4. The Gunter Group
Headquarters: Portland, Ore. Number of Billable Consultants: 40 Client Industries Served: Healthcare, Retail, Education, Insurance, Manufacturing, Public Sector, Legal Consulting Service Lines: Strategy, IT
Michael and Ashleigh Gunter, Partners at the Gunter Group, set out to build a different firm where they leverage strong relationships to achieve great things in partnership with clients. "The firm's driven employees make us who we are, a talented team of leaders with deep and diverse professional experience. The big firm model does not resonate with us," says Michael. "There is a better way to continually deliver high value service. We live where we work, so when we help our clients' communities, we are helping to grow our own."
This year marks the debut on the Best Small Firms to Work For list for the Portland, Ore.-based Strategy and IT firm—and what an entrance as the firm settles in the No. 4 spot.
"We are thrilled to be named as one of the Best Small Firms to Work For," says Ashleigh. "It is a recognition of the work we have done with our team and investment we have made in creating a firm for people to thrive in their professional and personal lives."
Michael says the Gunter Group looks at morale through the lens of its annual Employee Engagement survey, where the firm consistently rates in the 99th percentile of companies in its category. "We have a relentless focus on the morale, engagement and health of our team," he says. "It makes us who we are."
Ask him his top priorities over the next 12 months and he'll say to continue growing in a way that preserves the amazing culture and environment the firm has built with its team. "We are building a sustainable firm, and in it for the long haul," Michael says. "We will continue to grow and build in a way that is consistent with our values."
Those values are key to the firm's employees. And what matters most to them, Ashleigh says, is deep, long-term relationships with employees, clients and communities. The first two team members that joined the firm are still part of the firm, and now in leadership roles. In addition, the Gunter Group's first three clients "are still our clients, eight years later," she says. "We are deeply invested in the communities where we work, and serve on nonprofit boards, engage in philanthropic activities and encourage our team members to get involved in whatever issues they are passionate about."
On the survey, the firm excelled in the areas of Compensation & Benefits and Leadership. "We try to take care of our people, and we want to compensate them fairly and provide benefits that keep them healthy and engaged," Michael says. "Further, when the firm does well, our people do well."
Meanwhile, Ashleigh says it's humbling to hear that the firm excelled in the area of Leadership. "We hope that is an affirmation of how we and our Leadership team engage with our people," she says. "We try to be transparent, fair, accessible and humble. This really is all about our team: we want everyone in the company to thrive."
Were there any specific programs you think contributed to being one of the Best Small Firms to Work For?
Ashleigh Gunter: No; our culture isn't driven by specific programs. We do have a list of attributes that we call non-negotiables and they are just that: non-negotiable in our culture. They drive our recruiting efforts, our performance management and our promotion processes. They are: Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity, Emotional Intelligence, Thrives in Ambiguity, Collaborative and Ground Confidence.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.