Under a Blooming Tree

Madrona Solutions Group’s management team has made the company an oasis of camaraderie in an industry that is often cutthroat. Left to right: Practice Director Matthew Johnson; Principal Jeff Finken; Eli J (on all fours); Principals Brian Paulen and Scott Kostojohn.

If you search deep in the red-brick heart of Pioneer Square, you’ll find Madrona Solutions Group, a small consulting firm that is turning out large-scale services. This 16-person outfit specializes in implementing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems—that’s a term for digital tools that organize interactions with clients. CRM is no niche field, though; Madrona works with companies ranging from WinShuttle to Corbis to Microsoft and beyond. 

Madrona’s expertise in fostering relationships isn’t limited to clients and customers. The five-year-old company gives its full attention to its employees, too—and it has paid off.

In a sector that’s often cutthroat and exhausting, Madrona has created a balanced atmosphere that both challenges and recognizes employees. In the words of one staffer, Madrona has a “culture of camaraderie where everyone shares information and experience. There is not a sense of competition or ruthlessness.”

Those are rare words in the world of consulting, but Madrona Solutions Group garnered across-the-board praise in a survey of the company’s employees. Madrona’s  workers described the group’s culture as diverse, dynamic, fun and relaxed. Perhaps that’s due to the monthly Friday afternoon happy hours or the gym memberships. Or it could be due to the full suite of health benefits. More than likely, it’s all of the above.

Madrona’s co-founders, Brian Paulen and Jeff Finken, encourage their employees to strive for professional and personal growth. Each year, the company provides every worker an educational budget of $2,000, which can be spent on classes or training of the employee’s choice. Madrona even offers additional bonuses if the chosen class benefits the employee’s job.

The perks keep coming: Madrona’s employees are eligible for annual and spot performance bonuses; they receive monthly stipends for mobile phones and parking; and they’re free to work at the company’s headquarters, at their current project site or at home as needed. In addition to regular social events and a holiday party, Madrona hosts yearly weekend getaways to Northwest resorts—spouses are invited; work talk is not. 

From the company’s beginnings, Madrona’s leadership fostered a spirit of community service throughout the organization. (CEO Brian Paulen is president of the board for the Music Center of the Northwest.) An in-house charity committee solicits donation suggestions from all employees, and the group participates in volunteer projects every quarter.

Madrona prides itself on its flat organizational structure, which allows employees from any level to approach and collaborate with management at will. That ease of communication is reinforced at all employees’ twice-monthly one-on-ones with their manager. “There’s no political drama,” one employee wrote, “and there are so few levels/titles that everyone is treated the same.”

It’s evident that Madrona Solutions Group has been planted on some very rich soil. And with the way that soil is being turned and enriched, it seems clear that this tree will continue to grow.

Next: Small Companies, Second Place

Back to "The 100 Best Companies to Work For"

The Small Companies list

Share this Article

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•