Stanley Black & Decker announced today that it was named as one of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators by Fast Company magazine for the second year in a row. The company was ranked No. 41, moving 14 spots from the 2020 list.

The 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators list ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering. Fast Company editors partnered with Accenture to score nearly 1,500 applications, and a panel of eight judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies. 

“We believe that great ideas can come from any employee. Our inclusive culture democratizes innovation by empowering all individuals to harness their potential for innovation, no matter their role, experience level, or background,” said Stanley Black & Decker Chief Technology Officer Mark Maybury. “At Stanley Black & Decker, we have created an innovation ecosystem with internal and external partners who not only embrace technological change but accelerate the pace of innovation in our journey to become a disruptive force for good. We are grateful to see this commitment revealed through our team’s relentless focus on extreme innovation, despite the significant challenges of 2020.”

Throughout the global pandemic, Stanley Black & Decker has demonstrated its commitment to innovation by continuing to introduce new innovation-focused products and processes. These investments were focused on programs that were built to help address challenges brought about by the pandemic as well as programs that continued to deliver forward-thinking product, process, and workplace culture innovations. For example:

• Stanley Black & Decker built a rapid innovation team within its Global Tools & Storage business to build custom battery solutions for life-saving Power Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR), in partnership with Ford and 3M. 
• The company launched a talent acceleration platform for employees that wraps human-curated interventions and analytics around an innovative mentorship program (called ‘StanleyConnex’) and emotional intelligence program (called ‘EI FOR EVERYONE').
• The company continued its partnership with Techstars, investing in its third cohort focused on AI in manufacturing for its accelerator program.
• The company expanded its investments in innovative upskilling and re-skilling technologies, announcing a formal partnership with DeepHow, a startup that deploys “human-based AI” to train manufacturing workers. Stanley Black & Decker has deployed DeepHow across 30 of its manufacturing sites, with plans to expand to more than 100 across the globe.

“These leaders and teams created cultures of innovation and sustained them, even as remote work extended into 2021,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This newest list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators honors those organizations that found ways to collaborate and invent despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, ensuring employees were at the forefront.”

Learn more about our innovation ecosystem

View Fast Company's complete list

Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker is a $14 billion revenue, purpose-driven industrial organization. Stanley Black & Decker has 61,000 employees in more than 60 countries and operates the world's largest tools and storage business, the world's second largest commercial electronic security company, a leading engineered fastening business as well as Oil & Gas and Infrastructure businesses. The company's iconic brands include Black & Decker, Bostitch, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, FACOM, Irwin, Lenox, Porter Cable and Stanley. Stanley Black & Decker is a company for the makers and innovators, the craftsmen and the caregivers, and those doing the hard work to make the world a better place.

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