Both Carfax and Edmunds recently received recognition for the quality of their workplaces.

For the eighth time in a row, Carfax is a Great Place to Work in the D.C. area, according to Washingtonian. It’s the first instance a company has earned that level of recognition that many times on the publication’s biennial list of top workplaces.

Meanwhile, Edmunds was included in Entrepreneur’s Top Company Cultures list, a comprehensive ranking of U.S.-based businesses exhibiting high-performance cultures. Created in partnership with culture management software and service provider CultureIQ, the Top Company Cultures list ranks Edmunds as one of the top 50 large companies, and recognizes the company for creating an exceptional culture that drives employee engagement, exceeds employee expectations and directly contributes to company success.

Bolstered by what it described as a people-first culture and state-of-the-art work environment, Carfax said it has built a reputation as the choice for innovative thinkers and career-seekers. Carfax employees often cite the mission-driven focus of the company, teamwork and emphasis on individual strengths as the principles most valuable to their success.

“We’re thrilled that our team once again earned a spot on Washingtonian’s list for what fuels our great culture,” said Adrienne Webster, vice president of human resources at Carfax. “Sure, we’ve got an office full of cool gadgets, games and creature comforts for us and the newest members of team Carfax, our dogs. We believe a great culture grows from healthy competition, knowing your work makes a difference to millions, and being rewarded for your efforts.”

Carfax recently expanded in the D.C. area, adding 25,000 square feet to its Cushman & Wakefield-managed Fairfax County offices. The company also is hiring dozens of programmers and data engineers to help innovative solutions like Carfax Used Car Listings and Carfax History-Based Value be the standard for used-vehicle buyers and sellers.

Carfax employees work in an open, collaborative environment that fosters teamwork yet gives people plenty of personal space. Carfax also works together to give back to the local community, most notably the annual Bike to the Beach ride, for which they raised more than $48,000 towards autism research in 2016.

“One of the keys to our success is playing to the strengths of each Team Carfax member,” Webster said. “Being at the forefront of innovation in the consumer information world gives our team the chance to grow and take on new challenges. We invest in cutting-edge tools and technologies that contribute to the growth of our employees and our products. People love working here because the resources they need to thrive are readily available to them.”

Carfax also earned distinction as a Best Place to Work in Virginia for 2017 from Virginia Business. The company made the inaugural list in 2011 and has been recognized every year since.

In addition to Washingtonian and Virginia Business, Carfax ranked on top places to work lists from The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com.

Carfax president Dick Raines, who recently celebrated 25 years with the company, was voted as one of the nation’s most-liked business leaders in 2016 through Glassdoor.com.

Meanwhile on the West Coast, Edmunds chief executive officer Avi Steinlauf described the work atmosphere that generated the company’s latest accolade.

“At Edmunds, our people are our greatest asset, so we place a great deal of emphasis on creating a corporate culture that caters to them as people, not just employees,” Steinlauf said. "From policies including a Results-Only Work Environment and extended parental leave, to bonus perks like cash toward vacations and our award-winning ‘Edquarters’ office space, everything we do reflects our ethos that people are the backbone of our success and we work hard to make Edmunds a place they want to be.”

The full list, presenting a total of 153 companies categorized as small, medium or large companies — with 25-49 employees, 50-99 employees and more than 100 employees, respectively — is available on Entrepreneur.com. Core insights, behaviors and attributes that have helped to shape the high-performing cultures presented by the top companies are shared alongside practices to help other companies develop their own workplace environments.

The list shares core insights, behaviors and attributes that have helped shape the top companies' high-performing cultures as well as practices to help other companies develop their own workplace environments.

“Great company cultures don't happen on their own. They’re the result of great leadership, and a conscious effort to make everyone on a team feel engaged and important,” said Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur. “The honorees on our 2017 list are proof that strong cultures make even stronger companies. Entrepreneurs at all levels can draw inspiration from them.”

The rankings for all companies were determined using CultureIQ’s methodology for measuring high-performance cultures. Employees at each company received a survey of multiple-choice questions, and the answers were used to assess a company’s strength across 10 core components of culture — collaboration, innovation and communication to name a few.

The companies with the highest scores joined the Top Company Culture list in ranking order. To be considered for the ranking, a company must have at least 25 employees, have been founded before Jan. 1, 2015, and be headquartered in the U.S.

“A high-performance culture leads not only to employee engagement but also to measurable business results,” said Greg Besner, founder and CEO of CultureIQ. “These organizations show us that great companies start with great culture.”