - The Boston Business Journal has named the Arbella Insurance Group as one of the "Best Places to Work" for 2011. The award program recognizes small, medium and large-sized companies with high levels of employee satisfaction and positive workplace cultures. This marks the third consecutive year that Arbella has been recognized in the large business category.

The Arbella Insurance Group is a mutual insurance company based in Quincy, Mass., with 800 employees in the state and a network of more than 500 affiliated independent insurance agents. As a local company known for exceptional customer service, Arbella prides itself on attracting the best employees in the area. Seventy percent of Arbella employees have been with the company for five or more years, and more than 35 percent for at least 15 years.

"We're honored to be recognized for the third year in a row as one of the Best Places to Work in Massachusetts," said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group. "At Arbella, we strive to create a corporate culture where employees feel good about coming to work every day. It's simple: happy employees translate into strong customer relationships. Our employees consistently provide exceptional service with friendly and honest communication. Their dedication and commitment to our company values help build trust and loyalty with our agents and customers. We couldn't be more proud of our team."

Arbella's commitment to its employees has truly shaped the company's culture. The investment Arbella makes in its employees goes beyond the paycheck to include a highly competitive benefits package that continuously evolves with employees' needs. Employees believe strongly in the direction the company is going; they trust and value their co-workers; and they appreciate the formal career training, true work-life balance and healthcare benefits offered at Arbella. Employees also enjoy the stable environment of a financially strong organization that, even in a struggling economy, consistently produces excellent financial results and, in fact, plans a five percent growth in employee headcount in 2011.

In addition, Arbella fosters an environment where employees can devote time to giving back to charities important to them. For example, Arbella employees ran, walked, swam and pedaled in more than 30 events last year -- volunteering almost 2,000 hours of their time -- to raise more than $18,000 for local charities. Arbella employees also regularly volunteer their time through the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation to make a positive difference in the lives of people in New England.

"Arbella understands that success at work is linked to the contributions we also make to our family, friends and community," said Mike Kenneally, an Arbella market research analyst. "I'm lucky to work with amazing people at a company that values and supports employees in so many ways."

Each year, the "Best Places to Work" program recognizes 75 small, medium, and large-size businesses whose benefits and unique initiatives put them ahead of the employee satisfaction curve. Winners are selected after employees from more than 300 Massachusetts-based companies participate in an anonymous survey that includes questions about company benefits, atmosphere, values and loyalty. The survey results are analyzed by a third-party research firm, and the winners are broken down into three categories based on size.

"Our Best Places to Work event recognizes the importance of cultivating a great workplace culture as a competitive advantage," said Chris McIntosh, publisher of the Boston Business Journal. "Companies on our list can be justifiably proud of creating a high level of workplace satisfaction during an economy where traditional rewards like big raises and bonuses aren't as easy to give."

The "Best Places to Work" rankings will be released at a June 9^th breakfast ceremony.

About the Arbella Insurance Group
Established in 1988, the Arbella Insurance Group (www.arbella.com) is a company with over $600M in revenue with approximately $1B in assets, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Arbella is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.