Manatee County Tax Collector Scores International Recognition for Employee Experience Excellence

June 3, 2025

Manatee County Tax Collector Scores International Recognition for Employee Experience Excellence

BRADENTON – The Manatee County Tax Collector (MCTC) has received high accolades in the world of great employee experience. In May, MCTC was named a winner of the 2025 Employee Experience Excellence Awards by Simpplr, the leading provider in global intranet technologies, in the category of Digital Engagement Excellence – Best Employee Engagement. Entries spanned from organizations across the globe in categories and companies of all sizes, from government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and manufacturing firms.

The Best Employee Engagement category honors those fostering great employee experience through data on meaningful connections in the digital communities they have created. With impressive participation metrics exceeding 95% and a culture of genuine involvement, MCTC stood out for its commitment to making every employee a valued voice in the organization through their interactive intranet platform, UNITE. The platform is a hub for benefits information, officewide communications, policies, team engagement, peer-to-peer recognitions, and more.

“At the heart of our success is our people,” said Ken Burton Jr., Manatee County Tax Collector. “Our vision is to innovate better ways to serve, and that includes serving our team internally. The UNITE platform has been a catalyst for engaging each individual on our team with our mission, core values, and valuable resources, and the award is a testament to its success.”

Colleagues Tim Gilbreath, Multimedia Manager, and Sharmaine Bridges, Engagement Strategist in the office’s Communication and Employee Experience (EX) Department oversee the platform and were instrumental in the development and officewide implementation.

“We knew from day one that this platform had to be more than just a digital bulletin board,” said Mandie Ferguson, Director of Communications and EX. “It’s truly enhanced the experience within the office for our teams. This award proves that public sector can lead in innovation, not just follow it. Tim and Sharmaine built an incredible online community for our office, and we owe a huge thanks to every individual on our team who utilizes it. This award belongs to all of us.”

The 2025 Employee Experience Excellence Awards highlight the organizations redefining the modern workplace. Simpplr commended the winners for creating digital communities where employees don’t just consume content – they contribute to it.

For more information about the award and the winners, visit Simpplr's 2025 Employee Excellence Awards page.