Capping the honor it received in January in being named one of the top 40 companies to work for in New York State, Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy, Inc., of New Hartford, took first-place honors among the 25 firms with a workforce of between 15 and 249 employees by being ranked the number one company to work for in that size category.

The Best Companies to Work For in New York State Awards were determined by a consortium of organizations that includes the New York State Society of Human Resource Management, the Best Companies Group, an independent firm that manages Best Places to Work programs across the country, and The Business Council of New York State.

Companies across the state participated in a two-part process through which the top 40 were determined. The first part was an evaluation of each company's workforce policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of a comprehensive employee survey measuring the workers' employment experience. The two parts counted 25 percent and 75 percent respectively in the overall evaluation, with the combined scores determining the top 40 companies.

Founded in 1904, Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy is one of Central New York's largest independent insurance agencies, specializing in providing businesses with creative solutions to a broad range of employee benefits, risk management and financial services needs. The firm recently relocated to a state-of-the-art headquarters facility at 210 Clinton Road in New Hartford, New York.