Awards April 13, 2026
2026 Counselor Best Places to Work: Starline
Find out what makes this supplier a top workplace.
Company Size: Large (101-250 employees)
Headquarters: Grand Island, NY
Year Founded: 1978
Total Appearances on List: 1
Despite its size, Counselor Top 40 supplier Starline (asi/89320) retains its close-knit family identity.
#3 Large Company
Counselor Best Places to Work
The Grand Island, NY, supplier, founded in 1978, has implemented programs to make life easier for its customers that you’d expect from a small business – like a no-minimum-quantity on-demand program – but that ethos of never getting too big for your britches extends to the leadership of the company, too.
From the first day, Starline (asi/89320) wants new hires to feel like they’re a part of a larger team.
“It starts with our ownership, who believes in a family mentality and taking that into everyday situations,” says Brian Porter, Starline chief revenue officer and a member of the Counselor Power 50 list of the industry’s most influential people. “We don’t always know what people have going on in their lives, but we do our best to understand, accommodate and make sure that we support them in every way. We also ask a lot of questions.”
That family environment is one thing that has kept Nicole Tasca, senior vice president of client engagement, at the company for almost 24 years.
Top 3 Company Attributes
Alignment With Company Goals
Treated With Respect
Flexible Work Arrangements
“I think a great culture comes from the top down and everyone in between,” she says. “No one in this company would ask anyone to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. No one person is better than anyone else, and that is proven from our ownership, company president and all the way down.”
Tasca isn’t alone in her long tenure at Starline.
“We have employees that have been with Starline for over 40 years, and have family that have joined them with us,” Porter says. “Brothers, sisters, cousins, even spouses. I think that is a true testament. We go above and beyond to accommodate, knowing that, in this day and age, what’s important to one might not be as meaningful to the next. It’s about finding what’s important and doing our best to make it happen.”
Part of what creates this feeling of family and familiarity is that Starline makes sure its employees know not only the products and services they’re providing, but also the people they’re working alongside. When you understand the why in addition to the how, and each task has a friendly face attached, the sales process becomes personal, rather than just transactional.
Starline (asi/89320) has employee recognition programs baked into regular meetings and events.
“It starts in human resources, where new employees review their standard paperwork and company policies,” Tasca said. “The employee has a schedule created by their manager to meet with the various departments to learn who does what and how our company works. Their daily training would start after those introductions.”
At Starline, no employee is an island. Each employee has an understanding that they’re a piece of the puzzle.
Learn More About Starline
Ingredients for a Best Place to Work: The “work hard, play hard” ethos might seem like a cliché, but when employers do things that encourage togetherness and fun, employees notice.
“We have a summer party, holiday happy hours, karaoke night, trivia night so we can all enjoy time together outside of the day-to-day,” says Nicole Tasca, senior vice president of client engagement. Each year, the company also sponsors a family around the holidays. Employees can purchase gifts, and the company holds a basket raffle to raise funds for families in need.
This past Christmas, Tasca says, Starline (asi/89320) adopted four families from a neighboring school district. In addition to providing all the gifts on their list, Starline provided each family with personal care items, cleaning supplies and gift cards for groceries. “I was extremely proud of who we are and thankful to be a part of it,” Tasca adds.
Top Benefits & Perks: Starline’s family atmosphere is emboldened by a tradition where every fourth Friday, the team at the Grand Island facility gets together for breakfast, brainstorming and employee recognition.
And while Chief Revenue Officer Brian Porter and the Starline staff have a lot of fun with things like holiday parties and karaoke nights, there are programs in place for tangible career growth for the team members.
“We also believe in our employees’ continued growth and support through a tuition reimbursement program,” Porter says.
Parting Tip: “We ask a lot of questions,” Porter says. “It’s important for us to have a fully well-rounded look at who Starline is, and that starts with our employees. If it’s important to them, it’s important to us.”
If Starline Were a TV Show, It Would Be Parks and Recreation. “The characters couldn’t have been more diverse, but [there was] synergy as they came together, working as one united group toward a common goal and having an amazing time doing it,” Porter says. “We laugh a lot, and that goes a very long way.”