A force in the workforce

These Texas companies land on Inc.'s list of the best places to work

More than 20 Texas-based employers make the cut.

VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images

If you’re hunting for a new job, you might want to check out these Texas-based companies that have been named among the best workplaces in the U.S.

On May 10, Inc. magazine released its 2022 list of the 475 best workplaces in the country, 22 of which are in Texas.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. chose honorees that best represented dedication to “redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic,” says Scott Omelianuk, the magazine’s editor in chief.

Each nominated company participated in an employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace that touched on factors like management effectiveness, perks, employees’ professional growth, and company culture.

Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth lead Texas with the most companies on the list, with nine each, followed by Houston with three and Tyler with one.

The full list of Texas companies is below:

Austin

Abilitie, a provider of virtual mini-MBAs and leadership simulations
Apty, a provider of web-based software for large companies
Cartograph, a consulting firm for brands in the organic and natural foods industry
Corvia, a provider of technology for the financial services industry
Homeward, a provider of financing for home purchases
INK Communications, a marketing and PR firm
Osano, a provider of data privacy software
Praetorian, a cybersecurity company
Scribe Media, a platform for self-published authors

Dallas-Fort Worth

5, an Irving-based energy advisory firm
Bestow, a Dallas-based life insurance company
Embark, a Dallas-based business advisory firm
Idea Grove, a Dallas-based marketing and PR firm
JB Warranties, an Argyle-based provider of HVAC and plumbing warranties
MB Group, a Plano-based accounting firm
The Power Group, a Dallas-based PR firm
The Vested Group, a Plano-based IT consulting company
TimelyMD, a Fort Worth-based telehealth company that focuses on students

Houston

Liongard, a Houston-based provider of an IT automation platform
QTS, a Tomball-based provider of physical and electronic security services
WizeHire, a Houston-based provider of HR software

Tyler

Education Advanced, a provider of education software

Vehicle News

What to know about new car inspection requirements in San Antonio

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Texas is changing requirements for vehicle registration.

Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer need to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration. House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, eliminates the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.

We'll all be free, free, free of the oppression of the safety inspection process. However …

Under the new law, the $7.50 fee that drivers had to pay as a safety inspection fee has not gone away. It now appears on your registration notice under a new name: "Inspection Program Replacement Fee."

This name change comes courtesy of the legislature, who want to keep collecting this fee because the funds go to state programs such as construction and expansion of state highways — funds they previously collected from the Safety Inspection Fee.

And while the safety inspection is gone, state law will still require that drivers in 17 counties must pass an "emission inspection" on vehicles that are 2 to 24 years old, in order to get your vehicle registered. In Bexar County, the new requirement will go into effect in 2026.

But what does an "emissions inspection" mean?

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) details the following changes:

Safety inspection out, emissions testing in
Until December 31, 2024, safety inspections are required for vehicle registration in all 254 counties. Beginning January 1, 2025, noncommercial vehicles in Texas will no longer be required to have an annual safety inspection. Instead, vehicles will have to get an emissions inspection on gasoline-powered vehicles that are 2 to 24 years old.

What is no longer going to be "inspected"?
Texas Transportation Code §548.051 specifies the list of old-school inspection items which will no longer be checked. Moving forward, they will no longer be checking: tires, wheel assembly, safety guards, safety flaps, brakes, steering, lighting, horns, mirrors, windshield wipers, sunscreening devices, and front seat belts in vehicles on which seat belt anchorages were part of the manufacturer's original equipment.

What will still be inspected are listed as "Items 12–15": exhaust system, exhaust emissions system, fuel tank cap, and emissions control equipment. These will be part of the emissions inspection process in 17 counties.

Those 17 counties where this is relevant include:

Austin: Travis and Williamson
DFW: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant
Houston: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, and Montgomery
El Paso County

In Bexar County, emissions inspections will be required beginning on November 1, 2026.

Where will emissions inspections be obtained?
Emissions inspections can be obtained at DPS-certified vehicle inspection stations in the 17 emissions counties. These will be the exact same inspection locations we've been going to all along, when it was called a safety inspection. Emissions inspections are not available in the other 237 Texas counties.

DPS offers an inspection station locator online.

What is the estimated cost of an emissions inspection?
Vehicle owners will pay an emissions inspection fee of $2.50 annually to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) at the time of registration. The actual fee you'll pay at the inspection station (as listed on TCEQ’s website) will be $25.50. Just like the former "safety inspection" fee.

In short: There is little that's changing about the entire inspection process, except they won't bother making you honk your horn.

transportation