As a healthcare IT consultancy, it's a safe assumption that Impact Advisors is in a pretty good place right now. With the market for their services booming, the three-year old Naperville, Ill.-based strategic advisory and implementation firm has almost tripled its headcount to 60 from just 23 in 2009, when it took home the No. 1 spot in our annual Best Small Firms to Work For ranking.
Founded by brothers Andrew and Peter Smith, Impact Advisors was started "with the aspiration of becoming a firm where the best and brightest associates in the industry could practice their craft and thrive. We are committed to nurturing a supportive environment where the successes of individuals and teams are recognized and celebrated. Firm culture is as important to us as any financial metric," says Andrew Smith, managing partner. "Therefore, having our employees [make] us as a Best Small Firm to Work For is a huge honor and tells us that we are on the right track!"
The firm finished first in four of the six categories the survey measures—The Job, Culture, Leadership and Work/Life Balance. And when it comes to Culture, the firm scored a near-perfect 4.95 out of a possible 5.0. "We have focused on building a culture of sustained excellence and delivering exceptional service to our industry," Smith says. "We have maintained our small firm feel where all associates are respected for their contributions and are encouraged to collaborate freely on complex issues."
As far as specific HR efforts that are paying dividends, Smith points to an annual corporate retreat dubbed "Impact-Palooza," as well as the firm's "High-Impact Awards," in which associates recognize another associate or group of associates for "going the extra mile" on a client engagement.
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