Neighborly, a franchisor of home service brands, has been named to Inc. magazine's inaugural Best in Business list in the Enduring Impact category. Created by Inc., the Best in Business Awards honor companies that have gone above and beyond to make a positive difference. 

The list, which can be found in the winter issue of Inc. (on newsstands Dec. 29), recognizes small- and medium-size privately held American businesses that have had a superlative impact on their communities, their industries, the environment or society. 

“Our franchise owners and their employees are consistently raising the bar in terms of their dedication to serve their communities, and given we are in the midst of a global pandemic, I couldn’t be prouder to see our organization rewarded with this silver medal for the Enduring Impact Award from Inc.,” said Mike Bidwell, CEO and president of Neighborly. “We’ve gone above and beyond this year to prioritize the safety of our teams and customers while still fulfilling homeowners’ essential services needs through our family of brands, and receiving this award confirms that the work has been and will continue to be worth it.”

Instead of relying on quantitative criteria linked to sales or funding, Inc.'s editors reviewed the companies' achievements over the past year and noted how they made a positive difference in the world. They then selected honorees in more than 30 different industries — including health, software, retail, business services and more — and in age and revenue-based categories. The applicant pool was very competitive with around 2,700 entries and an acceptance rate in the low single digits — a huge success for these honors in their inaugural year.

"It's been an incredibly challenging year for companies,” said Scott Omelainuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Across industries, businesses have had to make brutally tough decisions and face unprecedented uncertainty. That's why we knew 2020 called for a new recognition program, something to complement our annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. For Best in Business, companies have prioritized tackling today’s problems to lead us to a better future, even if they’ve struggled to stay in the black."