Companies With the Best and Worst Reputations

The Walt Disney Company has one of the best reputations of any company. The media colossus has businesses in television, motion pictures, and theme parks, and is one of the most recognized brands in the world. Disney’s successful, and often innovative, forays into multiple entertainment mediums keeps it in the pantheon of great American companies.

The reputation of the Burbank, California-based company also likely benefits from its philanthropic pursuits. Disney donated over $348 million in 2017 alone to nonprofits that benefit needy children, families, and communities. The company is also environmentally conscious, aiming to reduce net emissions by 50% by 2020.

L.L. Bean has developed a reputation for making quality outdoor apparel and footwear products — even after changing its century-old lifetime return policy in 2018. Though revocation of the long standing policy was met with some customer relations blowback, L.L. Bean still offers a one-year window after purchase in which dissatisfied customers can return a product for a full refund. The Freeport, Maine-based company has been highly regarded also as a company to work for. About two out of three employees who reviewed the company on Glassdoor would recommend the company to a friend, and 81% approved the job done by CEO Stephen Smith.

Patagonia, along with L.L. Bean, is one of two clothing companies to rank on this list. Patagonia has built its reputation on the quality of its apparel. The company guarantees the quality of all of its products and offers refunds, replacements, or repairs for customers who are not satisfied.

Founded in 1972 by outdoorsman and visionary Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia has also built its reputation through a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship. For nearly three and a half decades, the company has donated 1% of all revenue to environmental organizations. The company also had a high profile initiative in 2016, donating 100% of revenue from online sales on Black Friday — the biggest shopping day of the year — to environmental groups. That day, online sales totalled a record breaking $10 million — five times the anticipated volume.

E-commerce powerhouse Amazon.com disrupted the retail landscape as it branched out from selling books online. Amazon, with a market cap of more than $867 billion, competes against media companies such as Netflix, internet search businesses like Google, and has gone up against Uber for on-demand transportation. The company gets high marks from its own employees. Among employee reviews on Glassdoor, 74% would recommend the company to a friend, and 85% approved of CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world.

Amazon conducted a very public search for a second headquarters that drew in submissions from 238 cities in North America. The Seattle, Washington-based company settled on splitting the second headquarters location between Long Island City in Queens and Arlington County, Virginia. Amazon, however, announced plans to cancel its Queens location amid criticism over its anticipated $3 billion in tax-breaks and allegations from activists and unions that the company mistreats its workers.

Wegmans has the best reputation of any company on the list, after finishing second last year. The supermarket chain has 98 stores in northeastern and mid-Atlantic states and employs about 49,000 people. At the top of the corporate food chain of the family-owned Wegmans are Chairman Danny Wegman; President and CEO Colleen Wegman, Danny’s daughter; and Senior Vice President Nicole Wegman, another daughter.

Wegmans was cited for its high rankings in culture, ethics and citizenship categories in the Harris Poll. The chain is also recognized for hiring local residents. Wegmans has been named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For by Fortune since the list was first introduced in 1998.

Customers like the store for its specialty department service and high standards for produce. Employees hold Wegman’s in high regard because they believe the company truly cares about them. Wegmans also offers scholarships and tuition assistance to its employees. Not surprisingly, 84% of employees who reviewed the company for Glassdoor would recommend Wegmans to a friend, and 94% approved of the job of CEO Colleen Wegman.