Liberty Lake-based STCU is ranked 16th-best place to work in Fortune magazine’s rankings of medium-sized U.S. companies.

STCU is the third-largest credit union in Washington and the largest credit union in the Inland Northwest. It has 110,000 members with branches in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

The Best Places to Work ranking at cnnmoney.com praises STCU for a culture of celebration, fun and commitment to employees. The review noted STCU provides a tuition reimbursement for its staff of up to $8,225 per year for related studies.

“It allows parents to take time off for their kids' first day of kindergarten and first grade, as well as for parent-teacher conferences,” the magazine said.

The top-ranked medium-sized business in the ranking was Acuity, an insurance company based in Sheboygan, Wis. A total of 25 companies are listed.

Fortune's lists also include the annual 100 Best Companies to Work For. Northwest companies on that list include: Perkins Coie law firm, No. 58; Nordstrom, No. 61; Umpqua Bank in Portland, No. 69; Starbucks, No. 73,, Microsoft, No. 76; Everett Clinic, No. 87; and Schweitzer Engineering, No.  97.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. announced on Thursday its new Lewiston manufactuing plan is producing digital relays that are being shipped globally.

Ok, you're not working for Google and you're probably not upper management at Starbucks. But if you work for Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Labs, you have something to be proud of; the privately held firm is ranked No. 97 among Fortune's Best Companies to Work For.

The list has just been released.  Google ranks No. 1. REI Equipment ranks No. 8; Nordstrom scores the No. 61 ranking. And Starbucks comes in at No. 73.

The other impressive piece of information: Schweitzer, which makes relay devices and networking components for the electrical generation and distribution industry, is among the fastest-growing firms on the basis of jobs added.

SEL has a 27 percent job growth. Only four companies on the top 100 list have a faster job-growth rate, based on the numbers used by Fortune.

Notably, the biggest job-gainer is Zappos, reporting a 70 percent job gain since last year.

Three Washington businesses  — Amazon, Coinstar and F5 Networks — have been added to Fortune mag’s list of 100 fastest growing companies.

All three have headquarters in the Seattle area. F5, which makes network management services and tools, has an engineering office in Liberty Lake.

Amazon moved to No. 30 from its previous rank of No. 52. Bellevue’s Coinstar ranked No. 61, followed by F5 Networks at No. 64.

Fortune’s full list is here.  The Sept. 6 issue also features a section on Washington, profiling the state as a center for world-class innovation and featuring its new export initiative, designed to complement President Obama’s National Export Initiative.

You can see the Washington special section at ChooseWashington.com.