Seattle Business magazine honored its 100 Best Companies to Work For at an awards dinner on June 17, 2014, at The Westin Seattle. The winners, hailing from 18 cities across the state of Washington, were chosen based on extensive surveys completed by nearly 10,000 employees.
Allovus is excited to share the amazing news—we have been voted #7 in the “Midsize Companies” category! For a business that was founded a little over five years ago, this is big. Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
The venue was bursting at the seams with over 930 attendees. Michael Romoser, associate publisher of Seattle Business magazine, said, “This was the largest attendance in the history of Best Companies to Work For. It reflects the continuing popularity of the program and the commitment of our finest companies to creating great workplaces.”
The evening opened with mingling, cocktails, and photos. As dinner began, Allovus filled two tables with proud employees anxious to learn the results. The top companies in each category were called out and the realization hit—Allovus was not just in the top 10, but zoomed up to the lucky #7 position.
“There was a record number of applicants this year,” said Senior Director of Operations Shannon McDonough Lee. “We were told it was extremely rare for a first time registrant to make the list… but the Top 10?!”
Principal and Founder Hayley Nichols said, “It’s surreal. I never thought past the first year, then the second; now we are at 5. This has been such an amazing year that I’m not sure how to top it. I am so proud of the company we’ve become. Everyone is an essential part of Allovus and all contribute to our success.”
King County Executive Dow Constantine made a guest appearance to congratulate the honorees. Guests were also treated to a private performance by Seattle band Pickwick.
Creative Director Steve Godfrey reflected on the experience. “I was struck by the quality of the other companies represented, and how much their teams loved working together. I found it inspirational.”
Senior UX Developer Liz Ashley said, “It was such a pleasure to be in a room with over 900 people from various companies truly enjoying spending time with their coworkers.”
Allovus scored extremely high in the “Work Environment” category. “I believe it’s because of the high caliber of people that work at Allovus, it promotes and inspires greatness,” Project Manager David Hose said. “Allovus is currently on the right path…this past year Allovus invested a lot of effort to improve its infrastructure and I believe it’s paid off. I also love the social media component (ie. Blogs, Newsletter, etc…); it creates connectedness.”
Amy Greenbaum, Senior Director of Client Services, said, “I knew we were a unique company and felt it was only about time that others would discover the special sauce that is Allovus. We got the highest score for Work Environment, but really its more about the other areas that I think we are particularly good at and are improving on all the time: Benefits, culture, leadership, training/education, responsibility and decision-making.”
Senior Account Manager Shaughn FitzGerald said, “The leadership team truly does care about the health, happiness and well-being of all employees, and they noticed.”
The evening ended with celebration and reflection on how far Allovus has come. “I loved how it was all about the employees who make the companies work,” said Viviane Veraguth, Senior Talent Acquisitions Manager.
Senior Director of Strategy and Communications Robin Avni summed it up. “It feels like lucky #7 for all of us. It’s the first year we entered the contest, and we were so proud to do so well. Hayley has built an amazing company in a very short time, and we are all happy to be along for the ride. Thank you, Hayley. Thank you team Allovus, and thank you to all of our creative partners.”
© MARTINA DALTON, Designer, Allovus Design