Washington – The Knowland Group, a leading provider of business development solutions for the hospitality industry, beat out hundreds of other companies to be ranked as one of The Washington Business Journal’s Top 50 Best Places to Work in Greater Washington 2011. The ranking is the result of employee satisfaction surveys. Knowland was commended by the WBJ team for placing a high importance on creating a great work environment and welcoming employee feedback. More than 300 companies participated in the contest this year.

“It’s an honor to be ranked on The Washington Business Journal’s list of top places to work,” Knowland CEO Michael K. McKean said. “We strive to provide great benefits and competitive pay for all of our employees. We offer medical, dental and vision health benefits, reimbursements for child care, tuition and the gym, an on-staff personal trainer and more because we care about our team and their overall health and wellbeing.”

Knowland believes in developing the skills of each employee to their fullest potential, which is why the Knowland Employee Development Pipeline was created. The Pipeline is a combination of continuous training, access to hospitality and technology industry publications and a defined pathway to promotion within each department which gives each employee an equal opportunity to advance their careers. As a result of the Pipeline, nearly 30% of Knowland employees received promotions in 2010.

Knowland moved its second largest facility from McLean, VA to Washington, DC in early spring to accommodate recent growth in the firm’s corporate communications, enterprise sales, product marketing/management and Knowland University client training teams.

On June 2, the rankings of the winners will be announced at a breakfast awards program at The Ritz-Carlton, Tyson’s Corner.

The Washington Business Journal has been Greater Washington’s leading source of business news and information for more than 20 years and provides more than 150,000 business executives with comprehensive news on local people and their companies, industry trends, tips, strategies and award-winning critical analysis.

About The Knowland Group

The Knowland Group is a proven innovator, developing intuitive marketing products and services that streamline and support event and group sales in the hospitality industry. The company, headquartered in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, serves more than 3,000 hotel clients and 20,000 users globally. Knowland was ranked as the fifth fastest growing software company (public or private) in North America by Deloitte and the second fastest growing private company in the travel industry for both 2009 and 2010 by Inc. Magazine. For more information, visit , call 410-860-2270, or follow us on Twitter @knowlandgroup.

Kaitlin McCarthy
Communications Manager
(703) 286-0847