Hanson: Culture, Collaboration, Collegiality

Solid leadership. A cooperative culture. Open communication, flexibility and transparency.

Those are just a few of the comments from employees extolling the exceedingly positive work environment at Kirkland’s Hanson Consulting Group. “Friendly geniuses are standing by,” reads a passage on the website. “You don’t work with Hanson Consulting Group – you work with an amazing team of super-talented individuals.”

The company has racked up numerous awards for its positive corporate culture, including being named four consecutive years as one of Seattle Business magazine’s “Washington’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.” Hanson Consulting specializes in finance and operations, gaming and entertainment, IT and solutions delivery and managed services.

The company was founded in 2008by CEO Amy Hanson, a self-described data nerd who has more than 20 years of finance, IT, business operations and management experience. Hanson previously held various management positions at Microsoft Corp. and also served as controller for Fonte Coffee.

Hanson wins a staggering 90% of its proposals. Its employee retention rate is an impressive 95%.

“Amy and her team are wonderful at communicating things going on with the company and keeping us all connected,” one employee wrote. “As vendors, sometimes it’s hard to feel part of a company when your day-to-day job is for someone else. Hanson Consulting makes sure that we all remember how much we can depend on them.”

Wrote another: “I have had a number of offers with other companies since coming to work for Hanson, but I have absolutely no desire to leave. This is by far the most inclusive, positive working environment I’ve ever experienced. “

Hanson scores particularly high among employees for its comprehensive retirement savings program and its flexibility around working hours, telecommuting and job-sharing opportunities.

“Hands down, my favorite thing about Hanson Consulting Group is working for the owner, Amy Hanson. In my 35-plus years of experience, I have never known a business owner who worked so hard for their employees,” one employee wrote. “She always puts us first with our benefits, salaries, health, etc., and she never makes a decision for the company without taking her employees into consideration.”

Besides its keen internal and customer-oriented focus, Hanson also prioritizes the community. The Hanson Scholarship Fund, established in 2016, helps first-generation college students and students from lower-income homes pursuing bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering and math at Central Washington University. To date, the Hanson Scholarship Fund has 41 scholars attending Central Washington University.

In addition to the Hanson Scholarship Fund, Hanson serves on the Goodwill board of directors and is a founding member of the Goodwill Women’s Empowerment Fund, a program that supports job training and educational opportunities for women. During these unprecedented times, Goodwill’s job training programs are more important than ever.

Hanson also supports the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, the YWCA and THON, an organization that works with families affected by childhood cancer.