The 2020 Best Small Firms to Work For: Canidium

Consulting Service Lines: Financial, Operations, IT, HR

Fort Collins, Colo.-based Canidium works hard to create a collaborative environment with a supportive staff, emphasizing learning and teamwork, with a focus on keeping all employees engaged and happy and giving them the right tools to get the job done. This year saw that focus pay off in a big way, with Canidium making its debut on our Best Small Firms to Work For list at No. 1.

"Canidium has maintained a strong position through our unparalleled expertise. This reputation has led to continued demand for our strategic, technical, and managed services. We also have seen notable growth with our dedicated Xactly practice. This positioning provides new opportunities, which leads to meaningful work for our consultants who are relied upon to be at the forefront of our clients' challenges. We also believe that customer satisfaction begins with employee satisfaction. We have a diverse staff who have different initiatives near and dear to their hearts," says Michael Stus, CEO of Canidium.

Another big firm-wide morale booster is its Canidium Gives Back program, where associates are given days off to volunteer at a charity of their choice. The firm also puts a high premium on work-life balance, seeing employee health as key to getting the best out of people.

"While Canidium's expertise and reputation have helped maintain a strong demand for our services, Canidium has also made sure to stress a work-life balance and support employees during a time where our homes have also become our offices. Canidium stresses that, so long as quality work is being completed and our delivery team is providing the promised value to our clients, our team members can and should pursue venues that are holistic and conducive to the team's well-being, both physical and mental," Stus says.

The sudden shift to working from home during the pandemic was a challenge for many firms, but Canidium was uniquely positioned to weather the challenge, giving most of its staff were working remotely even before the pandemic hit.

"Our process has been built around this, therefore our ability to deliver the same caliber of work to our customers has largely been unaffected. Alternatively, if has not been a dramatic lifestyle change for many in terms of how our consultants work day-to-day. In many ways, Canidium was uniquely suited to this shift," Stus says.

Guided by their core values of directness, resourcefulness, integrity, versatility, and excellence (DRIVE), Canidium prides itself as a leader in the Sales Performance and Process Management Industry. The firm is always looking for an opportunity to be a valuable resource for its customers, and provide a wide variety of benefits its employees value.

This includes flexible work schedules with open access to even the leadership and executive team, mentoring programs, and volunteer opportunities through the firm's Canidium Gives-back program. Employees can even bring their dog to work.

Employees say key to Canidium's success and impressive growth track over the last decade has been the atmosphere of collaboration it's worked hard to foster, where teamwork and work-life balance take center stage.

Stus founded Canidium in 2008 and has run the gamut of roles at the firm. From delivery leadership, front and back-office operations, marketing, and technical sales, Stus has been intimately involved in virtually every area of the company during his tenure.

As for the firm's priorities over the next 6-12 months, Stus says growth is on the agenda.

"[We want to] maintain our position as leaders within both the SAP Customer Experience and Xactly partner ecosystems, as well as continue to develop add-on services and diversify our offerings," Says Stus.

"Canidium is positioned to grow within our respective practices and there are promising opportunities for us to expand our footprint."

Consulting: What impact do you think being a Best Firm to Work For has on the firm? Employees? Clients? 

Stus: It is a great opportunity to show employees that we are investing in our staff as well as our partners and opportunities that lay ahead. We believe in a strong workforce with many skillsets – allowing them to pursue their own passions outside of work helps create a more unique and talented staff. Regarding clients; customer satisfaction starts with employee satisfaction, and they will feel the benefits of our internal initiatives which will be reflected in the quality of the work."