The eight years during which the Best Places to Work rankings have been compiled haven’t included the best of times.

Just four years ago the housing and financial crisis struck and put financial institutions around the nation in a harsh spotlight.

It’s telling then that the three businesses to most consistently rank as great employers in Kentucky are a bank and two investment firms.

Edward Jones has been ranked in the state’s competition for seven of the last eight years. Hilliard Lyons has made the list for six consecutive years as has Owensboro-based Independence Bank.

All three qualify as large employers in the state (250 or more U.S. employees), and all have offices in western Kentucky.

Edward Jones

Headquarters: St. Louis

Offices: 11,100 in North America, including 10 in McCracken County and 17 more in far western Kentucky and extreme southern Illinois

Kentucky employees: 354

*Source: Company, Best Places to Work as of Dec. 1

Freedom and ownership are two key tenets at Edward Jones that makes it a great place to work, said Heath Bowling, who heads the company’s Broadway office.

“You have freedom to run your practice how you want to run it, as long as you are legal, ethical and, at the end of the day, profitable,” Bowling said.

“Edward Jones consistently ranks as a good place to work because they give you the freedom within their framework to serve your clients how they want to be served.”

Being privately owned by the employees enhances everyone’s stake in the company’s success at all levels, Bowling said.

“They also invest in their people,” Bowling said. He said training sessions in and out of the local office keep workers current and innovative.

Even the sound lending practices at regional banks, and a much more stable local housing market than in some coastal states, couldn’t stave off all of the effects of the financial crisis. But Bowling said confidence has returned to local investors.

He said the fact that Edward Jones didn’t sway from its way of doing business before, during and after the financial crisis has allowed its local offices to offer stability in unstable times.

Hilliard Lyons

Headquarters: Louisville

Offices: 70 in 13 states, including Paducah, Murray and Kevil

Kentucky employees: 591

*Source: Company, Best Places to Work as of Dec. 1

Part of the Hilliard Lyons culture is to promote an entrepreneurial spirit within its employees, said Hal Sullivan, Paducah branch manager and 29-year Hilliard Lyons employee.

“That’s not just in the sales force but in the service side and administrative side, too,” Sullivan said. “We are given the latitude to bring new ideas and implement them.”

That helps lead to an approval rating with clients of more than 95 percent, and a feeling of flexibility should client needs change, Sullivan said.

Another employee-owned company, the Louisville-based firm’s offices in Murray, Kevil and Paducah employ long-time workers who feel they have a stake in the business.

And their sense of pride and ownership only strengthened through the financial crisis.

“When economic times are harder, we want to try to add extra value to our client experience,” Sullivan said. “And we’re able to do more than just respond to a client request. We can actually anticipate to a certain degree the types of services our clients need and have the flexibility to change.”

Another byproduct of happy employees are that they are involved in the community. Hilliard Lyons financial advisor Brent Housman serves as 3rd District state representative. Sullivan serves on the Convention Center Corporation board, a volunteer board that oversees the Julian Carroll Convention Center and the Paducah Expo Center.

Independence Bank

Headquarters: Owensboro

Offices: 20 in seven counties, including three in McCracken County

Kentucky employees: 257

*Source: Company, Best Places to Work as of Dec. 1

Danny Evitts notices signs that tell him whether Independence Bank employees will continue to offer the kind of confidential survey results that land the company on the Best Places to Work list.

One came in April, when workers in the McCracken County locations offered meals to tax professionals in Paducah to help them survive tax season.

An office manager or teller could have phoned in a pizza order, but local employees wouldn’t have that. They decided on their own to prepare home-cooked dishes and deliver them personally.

“It’s all these little things that add up to make a difference,” Evitts said. Facilitating that emphasis on good employees comes from the top down. The bank has consistently been involved with Habitat for Humanity, encouraging employees to help construct the homes. The company allows workers to volunteer and build the homes on company time, and not have workers use personal time on the projects.

Independence Bank gives back to employees at holiday events by having bands such as Three Dog Night and Grand Funk Railroad perform and offer door prizes such as iPads.

Employees can also provide feedback about company policies that they’d like to change or keep the same at bi-monthly meetings.

Each year, the bank gives college scholarships in each county where the bank operates. The bank has given more than $50,000 to students in western Kentucky.

Growth is on the horizon for the bank in McCracken County. A fourth location is planned to go between Broadway and Jefferson Street across from the former Coke plant.

Called Jefferson Square, Evitts said the goal is to have construction finished by July 4, 2013.

Contact Adam Shull, journal editor, at 270-575-8653 or follow @adamshull on Twitter.