Honorees showcase how modern HCM strategies are transforming operations, talent and business performance
ROSELAND, N.J., April 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At its 41st annual ADP Meeting of the Minds conference, ADP announced the winners of the 2026 HCM Distinction Awards, recognizing five organizations -- Northwood Investors, Thrive Restaurant Group, Four Seasons, LRS, and Charter Schools USA -- that are setting a new standard for how companies support their people while driving business performance. These leaders are leveraging integrated HCM solutions to create more connected, engaged and innovative workplaces.
Hear how the 2026 honorees are transforming work
The awards honor a select group of large employers leveraging HCM technology to improve agility, elevate culture, drive innovation and deliver stronger employee and candidate experiences. Selected from a competitive pool, each honoree demonstrates a clear commitment to HCM excellence. Winners were recognized at ADP Meeting of the Minds, an event that for more than 40 years has convened leaders to share insights, explore new technologies and spotlight leading practices.
"Organizations today are being asked to move faster, operate smarter and deliver more meaningful employee experiences, often all at once," said Jimmy Adams, president of National Account Services at ADP. "What sets this year's winners apart is how they've turned their HCM strategy into a competitive advantage using data, automation and insight not just to support the business, but to actively shape its future."
Agility at Work Award Winner: Northwood Investors
This award honors an organization that has shown remarkable agility in the dynamic world of work, leading to enhanced efficiencies, optimal resource allocation and a thriving workforce.
Northwood Investors, a privately owned real estate investment firm operating across the U.S. and Europe, required real-time workforce visibility, strong compliance controls and the ability to rapidly integrate new acquisitions. Working with ADP to unify payroll, benefits and workforce management, Northwood created a centralized, scalable HCM foundation that delivers real-time data across its portfolio and accelerates due diligence. Today, Northwood operates with a more agile, data-driven HR function that supports growth, strengthens compliance and enhances the employee experience across its global footprint.
Culture at Work Award Winner: Thrive Restaurant Group
This award celebrates an organization that drives sustained employee engagement through a dynamic, best-in-class workplace culture.
Thrive Restaurant Group, a family-owned restaurant operator with more than 200 locations across 19 states, has scaled from 2,000 to 8,000 employees while maintaining a deeply people-first culture grounded in trust and personal ownership. To support that growth, Thrive worked with ADP to consolidate nine disparate systems into a unified HCM platform, streamlining payroll, benefits, compliance and onboarding while enabling real-time data insights. Mobile self-service tools now empower employees and managers, while Voice of the Employee surveys provide continuous feedback at critical milestones. Thrive reduced turnover by 57%, generating an estimated $3.5 million in annual savings. Today, with a simplified, data-driven HCM foundation, Thrive continues to strengthen its culture with intention, reinforcing engagement, improving retention and positioning itself as an employer of choice in a highly competitive industry.
Global Solutions at Work Award Winner: Four Seasons
This award features a global organization that exemplifies leadership in human capital management by effectively harnessing advanced digital technologies and streamlining and simplifying its organization.
As Four Seasons continues to grow its global footprint, the luxury hospitality company is investing in scalable, consistent workforce solutions that support its people-first culture. Working with ADP, Four Seasons has introduced standardized global payroll processes that enable rapid onboarding of new properties and uninterrupted payroll operations. Integrated workforce management and analytics tools strengthen scheduling and pay insights, while mobile self-service provides employees with a seamless, consistent experience across markets.
Innovation at Work Award Winner: LRS
This award recognizes an organization that has demonstrated a commitment to driving workplace innovation.
LRS, a privately held waste and recycling company in the United States with more than 50 locations and 2,300 employees, experienced rapid growth through more than 50 acquisitions, creating strain on manual HR processes, reducing workforce visibility and increasing compliance complexity across a multi-state, union and nonunion workforce. Working with ADP, LRS unified hiring, onboarding, workforce management and payroll into a single, data-driven platform, introducing standardized, compliant workflows and enabling faster integration of acquisitions. Real-time dashboards, position management and salary benchmarking have transformed workforce planning, improving labor forecasting, reducing turnover and strengthening cost control, while built-in compliance guardrails support adherence to evolving labor requirements.
Talent at Work Award Winner: Charter Schools USA
This award showcases an organization that consistently drives process advancements and performance throughout the talent journey, resulting in enhanced efficiencies, optimized resources and a better experience for candidates and employees.
Charter Schools USA (CSUSA), an education management organization serving more than 81,000 students across 154 schools, faced increasing administrative complexity, limited visibility into staffing needs and high turnover in a competitive labor market. Working with ADP to implement an integrated HCM platform, including advanced recruiting workflows and position management, CSUSA streamlined hiring, improved candidate experience and aligned staffing with budget and enrollment needs. Enhanced data visibility and analytics enabled more proactive retention strategies, while HR maintained a flat operational headcount as the workforce grew significantly. CSUSA's data-driven talent strategy has transformed HR into a strategic function that supports educator success and advances its mission to deliver strong outcomes for students.
For more information on ADP Meeting of the Minds, visit motm.adp.com.
About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
ADP has been shaping the world of work with innovation and expertise for more than 75 years. As a global leader in HR and payroll solutions, ADP continuously works to solve business challenges for our clients and their workers, from simple, easy-to-use tools for small businesses to fully integrated platforms for global enterprises -- and everything in between. Always Designing for People means we're focused on just that - people. We use our unmatched AI-driven insights and proven expertise to design innovative solutions that help people achieve greater success at work. More than 1.1 million clients across 140+ countries rely on ADP's exceptional service to support their people and drive their business forward. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits, Compliance, and Payroll. Learn more at ADP.com
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