There are companies out there, private ones, where their customers are happy, their employees are happy (most of the time) and their retention is high.
Ambitious, hard working people like promotions, so they gravitate towards growing companies and not stale companies.
Ambitious maybe (though that's nearly the definition of ambitious). Hardworking, not necessarily. I know a cement guy that you have never in your life worked a harder day than who has never received a promotion nor even sought one.
Companies that aren't growing? I meet A LOT of companies (about ~50 or so a year) and I can tell you there is massive difference between the distressed ones and the ones who are growing. btw - even 2~5% growth is fine, it doesn't need to be 25% google scale growth...but flat or declining is bad.