Energize your mind: 4 Colorado companies investing in big ideas

by Cailin Crowe
May 15, 2019

Move over Silicon Valley. Colorado’s top tech towns: Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs, continue to gain ground as the best spots for technology jobs, according to a recent CompTIA report.

Why are these three cities among the best places to work in tech? We might be biased, but Colorado’s unbeatable lifestyle and local values certainly contribute (not to mention the growing number of IT and tech-related job opportunities).  

We spoke with four local tech companies to learn how they invest in big ideas while infusing a local twist on their workplace perks to keep employees happy and growing in their careers.

 

Guild Education Colorado
photo via guild education 

Denver-based Guild Education provides an online platform that helps students, employers and universities connect students with critical educational opportunities like job training and career advancement.

Vice President of Client Success Terrence Cummings detailed the company’s generous tuition assistance program, including a 100 percent reimbursement for a first-time bachelor’s degree.

 

What does your company look for in prospective hires? Are there unique skills, traits or attributes?

Most companies layer on core values and mission statements after building a business plan. We took the opposite approach and built the company around our mission and core values. And at Guild, a certified B corp, the mission to serve students is embedded in every employee’s decisions, actions, and behaviors. We look for employees who are eager to embrace change in our fast-growth startup culture and to own driving student success.  

We look for employees who are eager to embrace change in our fast-growth startup culture...”

Tell us about your exciting perks and benefits.

Every employee is encouraged to have a learner’s mindset. We support employees in their educational and professional journey with loan reimbursement programs and tuition assistance programs. This includes 100 percent paid tuition for a first-time bachelor’s degree or up to $10,000 per year in tuition for any degree beyond the first bachelor’s degree for schools in the Guild academic network. Additionally, we support our team members in paying down associated debt via our student loan repayment program, which provides the opportunity for team members to receive up to $100 per month post-tax toward their eligible loans.

 

Samba Safety Colorado
photo via sambasafety

DTC-based SambaSafety makes data actionable to keep business and communities safe from mobility risk.

Talent Acquisition Manager Alicia Molina told us how they celebrate and reward employees with innovative ideas.

 

What does your company look for in prospective hires? Are there unique skills, traits or attributes?

Our core values are accountability, teamwork and impact. While we qualify prospective hires through relevant past experience and skill sets, we only provide job opportunities to individuals who truly embody our core values. At Samba, we pursue highly motivated, team-oriented, solutions-focused, high-velocity people who want to have a massive impact on our organization. Samba is filled with highly-talented extraordinary teams driven to exceed.

Our core values are accountability, teamwork and impact.”

Tell us about your exciting perks and benefits.

Our benefit offerings are comprehensive and second to none. Further, we have programs in place to recognize our exceptional employees and their innovative ideas. However, our absolute supreme benefit is the people we work with every single day. Through our culture team, we participate in volunteer and team-building activities. Recently, we closed early, rented a party bus, and took everyone axe throwing. It’s important to us to appreciate each person within our organization, which is what makes Samba such an amazing place.

 

NetApp Colorado
photo via netapp

Boulder-based NetApp provides global organizations with an all-access data pass, making the data accessible from anywhere by streamlining the implementation and management of hybrid cloud data services.

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cloud Infrastructure Brad Anderson detailed the traits that the company looks for in new hires (spoiler: creative thinking is key).

 

What does your company look for in prospective hires? Are there unique skills, traits or attributes?

NetApp is focused on helping customers undertake the IT transformation required to remain competitive in today’s digital economy. Boulder is focused on hybrid cloud infrastructure and services to enable an easy and seamless experience integrating private and public cloud. These teams look for skilled engineers who are also a great cultural fit because they collaborate and work together closely. Creative thinking and effective problem solving, both independently and within a team, are critical. NetApp’s competitive advantage is our high-performing employees and the exciting pace of innovation that allows us to attract top talent.

Creative thinking and effective problem solving, both independently and within a team, are critical.”

Tell us about your exciting perks and benefits.

The Boulder office is a very lively workplace where you can chat with a colleague and even their visiting dog. We have friendly competitions where teammates participate in hackathons and the occasional pie-eating contests. Colleagues join in to celebrate each other’s work anniversaries with desserts and surprises around the office. For employees interested in taking the bus and reducing their carbon footprint, we provide an EcoPass. Many employees bike to our offices that are located in the heart of Boulder, within walking distance to many shops and restaurants, and close to the ever-learning environment of CU Boulder.

 

GigSmart Colorado
photo via gigmsart

 

GigSmart, located in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood, helps businesses, charities or individuals find the right people for paid or volunteer work opportunities — fast.

Human Resources Generalist Erin Schied detailed the company’s perks, which include an equal pay policy, a free on-site gym and on-site daycare.

 

What does your company look for in prospective hires? Are there unique skills, traits or attributes?

Prospective hires should posses the following seven qualities: positivity, drive, innovation, passion, learning, excellence, and last but not least — collaboration.

Prospective hires should posses... passion, learning, excellence, and last but not least —collaboration.” 

Tell us about your exciting perks and benefits.

Employees enjoy a range of perks that benefit their health, families and daily work. To keep employees happily fed (and hydrated) we provide free snacks, on-site dining, monthly team lunches, and celebratory happy hours. Beyond filling individual’s bellies, we also provide collaboration areas, a free on-site gym, bike storage and an on-site daycare.

 

Jobs from companies in this blog

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