Awards and recognition

Learn what sets Pinnacol apart.

Setting a standard of excellence

Pinnacol is committed to serving our customers, employees and the community with compassion, integrity and a dedication to excellence. We’re proud to be recognized for our exceptional team and positive impact.

2025

Pinnacol earns 85 in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index

Pinnacol has received a score of 85 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRCF) 2025 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Pinnacol joins the 1,449 U.S. businesses that were also ranked in the 2025 – the highest number of rated companies since the start of the CEI in 2002.

2024

Pinnacol named a finalist for Best Corporate Steward by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Pinnacol is proud to be recognized nationally by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation alongside our country's strongest business and civic leaders. The 25th Annual Citizens Awards named Pinnacol a finalist for Best Corporate Steward, Large Business for its leadership in supporting employers, Colorado's workforce and communities. This prestigious program honors the most innovative and impactful initiatives that leverage a company’s talent, resources, and expertise to improve communities.

Colorado Department of Labor & Employment and Apprenticeship Colorado name Pinnacol apprentice An “Andy” Tran 2024 Outstanding Apprentice of the Year

Every year, the Colorado Apprenticeship Awards honors apprentices, mentors, employers, programs, and the partners and champions who unite them. Andy was honored as 2024 Outstanding Apprentice for his dedication, innovative thinking, and positive impact on Pinnacol and its apprenticeship program.

The Colorado Sun readers award Pinnacol with Best Insurance (Commercial) for second consecutive year

It’s an honor to be named the 2024 Best Insurance in the Denver Metro Area by the readers of The Colorado Sun. Pinnacol extends a heartfelt thank-you to our extraordinary customers, employees and community for the support and for the voter-driven honor.

Pinnacol honored with four 2024 Top Workplaces USA Culture Excellence Awards

Each spring and fall, the Culture Excellence Awards are given to companies within the U.S. — broken down by size band — that achieve top scores on employee sentiment related to workplace culture. This fall Pinnacol is recognized for Employee Well-Being, DEI Practices, Employee Appreciation and Professional Development, marking consecutive wins for the second, third and even fourth year in a row.

Pinnacol leader named among the 50 Women of Impact Tech honorees

Congratulations to Pinnacol’s Christine Dharma, CPC, ELI-MP, MBA, for being named on the inaugural list of women to watch in the tech industry. She was recognized as a standout in making strides to promote DEI and gender equity in the tech space and opening doors so the next generation of leaders can thrive.

Monster and Energage recognize Pinnacol among 10 Top Workplaces for Remote Work

In this brand-new addition to the Top Workplaces program, Pinnacol is recognized nationally for creating an outstanding remote work environment that’s dedicated to employee satisfaction and productivity. The 10 Top Workplaces for Remote Work award is based solely on employee feedback.

Pinnacol named to Built In’s national 2024 Best Places to Work

For the third year in a row, Pinnacol has been honored with the Best Places to Work award by Built In, an online community for national startups and tech companies. The award program recognizes companies that offer the best compensation packages, total rewards and culture programs among their peers.

Pinnacol honored with five Top Workplaces USA Culture Excellence Awards

Each spring and fall, the Culture Excellence Awards are given to companies within the U.S. — broken down by size band — that achieve top scores on employee sentiment related to compensation and benefits, innovation, leadership, purpose and value, and work-life flexibility.

Jamie Villarreal-Basset named a 2024 Top 50 DEI Professional by OnCon Icon Awards

The global, peer-voted award recognizes Jamie as a top DEI professional, honoring her impact on Pinnacol Assurance and her professional community through thought leadership, innovation and exceptional leadership.

Pinnacol named Outstanding Employer by Professionals in Workers’ Compensation

Pinnacol was recognized as an outstanding employer, underscoring its leadership within Colorado’s workers’ comp community. Pinnacol’s partnership with PWC builds confidence and trust among members while fostering networking and education for professionals in the industry.

Pinnacol honored as Silver Stevie® Award winner in 2024 American Business Awards® in the Company of the Year - Insurance category

Pinnacol was recognized nationally for its altruism and operational excellence and positive impact on customers, industry and community. The award considered Pinnacol’s financial performance and stewardship, workplace safety programs, customer and injured worker satisfaction, corporate citizenship, and award-winning apprenticeship program.

Pinnacol honored as Silver Stevie® Award winner in 2024 American Business Awards® in the Achievement in Customer Satisfaction category

Winning the Achievement in Customer Satisfaction award is a testament to Pinnacol’s industry-leading and record-setting customer NPS and IWS, especially among Spanish-preferred customers. Pinnacol’s customer satisfaction scores, which are well above the industry benchmark, showcase its achievements.

Denver Post Top Workplaces ranks Pinnacol as the No. 4 large employer in Colorado

For the eighth consecutive year, Pinnacol Assurance was ranked as a top 10 employer in Colorado. This year, we were named fourth in the large company category, up from fifth place in 2023.

CareerWise Colorado recognizes Pinnacol with inaugural Enduring Employer Partner award

Julie Wilmes, apprentice program manager, accepted the award on Pinnacol’s behalf at the 2024 CareerWise Colorado Youth Apprenticeship Week Celebration. Wilmes has been a key architect of Pinnacol’s apprenticeship program since 2017. As an educator and an ally, she has directly supported over 70 apprentices, ensuring they have access to meaningful career pathways.

Amelia Morton honored with Gold Stevie® Award for Recruiting/Talent Acquisition Professional of the Year by the 2024 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers

Amelia received international recognition for her individual contributions to creating a best-in-class candidate experience and transforming Pinnacol’s recruitment and onboarding processes. Her strategic efforts to diversify recruitment initiatives and foster trust and inclusivity underscore that Pinnacol is a great place to work.

Forbes Advisor names Pinnacol a best workers’ compensation insurer of 2024

For the second consecutive year, Forbes Advisor names Pinnacol among the top five best workers’ compensation carriers. Pinnacol received five out of five stars in the evaluation of 25 large insurers.

Paola Ruiz-Portillo recognized as a 40 Under 40 Leader by the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

As Pinnacol Assurance's diversity, equity and inclusion specialist, Paola has been instrumental in creating a culture of inclusion and challenging inequitable practices. She is recognized for her leadership and advocacy for Latine and LGBTQ+ employees, significantly impacting the organization and the community.

The 2024 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers recognize Pinnacol team with Bronze Stevie® Award in the Recruiting/Talent Acquisition Team of the Year category

Pinnacol was recognized as being among the world’s best human resources teams for creating a great place to work through an industry-leading recruitment and retention strategy. This strategy enhances the recruitment experience and advances diversity initiatives, fostering an inclusive and dynamic work environment.

Pinnacol Assurance named to Ward’s 50 Superior Insurance Providers

For seven consecutive years, Pinnacol has been named to Ward 50's Superior Insurance Providers. This achievement places Pinnacol in the top 2% of nearly 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies evaluated by Aon, underscoring Pinnacol's sound fiscal management and dedication to delivering both long-term value to its policyholders and caring protection to workers.

Pinnacol named 2024 Top Workplaces Financial Services award winner

Pinnacol has been named a 2024 Top Workplaces Financial Services award winner, ranking 27th on the list. This is the fourth year in a row we've received this national recognition.

2023

Top Workplaces recognizes Pinnacol nationally with four Culture Excellence awards

Based solely on valued employee feedback, the Culture Excellence awards are given to companies within the U.S. — broken down by size band — that achieve top scores on statements relating to employee culture. Pinnacol won awards for DE&I Practices (new), Employee Well-Being (repeat), Employee Appreciation (new) and Professional Development (repeat).

Pinnacol Vice President and CFO Kathy Kranz named a Digital Insurance 2023 Women in Insurance Leadership honoree

Digital Insurance's leadership program recognizes the women leading the insurance industry's transformation.

Pinnacol’s vice president of operations receives 2023 Denver Business Journal C-Suite Award

Quincy Douglass was recognized for his key contributions to Pinnacol’s mission to care for Colorado in a rapidly changing work environment. Douglass was celebrated with the 2023 Denver Business Journal C-Suite Award for spearheading transformative initiatives that have earned record-setting injured worker satisfaction scores and for his contributions to Pinnacol’s award-winning DEI program.

The Colorado Sun readers award Pinnacol Best Insurance (Commercial) in the Denver Metro area

It’s an honor to be named the Best Insurance in the Denver Metro Area by the readers of The Colorado Sun. Pinnacol extends a heartfelt thank-you to our extraordinary customers, employees and community for the support and for the voter-driven honor.

National Association of Corporate Directors names Pinnacol a top-four finalist for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion award in the Not-for-Profit category

NACD the authority on boardroom practices and representing more than 23,000 corporate board members recognizes forward-thinking boards that leverage the power of DEI to enhance their governance, create long-term value, and build innovative and inclusive workplaces and boardrooms.

Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce recognizes Pinnacol as Inaugural Business of the Week

Pinnacol was recognized as the Inaugural Business of the Week for being a model in the community for our efforts to champion neurodiversity and celebrate unique strengths in the workplace.

Forbes Advisor names Pinnacol a 2023 best workers’ compensation insurer

Each year, Forbes Advisor names the highest-rated workers’ compensation carriers, based on financial strength rated by AM Best and the level of upheld complaints made to state insurance departments and collected by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Pinnacol named No. 5 top workplace in Colorado by the Denver Post

For the seventh consecutive year, Pinnacol has been awarded a Top Workplaces honor by The Denver Post. In recent years, The Denver Post has named Pinnacol the top large employer in the state and a top employer for work-life balance. Pinnacol also received a special award this year indicating Pinnacol scored the highest among all employers for managers caring about employee concerns.

Join our culture of care

Our award-winning culture is a result of the talented individuals who make up our team. At Pinnacol, find a workplace that values your contributions, supports your growth and celebrates your success.