Spot Trading Selected as One of The Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for 2013

CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spot Trading LLC, a leading proprietary trading firm, today announced that the firm was selected as one of The Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for 2013. Published today, the 100 Top Workplaces are determined solely on employee feedback, based on a comprehensive survey conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement.

Featured in the small company category, the firm also won the Special Award for Benefits, highlighted in a full-page profile in the Tribune Magazine announcing the Top Workplaces. The award is given to the firm scoring highest among surveyed companies for its benefits package.

Spot Trading CEO Steve Brodsky said:  "It is the highest honor to be recognized by our talented employees who make this such a terrific place to work. We place tremendous value on our positive, collaborative culture, and that focus has enabled us to attract the highest-caliber people. We are grateful to our passionate employees who define our company each and every day."

The company was also just named for the third consecutive year as one of the National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR). The honor for 2013, bestowed this week upon only 139 firms nationwide, follows the July announcement that for the third consecutive year, Spot was named one of Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For™.

Spot was the only proprietary trading firm to earn a spot on the Tribune Top Workplaces list unveiled today. The Tribune profile states: "Where other prop shops are notoriously secret, management is transparent with employees about where the business stands and where it's going. 'Our level of transparency with upper management is unusual,' said Robert Warnock, an equity analyst who joined the company in 2008, noting that the leaders share things like their strategies to the profit and loss results."

The article refers to the firm's "all-for-one mentality" and also points out that employee training and professional development are high priorities.

Brodsky said that because Spot is a technology-driven trading firm, there is an "inextricable link" between skilled technologists and talented, experienced traders.  He said: "Spot's technologists build world-class software that allows us to compete in the most advanced, competitive capital markets in the world. We are always looking for the best talent to help us evolve and continue to succeed. Being a part of Chicago's trading community provides some of the most intriguing opportunities for technology developers nationwide."

Spot creates multi-disciplined, self-directed teams of individuals from throughout the firm, giving employees at all levels the opportunity to contribute significantly to its success. The firm's popular Spot Training Program integrates new recruits into the firm, with developers, traders and equity analysts working collaboratively on major projects soon after joining.

The firm's internship program provides a pipeline for bringing in new talent. Thirteen interns joined Spot last summer in all areas throughout the firm, and recruiting efforts have just begun for 2014 summer interns. Spot actively recruits from the nation's leading universities, strategically sponsoring a variety of programs with these schools throughout the year. 

For more information about the Top Workplaces lists and WorkplaceDynamics, please visit www.topworkplaces.com and www.workplacedynamics.com.

About Spot Trading LLC

Spot Trading LLC is a Chicago-based proprietary trading firm built on applied technology. The firm relies on the latest in innovation, technology and Research & Development to trade across multiple asset classes in the financial markets. Founded in 1999, Spot has grown to be a leading liquidity provider and market-maker for U.S. exchange-listed derivatives.  Spot deploys a highly integrated model, where traders, quantitative analysts, equity analysts and technologists work closely together to capitalize on pricing opportunities in the market.  Spot has developed an institutionalized and scalable trading platform that promotes collaboration, manages firm-wide risk and uses proprietary technology to enable high performance and a trading edge. 

SOURCE Spot Trading LLC