St. Mark’s Living — along with other Ecumen communities — has been named one of Minnesota’s Best Places to Work by the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Business Journal for the eighth time.

Ecumen is one of 55 companies that received the honor, out of about 200 companies that vyed for the award. Ecumen was honored in the large-company category along with organizations such as U.S. Bancorp, Ameriprise and Comcast. Rankings are based on employee surveys in a variety of categories such as work environment, teamwork, embracing innovation, people practices and personal growth and development.

“It is especially rewarding to be named a best work place eight times,” said Robin Dunbar, Ecumen’s vice president of human resources. “This is a tribute to the dedication of our employees, and to the importance of our culture, which is all about innovation, empowerment and honor.”

“We’re very fortunate at St. Mark’s Living to attract talented people in the community who want to work with us and make lives better,” said Chris Schulz, Executive Director at St. Mark’s. “Empowering our employees in turn empowers the people we serve. It’s a dynamic combination.”

St. Mark’s Living employs 147 people locally, and Ecumen employs nearly 4,000, primarily in Minnesota. Ecumen also operates in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Idaho, serving more than 10,000 seniors. Ecumen, based in Shoreview, Minn., is one of the nation’s top 20 largest nonprofit providers of senior housing and aging services.