From microscopic status to statewide success, Ecological Laboratories Inc. in Cape Coral landed a spot on Florida’s Top 10 Manufacturing Employers list for 2025. The annual awards, determined by FloridaMakes, a statewide, industry-led partnership with the goal of bolstering the Florida economy by improving technology, productivity, and employee satisfaction, selects 10 manufacturing employers in the state that go above and beyond in creating and sustaining workplace environments where employees thrive, culture is connected, and opportunities for growth are ubiquitous.

Abundance of Achievement

Serena Hallman started working at the facility about 20 years ago in Building 1, the area of the production line that handles dry materials and powders. After about a year, she was promoted to team lead, overseeing operations in the building. About two years later, she was promoted again to her current position, ensuring all product orders are fulfilled with requested items in a timely manner.

Hallman said she loves her job and the people she works with—the main reason, she said, Ecological Laboratories is a perfect recipient of the award, as well as for all the opportunities for growth provided to its employees.

“I wouldn’t change my position for the world,” Hallman said. “They call me the caboose because nothing leaves here unless it goes through me. I have a great team.”

Tim McKindles, the director of Ecological Laboratories for about four years, said he is proud of his team and the workplace culture they sustain, the products they develop, and the technology they refine. He said this is a big part of why the award makes sense for the company’s “family attitude”-sustained workforce.

“We were extremely ecstatic," McKindles said. “We were very pleased. [It] came right from the founders down to, actually, people right on the floor and everyone else. For us, it’s good to be recognized. We’re not going to change anything we’re doing now due to it, but it kind of lets you know that what you’re doing is the right thing.”

A Goal for Green

While McKindles said these characteristics helped gain some attention in Florida’s business arena, he said he believes there’s something more impactful contributing to the company’s success—a collective sense of purpose.

Ecological Laboratories specializes in producing natural, organic bacteria for various environmental and agricultural applications that are infused into its products to serve as alternatives for other more environmentally hazardous ones.

“I do believe that what we make allows employees to instill a certain amount of pride,” McKindles said. “It allows them to say that we are really helping the environment. I am assisting in the next generation to make a sustainable eco-environment. It shows a little bit of pride, where you’ve got people that really care for what they do, and then they put a little bit of care in what they make.”

This is precisely how Yenisey Quignon, the facility’s quality control manager, feels about what she does and the operation she contributes to. After 15 years with the company and two prior promotions, she said she’s proud to be part of a dynamic and vibrant workforce family.

“Pretty proud,” Quignon said. “Pretty proud of what we do here and how we help the environment.”

Quignon ensures all products manufactured at the facility meet standards for consumer use and inspects all raw materials shipped to the facility for product manufacturing.

She said it feels good that the work done at the company is being recognized through the scope of the people who develop it—the facility’s employees. She also said she agrees with Hallman regarding the wide array of opportunities provided to employees, allowing them to move up in the company.

“I like the opportunity that they give you for growth,” Quignon said. “They give us training [opportunities] that we are allowed to take, so it helps us grow as a person and also a professional.”

McKindles said there are other tools employers like him use to gauge whether employees are on track and content with their positions in the company, such as annual wage evaluations. However, he said he does something else with his employees, which he attributes to their combined success as a close-knit workforce.

“We do performance reviews because a person has to know whether they’re doing right or wrong,” McKindles said. “And we do it not necessarily on an annual basis. We do it more often.”

McKindles said employees meet with him or their supervisors for performance reviews each month to reflect on how they have done in their current position, what they could improve on, if applicable, and what the facility can improve on as a whole. He said it’s very important to him and management that all employees are heard.

The Extra Mile

To ensure his employees are heard and supported, McKindles said he feels the responsibility to take it a step further and that performance and wage evaluations are not enough of an interaction to genuinely see and feel how his employees are doing. For that reason, he dedicates a portion of every day to check in and talk to his employees on the floor.

“I’ll have a cup of coffee in the morning, and I do my rounds, and I just make sure everyone is okay,” McKindles said. “I talk to them a little bit. ‘How was your weekend?’ But also, more importantly, you ask them how are they doing regarding their family? How are they doing regarding their friends?”

This, McKindles said, is where Ecological Laboratories separates itself from the pack.

“Because you’re not just employing that individual, you are also, to a certain extent, creating a livelihood for that person’s family,” McKindles said. “And really that’s important that the employee is happy, but also the family unit is supportive and happy as well.”

Hallman said she truly appreciates the care and dedication McKindles puts into ensuring his workforce family is happy and content, making the award seem even more warranted.

“It’s just nice to see that,” Hallman said. “I mean, most companies—how many people actually see you?"

She said in her experience at other companies, employees don’t usually see the boss or management unless one has a complaint to submit to human resources.

“So, it’s nice,” Hallman said. “He [McKindles] makes his rounds every morning, you know, ‘How are you? How’s this?’ — with his cup of coffee.”

Hallman even has a joke that when McKindles makes his rounds and does not have his coffee cup in one hand, she says, “There’s something wrong; you’re missing something,” to which everyone chuckles.

This is what McKindles said it’s all about, and while they appreciate the award unequivocally, he said they do not need an award to see his employees happy or his workplace successful — smiles are all he needs to know he’s making a difference.

“To see people chuckle and laugh and smile and have fun with each other…if you love what you’re doing, you never work a day in your life,” McKindles said. “And that’s really what our goal is here at Ecological Laboratories, is not to have a person work a day in their life.”

The Award

Another local recipient is VGM Holdings LLC, a metal fabrication company in Fort Myers.

The Florida Manufacturer Employer of Choice program is a free online assessment powered by FloridaMakes that evaluates applicant companies on 39 human capital metrics across six categories: recruitment and hiring, upskilling and career pathways, benefits, financial wellness, employee support and environment, and employee engagement.

Each company recognized receives a detailed analytics report that includes benchmarks, insights, and recommendations to enhance their workforce practices.

For more information about the awards, visit Employer of Choice Featured Programs.

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