Our favorite fighting robot might have started the BattleBots season in flames, but it’s been on fire ever since. So much so, our partner RioBotz and Perficient’s Minotaur have landed in the final eight of the 2021 World Championship and have a good shot at winning the highly coveted Giant Nut.
Minotaur takes on Witch Doctor this Thursday, April 7 at 8pm ET on Discovery in the first round of season finale. The show will start with eight bots and end with one crowned the champion.
Minotaur’s only loss so far this season occurred against Sawblaze in the season debut. And even though Minotaur literally ended up in flames, the mighty bot’s incredible strength and endurance continued throughout the entire match and impressed everyone, including the commentators and especially our colleagues. Minotaur’s steadfast resilience and stamina have certainly driven a highly successful season – all the way to the most recent win against reigning champ End Game in an epic battle that commentators called an “instant classic.”
Minotaur’s BattleBots Season 6 rundown so far:
BattleBots shared part of Minotaur’s exciting match against End Game via an Instagram video:
View this post on Instagram
And Discovery shared a brief recap via a tweet:
Amazing night of fights — capped off with Minotaur vs. End Game
#BattleBots@BattleBots on Discovery and streaming now on @discoveryplus https://t.co/bGu17QgxPw pic.twitter.com/x4qnZqAoIF
— Discovery (@Discovery) April 1, 2022
Our colleagues were watching it all and celebrated the epic win:
“Some expert maneuvers on display – recovering from hits to get away from trouble and pummeling End Game to neutralizing its weapons!! Go Minotaur!! What a thrilling win!!” — Sathya Raman, managing director
“Keeping End Game pinned against the hammer was awesome!” — Melinda Schmidt, solutions architect
“Absolutely fantastic!!!” — Liza Sisler, director, marketing
“Hard-fought battle. Can’t wait for the next bout!” — Blake Edler, lead technical consultant
No matter the outcome of this Thursday’s BattleBots season finale, it’s safe to say that RioBotz and Minotaur have been a constant source of inspiration to our colleagues.
And in the end, perhaps BattleBots said it best in this tweet after Minotaur’s victory over End Game:
Win or loose, it’s all about the
#BattleBots @Discovery pic.twitter.com/TCIrKNfZH6
— BattleBots (@BattleBots) April 1, 2022
Don’t miss what’s sure to be an exciting BattleBots 2021 World Championship season finale on Thursday, April 7 at 8pm ET on Discovery. We’ll be watching and cheering for RioBotz and Minotaur to take it all the way!
(Photo Credit: Photo provided by RioBotz)
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community. Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient on our Careers page to see career opportunities and more! Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
What’s it like to work at Perficient? Rewarding, inspiring, collaborative, and oftentimes just flat-out FUN.
There are always countless ways to connect with colleagues. One of the things that’s brought us all together lately: our favorite fighting robot, Perficient’s Minotaur.
We’ve proudly partnered with the Brazilian-based fighting robot builder team, RioBotz, and their BattleBots competitor Minotaur for the 2021-2022 season on the Discovery Channel. To say our colleagues have embraced the partnership would be an understatement. We’ve got a fiercely dedicated fanbase!
When our colleagues first learned about our RioBotz partnership, they were excited. As it turns out, by no big surprise, many were already avid BattleBots watchers – and many were even fans of Minotaur already.
“OMG I’m so pumped for this! I love Minotaur!! #TeamBrazil #TeamFreitas” —Eric Markson, senior technical consultant
“What an awesome idea!!!! Absolutely love it!!” —Nicolas Frantzen, director, Data Solutions
“Very COOL” —Bill Holehouse, account developer
“Great collab! We watch BattleBots as a family, so the kids will be proud!” —José Echeverri, account manager
“I’ve been watching the revamped show since the first one, and my wife didn’t believe me when I told her it was cool. I think the sport will keep gaining traction with the Discovery Channel doing such a great job with production. Love that I have a team to root for now! Awesome idea!” —Tyler Harper, business consultant
Excitement continued to build leading up to Minotaur’s season six BattleBots debut on January 6, and our colleagues couldn’t get over the mighty bot’s strength and resilience during what proved to be a fire-filled first matchup (read our reactions and takeaways here). What’s more, seeing Perficient’s strong support of RioBotz – and the team sporting Perficient-branded hats, shirts, and facemasks during the broadcasts – elevated our colleagues’ sense of pride in working at Perficient.
Our colleagues love BattleBots because, like Perficient, STEM is not only fun but also has the power to change lives.
Adam Bryant is a longtime technical architect at Perficient and also a longtime FIRST Robotics Competition high-school team leader. He was thrilled to learn about Perficient’s RioBotz and Minotaur partnership not only because he’s a BattleBots fan, but he also has an appreciation for all that’s involved in building robots.
Adam Bryant sports his Perficient Minotaur hat while preparing students for a FIRST Robotics competition.
“These robots impart and absorb a tremendous amount of kinetic energy. Despite their seeming simplicity, every one of them is the result of hundreds of hours of design, building, testing, redesign, rebuild, etc.,” he said.
If you work for Perficient, you know that your colleagues are always there for you. Watching the February 10 episode of BattleBots, which featured a matchup between Minotaur and Dragon Slayer, proved exciting and redeeming. The bull was raging and handed Dragon Slayer a quick defeat, resulting in a win by TKO and the RioBotz’s team’s first win of the season.
Watch Minotaur battle Dragon Slayer:
Our colleagues were watching and celebrated the big win:
“VICTORY!” —Eric Walk, director
“Redemption!” —Connor Stieferman, marketing manager
“Slayed the slayer!” —Ty Rhudy, portfolio specialist
“That’s a winner!!!” —Melinda Schmidt, solutions architect
“Great victory! Total domination!!! The team certainly took their pain out on Dragon Slayer.” —Glenn Kline, area vice president
Unfortunately during the episode, the pain extended beyond the bots getting banged up. The RioBotz team interview after the match tugged at our heartstrings as driver Daniel Freitas got choked up over the heartbreaking passing of his mother and grandmother. We watched as Daniel’s RioBotz teammates embraced him and reassured him that they were there for him.
View this post on Instagram
Along with the BattleBots community, our colleagues wanted Daniel to know that we, too, were thinking about him. And we found ourselves relating to the RioBotz team’s dedication to one another, especially in the midst of personal grief and tragedy. That sense of solidarity plays out time and again at Perficient, and that’s especially been the case during the global pandemic.
Feeling a bit of FOMO right now? Find out how to become part of our team at Perficient at perficient.com/careers! Minotaur hat optional (but hard to resist).
Don’t forget to tune into BattleBots on the Discovery Channel or stream it on Discovery Plus each Thursday at 8 PM ET. We’re looking forward to seeing the RioBotz team back together again for Minotaur’s next matchup on Thursday, March 3 at 8pm ET.
(Photo Credit: BattleBots, Discovery Channel)
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!
Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Our Women in Tech ERG (Employee Resource Group) kicked off 2021 with a new internal event that continues to draw big turnouts. Every other month, the group hosts a one-hour panel discussion on career advice in alignment with Perficient’s Growth for Everyone campaign. The sessions, held in Microsoft Teams, feature two to three colleagues who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments at Perficient.
The Speakers
Moderated by Erin Moloney, general manager, Dallas, and Women in Tech co-lead, the inaugural installment debuted with two notable panelists: MaryBeth Ostasz, area vice president, and Kimberly Williams-Czopek, director, digital strategy consulting.
From title to title and team to team, MaryBeth has “done a little bit of everything” since joining Perficient in 2007. She’s worked in sales and operations and played a key role in opening our Domestic Delivery Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. Like MaryBeth, Kim has also strived to diversify her skillset. She has spent time in several digital agencies, digital product companies, and served as VP of digital on the brand side. She joined Perficient in 2019 and specializes in digital experience, retail and digital commerce, digital responsibility, and digital business strategies.
READ MORE: About Career Growth at Perficient
MaryBeth and Kim shared a wide range of insights into how they’ve carved out successful career paths at Perficient. Here’s some of what they’ve learned from their experiences – and the skills they continue to cultivate.
“Playing a multitude of different roles has given me a better perspective and appreciation for all Perficient does. I can honestly say I’ve never sat down and said, ‘I want to go here and then here and then here and then here. I’ve never had goals like, ‘I want to be a director, and then I want to be a GM.’ For me, what was important was getting the breadth of understanding how our business works. I always focus on whether I’m learning and growing.
“The more that you’re always stretching yourself and growing, the more things happen naturally. Be flexible and truly look at everything that’s handed to you as an opportunity. Ask yourself: what can I learn from this? How can I grow from this? Sometimes I think we put a target out there of where we want to be, and it actually can prohibit us in growing in some ways because we’re so focused that we’re not looking at the other things around us that could bring growth for us. Don’t get so focused on a certain path because you might lose sight of the scenery that’s along the way.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
“I think people get caught up on titles and what organization you’re on and how you grow, how you move forward. That’s why I love the idea of lateral movement within an organization, just not feeling like you’re stuck in one place. I think that’s such a fantastic offering in the organization. People make the wrong assumption – in any organization – that, ‘this is where I’m at; this is my business unit; I must stay here,’ or, ‘I don’t see a growth path.’ Well, look outside your business unit. What are you interested in? Where could you do work that you’re more interested in now than you were a couple years ago? I think that flexibility is really encouraging and important.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“Surrounding yourself with really smart people and having a good team around you is huge. One of the things I love about Perficient more than anything else is the people. This organization is such a supportive organization across the board. There are very few people I’ve met that aren’t willing to step in and do whatever it takes to move something forward. One of the big things I’ve learned from my career is that it’s so important to do that for others as well. Our jobs are to make 10 more of ourselves. We need to continue to grow and develop others, so that we can continue to grow and develop as well. At the end of the day, there’s no way for you to move on if someone else can’t step into your shoes. That’s the mentality at Perficient, and I love it.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
“What I really like – what keeps me at Perficient – is the level of intelligence, the level of thinking, the level of passion in your discipline or area of focus; that’s been really exciting to see. In reaching out to others, I’ve found that everyone is very open to discussions such as, ‘Here’s what I’m thinking. What do you think?’ We win as a team. We’re only going to tell the right story by involving a group of people. Those interactions allow you to build empathy as well. What I’ve seen as being most successful in building truly diverse organizations and corporate culture is to focus more on what you have in common and not the differences.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“There are a lot of really smart people at Perficient. The more you can network and help people understand what you can bring to the table – and seek to understand what they can bring to the table as well – the more you’ll be able to leverage those relationships. Leveraging the relationships across the organization is what’s going to help you grow and develop both ways: you’re helping others, and they’re helping you as well.
“To continue to build relationships, I’ve told people that as much as they can video, they should. Even if it’s just a simple 15-minute call just to make that connection because it’s amazing just to see someone’s reaction to something – their body structure, their facial expressions. You can get a sense of how they’re feeling about the topic, and it helps you to connect as much as possible.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
“I try to start calls with a personal conversation. We don’t always have time for that, but I think it goes a long way in getting to the outcome that you were actually hoping for out of that call. I always think it’s important to have a personal connection. What I’ve seen be most successful in building truly diverse organizations and corporate culture is to focus more on what you have in common and not the differences. For instance, if you say, we’re going to have a group that’s focused on what it takes to get a graduate degree today or what does it mean when you’re raising younger children and you’re working full time – it’s finding those commonalities and then you can better appreciate the differences, and you’re much more open to organic learning that drives that diversity in culture.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“I think having a good coach and mentor right out of the gate is important. However, although I’m a believer that you could and you should have a formal mentor, I also think that everyone around is your mentor in some form or fashion. Oftentimes, depending on what you need, you should be reaching out to different people because everyone has a different strength that you can play off of or something you can learn from them. To always be looking at one individual to provide you with everything you need I think is maybe limiting yourself.
“There have been so many individuals who have been there to support me – that I’ve felt like I can reach out to and that they’re there as a sounding board. They give me the tough feedback when I need to hear it. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for someone who’s just going to pat you on the head all the time and say, “you’re doing a great job,” then you’re not looking for the right person. It’s someone who’s going to play that tough love for you as well but know that they’re supportive of you in the same fashion. There’s been so many of those folks I can’t even count.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
“I’ve had more formal mentor relationships outside of Perficient that are more what people might think of as traditional. I feel like I’ve just found my footing at Perficient, and now at this point, I can start expanding or building more one-on-one and longer-lasting mentor relationships. I know we have programs set up for that, which I think is really great compared to other companies.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“Everyone has a different definition of success. For me, I consider, ‘Am I happy? Do I feel like I’m working with good people? Do I feel like I accomplished something? Am I just moving paper around and keeping the train on track, or are we actually moving forward?’ It’s really important to me that at the end of the day I can say that something was accomplished and that I’m happy and am I growing. That’s another thing: I have to know that I’m growing.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
“For me, it’s accomplishment and productivity. The worst days are the days when I’m in back-to-back meetings, and I’m wondering, ‘what have I done – at all today?’ I feel like that can impact someone’s job happiness.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“In the context of women in technology, I don’t hesitate to stop and make sure that I’m not being talked over or say, ‘this is my idea, let me talk about it.’ After all this time, I try to be diplomatic, but I’m certainly not shy in pointing out when I think my voice is getting drowned out. I think that sometimes comes with age and experience and being a little more confident in what you know and what you don’t know. I would say that for anyone younger you shouldn’t be afraid of that; it’s more on the delivery than the message.” — Kimberly Williams-Czopek
“The delivery is huge. You can deliver something and how it comes across is either going to engage your audience or it’s going to shut them down very quickly. Make sure everyone’s voice is heard. Make sure everyone feels they are truly a participant in the discussion.” — MaryBeth Ostasz
Another inspiring Women in Tech ERG event: LPGA Golf Pro Morgan Pressel Meets with Perficient’s Women in Technology Group
READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?
Comprised of more than 500 colleagues worldwide, our Women in Tech ERG strives to connect women and their allies across Perficient, facilitate career growth, and build a community dedicated to supporting fellow colleagues.
Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!
Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to sign LPGA pro Morgan Pressel to “Team Perficient” – a lineup of three professional golfers that represent our quickly-growing firm on a global basis.
Morgan turned professional at the age of 17. She qualified for the Women’s U.S. Open at the age of 12. She’s one of the most well-recognized names on the LPGA Tour and has been a consistent performer for many years.
We were inspired by Morgan’s track record of consistent and dependable performance on the course, as well as her creation of the Morgan Pressel Foundation, which raises funds to fight breast cancer. Her proudest achievement is the Kathryn Krickstein Pressel MammoVan, a mobile van that provides early breast cancer detection services and breast health education to women throughout South Florida.
We have been cheering for Morgan while she competes in LPGA tournaments this year, and we are constantly inspired by her drive, determination and commitment to excellence.
Our Women in Technology (WIT) group recently had the good fortune to hear firsthand from Morgan during a special Q&A video call. Comprised of more than 200 colleagues worldwide, our WIT group strives to connect women and their allies across Perficient, facilitate career growth, and build a community dedicated to supporting fellow colleagues. WIT frequently hosts networking and development events that enlighten and inform, and the virtual meeting with Morgan certainly fit the bill.
During the video call, Morgan discussed her challenges, successes and what’s helped her find resilience and motivation through the years. Watch our full interview below.
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Our Chennai, India-based colleagues moved into the Perficient Tower, a sprawling nine-story building with state-of-the-art features, in November 2019.
There’s plenty to be excited about inside the new space. However, it’s a Perficient sign on the outside that’s been the source of the most excitement. The sign, positioned prominently at the top of the building, signifies the team’s transition from several shared, multi-tenant spaces to a building that’s all their own.
To them, the sign far transcends the mere practicality of a geographic marker; it carries a certain prestige and makes a statement about Perficient’s remarkable growth story in India. It symbolizes an ongoing journey, one in which our colleagues have made significant strides, and one in which they strive for continued success.
“What we see in the new office, which we are proudly calling Perficient Tower, is our identity,” said Prakash Chembai, General Manager. “Instead of being a tenant in a large building, we are the building. There’s real pride in that.”
Prakash joined Perficient in 2007, and his seniority dates back to 2001. At the time, he worked with our Oracle team in northern California. In 2011, he moved to India and continued to work for Perficient in a 1,000-square-foot space in the older RK Salai building, where operations started with a team of three. With determination and dedication, the team grew to about 30, at which point they were running out of space.
Colleagues moved into the Sterling Center, a 7,000-square-foot office. They focused the next two years on establishing expertise in various technologies, bringing in a team structure, contending for complex projects, and introducing process-oriented development. The efforts helped the team grow to 100 by the fourth quarter of 2014, at which time they again needed more space. Chennai colleagues then moved to Olympia Platina, a 25,000-square-foot space added in two phases in 2015.
Fast forward to today, Perficient Tower spans more than 65,000 square feet across nine floors to support the delivery of software development, testing, and support services. The building’s agile, open floor plan pattern seats between 575 to 650 colleagues and will allow substantial team growth and expanded offerings to meet the growing needs of our clients.
“We have several people who have traveled the journey from the 1,000-square-foot office,” Prakash said.
For those folks, and for the broader team, the move into the new space is a momentous one.
“We are not just moving into a new office. We are moving into an office that we built brick by brick, metaphorically speaking,” Prakash said. “We are reaping the fruits of our efforts. There are so many colleagues who have contributed to this success story. This office provides a very emotional connection for all of us.”
Perficient Tower is located in the heart of Chennai and features state-of-the-art interior design, highly functional floors, dedicated space to host clients, and other exciting elements. Many colleagues share in Prakash’s excitement.
“I am looking forward to the increased space, the beautiful interiors, the eminent location, and the sense of pride that the new office space will bring,” said Sumantra Nandi, director.
“We are looking forward to the nicer collaborative spaces, the more spacious conference rooms, and the increased availability of parking,” said Parvez Maideen, director dedicated delivery.
Gayathri Hariharan, director HCM, who has been with our Chennai team since the RK Salai office, said: “We look forward to having a 200-seat fine dining area, which will be very cozy and relaxing.
“There will be a nursery for looking after babies, keeping them engaged and safe while parents work peacefully. That is sure a great highlight.”
“I am able to visually see the growth we have had since my association from RK Salai office and feel so proud of Perficient,” said Kamini Chandar, Director Finance. Siva Paramesh, Director Consulting, added: “There will be an exclusive rooftop space for hosting parties. Even the location itself is a perk. This will reduce commute time for most of us.”
“I have worked for larger organizations and was part of larger office moves, which were just another address change. But here, I have a great feeling of belonging, a very emotional connection, and my team is super excited to start working out of the new facility,” said Iyappan Rathina, director.
Venkat Janardhan, senior project manager, echoed that sentiment. “‘We built this’ is the feeling,” he said.
“This is a dream come true for me. In the past 15 years of my career, I have never worked in a Tower; this one being our own is the icing on the cake,” said Saraswathi Ramanathan, Senior Manager – Finance.
“This is a whole new thing in totality, and we look forward to it,” said Manivel Jaganathan, director.
“This is taking us to a different league. Way to go Perficient,” said Kapildev Munisamy, IT manager.
Perficient’s optimized global delivery capabilities play a critical role in delivering successful, end-to-end, digital transformation solutions to our clients.
“We are thrilled to grow our presence and our capabilities in Chennai, the fourth-largest metropolitan city in India,” said Kevin Sheen, Vice President of Global Delivery, Perficient. “Not only do the people here bring amazing talent and skills to the technology consulting market, but the area is also home to prestigious universities.”
Our Chennai colleagues are 100-percent Perficient employees and are Scrum Master Certified or higher. The Chennai GDC operates at SEI CMMI-L5 and boasts significant security certifications that ensure it’s a trusted partner to leading enterprises. This includes being HIPAA certified by multiple major healthcare providers, ISO 27001 Security Certified, and SSAE 18 ( PCI-DSS) Certified.
“The new space firmly establishes Perficient as a major player in the IT consulting space in Chennai,” said Raj Ganapathy, Director Talent Acquisition. “This means Perficient becomes an even more attractive employer in the eyes of prospective candidates.
Our Chennai colleagues always roll out the red carpet for office visitors. Now, at Perficient Tower, the greetings stand to be even more grandiose – and more impactful – even before visitors arrive at the office. The new building is a 10-to-15-minute drive from the airport. As airplanes land, passengers will be able to see the Perficient sign standing tall.
“That kind of visibility for our brand – and the individuality of Perficient therein – that’s something we are all looking forward to,” Prakash said. After a pause, he added, “It’s Perficient Tower.”
He let that sink in for a moment. The name says it all.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
]]>2019 has been a momentous year for Perficient with much to celebrate. From ambitious startup to formidable force, we have come a long way in the past 20 years, and our performance and momentum have never been stronger.
We’re grateful to continue to grow our relationships with our clients, whether new beginnings or many years in the making. And, we’re extremely grateful for our people. Our colleagues are the best in the business, working collaboratively across the globe to achieve success.
In 2019, we continued to expand our teams and our capabilities and strengthened our global footprint.
We brought home numerous awards and recognitions that validate our deep expertise across partners and industries:
and showcase we’re a great place to work:
We entered into a slam-dunk partnership with the Dallas Mavericks and scored big with the St. Louis Cardinals and Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
As we grow in brand recognition, we grow in confidence that we are forging the path of new opportunities for our clients. And we’re even more excited about what’s to come in 2020.
On behalf of our nearly 3,700 Perficient colleagues around the world, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
]]>Nearly 20 Chicago-based Perficient colleagues participated in the 2019 installment of the annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Race. This was the second year they ran together as Team Perficient.
Colleagues had many reasons for taking part. Among the motivators:
Team Perficient joined more than 28,000 competitors from the business and public sectors who participated in the 3.5 mile run / walk to raise money for local charities and nonprofit organizations. The scenic urban route made for a fun way to give back.
“Most of the race took place in Lower Wacker, but the last half mile was above ground and gave great views of the city skyline,” said Erin Turley, associate technical consultant at Perficient.
Erin and her teammates once again found the event to be a perfect opportunity to bond with each other outside of the office. “Most of our Perficient runners waited in line for 45 minutes before we could start running, so we passed the time by playing games and telling stories,” Erin said.
Patrick Truskowski, lead technical consultant at Perficient, ran in the 2018 race. He enjoyed the time with his teammates so much that he decided to sign up again. “I talked to more people than I normally do since I don’t always attend our office happy hours,” Patrick said.
Toni Milushev, product engineering manager at Perficient, agreed. “It allowed me to meet new people from Perficient,” Toni said. “The overall experience was awesome. Plus, we got finisher shirts.”
Shirts and great eats. “After the race, we all met at the Perficient tent and ate Blackwood BBQ,” Erin said.
Patrick is encouraging his teammates who haven’t taken part yet to give it a shot. “I think more people should do the run. It’s very fun even if you don’t like running,” Patrick said. “I didn’t train but was able to run the majority of the 5k. I still had fun even though I’m out of shape.”
Erin also joined the team, in part, to get moving again. “I decided to participate as a way to motivate myself to start running more. It especially helped that the weather has gotten so much nicer,” Erin said.
As for the 2020 race? Team Perficient already has at least one interested member. “I’ll probably run it again next year,” Erin said.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
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We are honored to announce that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Perficient a 2019 Top Workplace. A team from our global headquarters attended a ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis to celebrate the big win.
There, St. Louis Post-Dispatch editors told a packed house of the St. Louis-area’s premier employers that they should take pride in the achievement.
“It’s not an accident you’re here,” said Ian Caso of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Someone had to say, ‘This place where I work is great, and I’m going to tell someone about it.’”
Perficient colleagues gather together during the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s 2019 Top Workplaces awards ceremony.
Based on survey responses from our colleagues, Perficient ranked 33 out of 55 companies in the Top Midsized Employers category. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 1,286 employers in the St. Louis region were invited to participate. Of that number, 150 earned recognition as a Top Workplace.
Cheers! Perficient colleagues toast our 2019 Top Workplaces award news during the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s ceremony.
The overall survey findings revealed company values and feeling appreciated ranked highest in importance, and seemed to indicate inspired employees as the answer to the happiness-at-work equation.
“Employees that work at companies where their words are heard and valued – those are the Top Workplaces,” said Lisa Brown, St. Louis Post-Dispatch business editor.
Perficient colleagues show their support for the St. Louis Blues during the Stanley Cup championship games.
When considering the top attributes in a company today, it’s no surprise Perficient secured a strong standing among the Top Workplaces winners.
“Perficient leadership cultivates a team-oriented environment where everyone feels that their contributions are important,” said Anthony Karre, director, Perficient. He’s been with Perficient for 19 years and has seen our company’s values hold strong during that tenure. “Perficient has emphasized this team approach for years, and this contributes to one of the lowest turnover rates in the IT consulting industry.”
Jason Hudnall, general manager, St. Louis, points to Perficient’s collaborative and supportive environment as part of what makes our company a Top Workplace. “Perficient provides our employees a great work-life balance where everyone is treated with respect and each person has a voice to bring forward new ideas,” he said. “Our consultants take pride in providing value for our clients delivering projects not only on time and on budget but also with a focus on purpose and innovation.
Perficient colleagues were greeted with donuts to celebrate the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2019 Top Workplaces award.
Sarah Shapiro, marketing coordinator, joined Perficient about a year ago. She’s come to love the culture in the short time she’s been on board. “Perficient never loses focus of its people,” she said. “There is such a great culture of lifting up employees by helping them grow and excel in the careers while having fun.”
Our St. Louis office was also named a Top Workplace by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2015, 2014 and 2013. Perficient has been named a Top Workplace in additional markets including Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis as well. The St. Louis Business Journal named Perficient a Best Place to Work in 2019 and 2016. In addition, FlexJobs, a job service specializing in remote and flexible job opportunities, named Perficient a Top 100 Company to Watch for Remote Work for the three consecutive years. Perficient also maintains a 4.0 rating on Glassdoor.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Follow Perficient on LinkedIn here.
What is it like to live and work in Bozeman, Montana? When people ask Justin Bartels that question, he often feels as though they listen to his stories in disbelief.
“It’s kind of a fairy tale,” he said.
Justin Bartels
Justin, a portfolio specialist at Perficient, has lived in Bozeman for ten years. He’s part of our team of marketing technology solutions colleagues based in our Bozeman location. The majestic Rocky Mountains serve as a backdrop among the stunning scenery of the Gallatin County valley in southwestern Montana. The mountain town has long been known as a world-class ski destination. In recent years, it has gained national attention as a thriving technology sector as well.
The locale certainly has a lot to offer professionals. However, there’s one thing Justin and his teammates come back to time and again as the main selling point: each other. Whether collaborating on a client project or backcountry skiing after work, Ellie Swanson, project coordinator, cites the connections she’s formed with her colleagues as one of the truly great aspects of working in our Bozeman office.
“My coworkers are what make this place special,” she said. “They are there to push me to be the best version of myself.”
Ellie Swanson
The bonds Ellie has forged with her teammates aren’t entirely by chance. Team building is a top priority. Therefore, the office space is specifically designed to bring everyone together.
Our team occupies the entire third floor and half of the fourth floor of a building that originally housed the Bozeman Canning Company, circa 1917. The vibrant architectural area is called the Cannery District.
“The third floor is entirely open. It’s where all team members work. The fourth floor is filled with conference rooms to allow private spaces for calls and meetings,” explained Laura Phillips, marketing manager. “There is a full kitchen with healthy snacks and seating. Impromptu meetings often occur there around bagels and coffee.”
Collaboration comes easily in the space. There are no offices.
“You may need to jump into a conference room for a quiet place to take a call. But there is an upbeat air about the office that is always fun to experience,” said Morgan Hausauer, director. “Each day is different with a lot of collaboration and exciting energy. You will hear all sorts of music playing throughout the day with our app-driven Sonos system.”
Justin is a huge fan of the office’s central gathering space. “You have a lot of inherent cross-pollination of ideas there. You’ll hear about a project in which we helped a client through a certain scenario and the takeaways from it. We all share ideas. As a result, everyone feels the energy of us working together.”
Morgan Hausauer
Everyone pitches in where needed, regardless of their area of expertise.
“No matter what role you have, there is always someone to bounce ideas off of, ask questions to, or discuss weekend plans with,” Morgan said. “The Bozeman office is one big family.”
The collaborative environment breeds success. “I think you can go as far as to say it’s a competitive differentiator,” Justin said. “We develop deep expertise and standard best practices for serving clients. Hence, you need to be all in one room sharing ideas and interacting.”
Colleagues are groomed from the onset to be successful. The team established an extensive three-month onboarding program. It fully assimilates new members.
“We hire go-getters, people who push the boundaries,” Justin said. “We’re working with really smart people. There’s a gratitude and enjoyment in that. I haven’t experienced it at other places.”
They know how to perform. At the same time, they know how to sustain. “We know that if we burn ourselves out, we’re not as good,” Justin said. “We understand work-life balance really well.”
Bozeman is a lively, growing town with no shortage of activities. Our colleagues take full advantage.
“Bozeman is a mecca for the outdoors. Nearly every sport or recreational activity can be done here or in nearby areas,” Morgan said.
“There is no doubt that access to the backcountry is one of the most wonderful parts of Bozeman,” Ellie said. “The ability to go whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, or fishing within 15 minutes of the office allows coworkers to pursue their many passions in and out of the office.”
Bozeman is nestled between two world-class ski resorts, Big Sky and Bridger Bowl. The city is 90 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Montana is also known to have the best fly-fishing in the world.
The Cannery District is within walking distance to Bozeman’s downtown area and 15 minutes from Bridger Bowl Ski Area.
Laura Phillips
“The district partners envisioned celebrating the originality of the existing buildings and revitalized them into functional, modern-day versions of what they used to be,” Laura said.
Within the Cannery District itself are numerous restaurants and venues. It is home to a sushi restaurant, kombucha bar, distillery, speakeasy, brewery, and many other local businesses. Bozeman is also home to Montana State University. More and more graduates are opting to stay in town with the growing number of tech jobs, thanks to companies such as Perficient.
The community as a whole is extremely health-focused, Morgan said. The slower pace of life and ease of getting around play into that. Justin’s daily commute to work is less than five minutes.
“The amount of time driving compared to the time spent living life is so small,” he said. “You can live a very accessible and full life. You don’t have to spend a lot of time commuting from point A to point B.”
He devotes the time he would have spent in the car to coaching at a local gym and participating part-time with the board of a local theater.
Zachary Holmes
Zachary Holmes, director of sales, has traveled the world many times over, and Bozeman remains one of his favorite places.
“I always relate every experience back to Bozeman because it changes you,” he said.
Zachary lived with his family in Bozeman growing up and then moved to California for work, most recently in San Francisco where he worked for Marketo and Salesforce.com. He returned to Bozeman in late 2018 to seize on the opportunity to join the Perficient team. The experience has been distinctly different from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area.
“When I woke up in San Francisco, I would be thinking, ‘How much can I get today? What do I need to do today to make sure I’m comfortable tomorrow?’ It’s a rat race. When I wake up in Bozeman, it’s not about the rat race. I’m thinking, ‘What’s my personal health? Have I exercised enough?’ It’s also about my family and whether I’m doing things to better the world.”
However, a better-balanced lifestyle hasn’t led to a worsened job performance. Quite the contrary. “I think it translates into doing better work,” Zachary said. “There’s something about the mountains that instills a strong work ethic. It takes a certain type of person to live here, someone who can deal with a six-month winter. Things aren’t handed to you here. You have to work for them.”
“Our team’s talent rivals that of any other top company,” he said.
Justin has certainly found that to be the case. “When people are happier and healthier, they work more efficiently,” he added. “Bozeman is the perfect place to build a business.”
Having the best of both worlds certainly feeds into outsiders’ too-good-to-be-true perception of the Bozeman experience. But those immersed in it seem to have no shortage of praises to sing.
“Being born and raised in Montana, I love traveling. However, returning home to the kind people and fresh air is one of my favorite things. It is something I never take for granted,” Morgan said. “It is a wonderful place to live and work.”
Our Bozeman teammates know how to get down to business. At the same time, they know how to have fun and give back to the community where they live.
Some of the activities they do to create a strong culture include:
Colleagues also volunteer throughout the year as a team for nonprofit organizations, including, but not limited to, Fork and Spoon “Pay What You Can Café,” Can the Griz food drive, Run to the Pub, Special Olympics, Pintler Pets, American Red Cross blood drive, and Give Big Gallatin Valley.
The outreach certainly enhances the positive spirit of our Bozeman office and further solidifies it as a wonderful place to work.
READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER IN BOZEMAN?
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
]]>From ambitious startup to formidable force, Perficient has come a long way in the past 20 years, and our performance and momentum have never been stronger.
We held our initial public offering on July 29, 1999 – at the time with only 19 employees. On May 22, our executive team celebrated our 20th year on Nasdaq with a return trip to Times Square to ring the Nasdaq Closing Bell. With more than 3,500 colleagues around the world, more than half a billion dollars in revenue, and strong relationships with Global 2000 and Fortune 1000 customers, the ceremony marked a significant milestone.
“There’s much to celebrate,” said Perficient Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Davis before ringing the Nasdaq Closing Bell. “And the best news is, we’re just getting started.”
Watch the ceremony here:
During the ceremony, Davis (pictured below right) reflected on our milestones and thanked all involved in our successes.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank our customers. The trust you place in us – we will never take it for granted or let you down,” Davis said. “I want to thank the executives and leaders here today. Each of you have made incredible contributions to our business. I want to thank our more than 3,500 colleagues around the world. You are the reason we succeed. I also want to thank the equity analysts that cover our firm and the investors who demonstrate faith in our long-term growth story. And, of course, I want to thank the Nasdaq for our partnership.”
Leading digital transformation consulting firm @Perficient just rang the Closing Bell at Nasdaq in celebration of its 20 year listing anniversary. Congratulations! $PRFT pic.twitter.com/2OjBEwnwiu
— Nasdaq (@Nasdaq) May 22, 2019
Patrick Schwierking, vice president, Sales and North America East Region, at Perficient, also spoke to our achievements.
“As a leadership team, we’re fired up to be here today celebrating 20 years of achievement with great prospects ahead,” Schwierking said. “We’re helping established brands and large tech companies deliver compelling front-end digital experiences that drive meaningful results in the form of attracting, converting and retaining clients via all digital channels. In parallel, we’re helping companies modernize and optimize back-end technology and business processes to enable those highly personalized front-end experiences with technology from our key software partners.
“We are passionate about helping our clients dominate digital which means expanding revenues, increasing efficiencies and ultimately delivering improved bottom-line results,” Schwierking said.
Our colleagues who attended the ceremony said they were honored to be part of the big day.
“Taking part in the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony was a celebration of our strong company performance through the years – a performance that continues to be rooted in an exceptional partnership between our customers, shareholders, and employees,” said Kevin Sheen, Vice President, Global Delivery and North America West Region, Perficient. “For me personally, it was an honor and highlight in my professional career that I’ll remember for years to come.”
Vishal Rajpal, General Manager – Cloud, at Perficient, reflected on all the ways we’ve helped our customers succeed – and all the ways we will continue to do so.
“We were honored to ring the Nasdaq Closing Bell at a time where technology innovations are making a big impact to what the future brings for businesses all over the world,” Rajpal said. “In the past decades, we have had great accomplishments helping our customers innovate and grow their businesses solving complex technology challenges. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished for our clients, technology partners, and employees over the years. Our execution and thought leadership integrating and building complex solutions leveraging technologies from our technology partners like Pivotal, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Red Hat, and others are key to guiding our customers into the future.”
We look forward to a bright future ahead.
“I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished,” Davis said. “And as I mentioned earlier – the best is yet to come.”
Connect with us on LinkedIn here and follow us on Twitter here to see all of our Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony coverage!
]]>Opportunities to grow as a professional come from all corners at Perficient. Here, we spotlight three colleagues who have taken charge of their careers and risen to new levels of success. They cite supportive managers, talented and driven teammates, and challenging and rewarding projects as motivation for their continued career growth.
“I started my professional journey as a technical support engineer aligned to a contact center software product. As I grew and advanced in roles as a unified communications engineer I, II, and III, I developed deep technical expertise with voice platforms and sharpened my communication skills. I moved away from a purely engineering-focused approach (solving small problems) to tackling problems on a larger scale, and I eventually transitioned into a consulting role. I now look at the depth of contact center operations and help plan and implement cloud contact center solutions, currently with Amazon Connect.
“I credit my career advancement to a combination of my personal drive, opportunities within Perficient, great management, and support from my incredibly smart and talented coworkers. My team works at a fast pace and adapts to the latest technology trends. That usually opens some doors. I also have been fortunate to work with supportive managers who listen to their employees’ career interests and look for opportunities that align with business goals.”
– Dora Hodanic, Senior Technical Consultant, Microsoft Product Development, Perficient
“I have had a widely varied career, with seven years of telecom experience leading into my time as a consultant. I have learned to transform skill sets from my previous roles to help our clients. My initial transition from industry was like drinking from the proverbial fire hose. But thanks to the support of my director and the rest of the team, I was able to start thinking like a consultant.
“As I have moved to different engagements, I have been able to develop my consulting skills while learning new aspects of telecommunications and delving into other industries as well. I look forward to increasingly complex challenges as I continue to learn and grow.”
– Luc Sauer, Project Manager, Management Consulting, Perficient
“In my previous role as a lead technical consultant, I was given two to three solid opportunities to execute projects as a solutions architect. That experience not only led to my promotion to solutions architect but also made for a smooth transition between roles. From the beginning, Perficient has trusted me with important roles for different clients in different domains.
“I have served nearly eight clients in three years in industries such as banking and finance, healthcare, and retail. All of the clients had their own style of working. Fulfilling their specific needs helped me further develop my consulting skills. Working in cross-functional and technical domains (from Oracle BI consulting to healthcare consulting) worked in my favor as well.”
– Avik Dutta, Perficient, Solutions Architect, Oracle BI, Perficient
Read more about how Perficient colleagues are growing their careers.
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
]]>Digital disruption is happening at lightning speed, and its impact spares no industry or business. Today’s technologies allow consumers to own every experience, forcing business leaders to re-examine every aspect of their business models.
As the leading digital transformation consulting firm serving Global 2000 and enterprise customers throughout North America, we’ve spent the past two decades helping companies navigate uncharted territories and rising consumer expectations, so they can innovate, achieve growth, and remain competitive.
As we celebrate our strong momentum and continued impact, we are pleased to announce that we will be ringing the Nasdaq Stock Market Closing Bell in Times Square at 4 p.m. ET on May 22. The occasion is one that certainly comes at a fitting time.
Just as Nasdaq is “relentlessly reimagining the markets of today,” we, too, are working to define a new era. Nasdaq’s mission to “rewrite tomorrow” is one we share. We’re driven by an insatiable desire to lead change and transform businesses across the globe. It’s the essence of all we do as we deliver digital experience, business optimization, and industry solutions to the world’s leading enterprises. As we approach the event, some of our colleagues who will be attending share how we’re helping companies digitally transform.
“Digital Transformation isn’t just a board room imperative or passing industry trend. True transformation is the barometer for whether companies will become relics of the past or brand builders who #RewriteTomorrow by elevating customer attraction, engagement, retention, and loyalty through every touchpoint in their journey. A mature transformation is about organizational buy-in, operational readiness, platform scalability, and the courage to challenge what worked in the past.”
– Ed Hoffman, Vice President, Digital Experience Solutions, Perficient
“Digital transformation challenges virtually every digital interaction – between users, devices, sensors, data and more – to happen faster, to have greater accuracy and to be a more personal, intuitive and effective experience. Across industries, Perficient focuses on illuminating and accelerating this process. For instance, in healthcare, we #RewriteTomorrow by helping our clients evolve to meet patients on their own terms, empowering them in every step – physical and digital – of their health journey.
“Along the way, we help clients leverage rapidly growing digitally-generated insight to re-engineer their strategy, technology and culture for next generation care provision, management and innovation.”
– Matt Castle, Vice President, Industry Solutions, Perficient
“While the digital revolution has been going on for quite some time now, there’s never been a more exciting time to be a part of it. The digital landscape continues to be remade through the constant interplay between large enterprises, start-ups, and even ‘gig’ economies – all pushing the envelope and each other, with time frames for revolution getting shorter and shorter. These days, a company that hesitates will lose ground at an unrecoverable rate to companies that embrace change and not only challenge convention but even innovation itself. Tomorrow is no longer imaginable because it’s being re-written hourly – right now.”
– Kevin Sheen, Vice President, Global Delivery and North America West Region, Perficient
“The sense of pride I have in Perficient as a $500m company and growing has never been greater. Ringing the Nasdaq bell symbolizes all of the customers that put their trust in Perficient to help them realize the promise of digital transformation. It also signifies the strong business relationship we have with our technology partners and the faith they have in Perficient to successfully #RewriteTomorrow by executing their technology to solve some of the biggest digital challenges facing the market. Last but not least, it’s a direct reflection of Perficient’s 3,500 colleagues around the globe and their commitment to exceeding client expectations that makes all the difference. I’m looking forward to representing all of them on the Nasdaq platform.”
– Patrick Schwierking, Vice President, Sales and North America East Region, Perficient
“It’s an incredible honor to be a part of the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony. This opportunity is truly representative of the transformational changes that help us #RewriteTomorrow for our clients each and every day. Enabling our clients to more effectively and efficiently attract and retain customers, and to maximize those customer experiences directly affects their success in the market and in turn ours. I’m truly blessed to share this experience with some of the best and brightest minds in our industry and am excited about what the future holds for Perficient.”
– Brian Conway, Strategic Account Director, Perficient
“When I think of the Nasdaq, I immediately think of companies like Microsoft, Apple, Cisco and the tech companies that laid the foundation for this century, the new economy, and, quite candidly, my career. These, and many companies like them, didn’t just invent and build insanely great tech, they practically invented the culture of innovation and disruption that we thrive on. I’m proud of what we’ve built at Perficient because we’re right square in the middle of bringing new ideas to fast-moving clients and making it real every single day. Standing on the floor in the Nasdaq will be like standing on the shoulders of giants. We’ll be closing the session, but our minds will already be on the next day because that’s when we start to #RewriteTomorrow.”
– Jim Hertzfeld, Principal and Chief Strategist, Perficient Digital
“The role played by digital transformation has shifted significantly over the years from driving marginal efficiency to becoming a catalyst to drive innovation. To be successful today and into the future, enterprise organizations need to innovate at start-up speeds as they adapt to changing customer desires and expectations. They need to leverage and integrate modern technologies as they compete with disruptive organizations morphing business models overnight. Perficient’s technology leaders, strategists and innovators are working with business leaders and technology executives to guide them in their journey to #RewriteTomorrow by leveraging our proven execution frameworks and deep experience.”
– Vishal Rajpal, General Manager – Cloud, Perficient
“What’s most exciting about all the ways we’re helping customers digitally transform to #RewriteTomorrow is the overall outcome – a better world. We’re helping life sciences leaders poised on the brink of bringing monumental medicines to market. We’re enabling health care providers to deliver better patient care. We’re helping innovative retailers thrive by making it easier for customers to procure goods and services when they want, where they want and how they want.
“Digital transformation is ultimately about leveraging strategic insight, the ever-expanding and always-evolving universe of technology tools, and cultural and operational best practices to make life more pleasant, productive and plentiful for each of us – and all of humanity.”
– Bill Davis, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Perficient
“At Perficient, we are excited about helping companies digitally transform themselves, because, in order to do so successfully and beat the competition, a company must look at their organization from end to end. How do they put in place the correct infrastructure of tools, technology and process to enable scale and efficiency? How do they leverage customer data to personalize experiences, increase engagement and drive brand affinity and sales? How will their culture and values work to enable innovation and drive forward a focus on the customer, all while delivering against revenue and profit goals?
“These are hard questions to address. The brave companies that are ready to #RewriteTomorrow are engaging partners like Perficient in their journey to achieve the breadth and depth of skills required to tackle them, and the courage to take them on.”
– Erin Moloney, Director, Marketing, Perficient Digital
In all we do, we strive to transform businesses for the better. We look forward to a bright future ahead. Join us as we celebrate during the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony on May 22. A live stream will be available here.
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