Across the globe, our colleagues have always been generous, kind, and committed to building a better world. Every Perficient colleague is passionate about making a difference, whether it’s competing in a charity marathon, collecting holiday gifts for children in need, celebrating Giving Tuesday, or any other good cause.

One way our U.S. colleagues can give back is through our Perficient Gives Charitable Match Program, which affords colleagues the opportunities to make company-matched donations to meaningful causes like the Make-A-Wish^® Foundation (Make-A-Wish), a nonprofit organization that helps fulfill the wishes of children who are fighting cancer and other critical illnesses.

READ MORE: Perficient Donates $80,000 to Advance STEM Education and Improve Health and Wellbeing

As a result of our long-standing partnership with Make-A-Wish, we recently had the opportunity to surprise a very special child with a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Walt Disney World. Watch the video for a full recap of Elliott’s party, and read more below for more about a day Elliott won’t forget.

All About Elliott

Meet Elliott, a six-year-old who loves the St. Louis Blues, noodles, Cheez-Its, and all things Disney. Elliott has a congenital heart disease. “We never restricted Elliott growing up. We always just wanted him to be a little boy, and not make his life about his condition,” said Elliott’s mom, Sonya. “Our family hasn’t taken a vacation because we never knew what Elliott could handle.”

Elliott’s Day at Perficient with Special Guest, Louie from the St. Louis Blues

With the help of Make-A-Wish, Elliott and his family joined dozens of Perficient colleagues at our St. Louis headquarters for Elliott’s Day, a special party completely focused on celebrating him. We kicked the party off by learning a little more about Elliott, like his love for hockey and how supportive his big sister Abigail has been during his treatment.

We then surprised both Elliott and Abigail with a fresh supply of Cheez-Its snacks and were even joined by Louie from the St. Louis Blues who gifted them with care packages, complete with Blues swag, apparel, and memorabilia. Everyone enjoyed a catered lunch from Noodles & Company, and no party would be complete without chocolate cake – Elliott’s favorite.

Elliott And Abigail

The Big Reveal – A Trip to Walt Disney World

While we got to know Elliott, we also heard how much he loves Disney and how he’s always dreamed of visiting Disney World, “the happiest place on Earth.” This was Elliott’s wish with Make-A-Wish, and Perficient and our colleagues were proud to surprise Elliott with the news that we were making his dream come true.

“Disney World is somewhere Elliott has always wanted to visit. These will be memories that our family was not sure we were ever going to get,” said Sonya. “For Elliott and our family to feel something special means so much.”

“Going to Disney is the icing. The cake is everything that happened here today,” said Elliott’s grandparents, Mary and Shailesh. “All the people involved. The kindness and generosity means more than just going to Disney World.”

The surprise trip was well received by Elliott as well, who said this was the “best day of my life.”

Elliott, his sister, and his parents will soon depart for their much-needed vacation, and we wish them a carefree week filled with joy and memories that will last a lifetime.

READ MORE: Learn more about how Perficient and our colleagues give back to our communities

More About Make-A-Wish

In the weeks prior to Elliott’s Day, Perficient’s Giving Employee Resource Group (ERG) hosted a “get to know” session with representatives from Make-A-Wish for colleagues to learn more about the organization and how they can get involved.

According to Make-A-Wish, a child is diagnosed with a critical illness every 20 minutes. Make-A-Wish is dedicated to making a difference in their lives by creating life-changing wishes that bring hope and a quality of life back to children and their families. For wish kids, the act of making their wish come true can give them the hope, courage, and strength to fight harder against their illnesses. Granting a child’s wish can also mark a turning point in their treatment.

Perficient Donates $100k+ To Make-A-Wish

A wish can take on many different forms. From taking a once-in-a-lifetime vacation or receiving a long-sought gift, to meeting a favorite celebrity or making a difference for someone else, the goal of each gift is to provide a transformative experience for every child. Since the inception of Make-A-Wish in 1980, more than 520,000 wishes have been granted in 50 countries. On average, more than 20,000 wishes are granted each year with approximately 25 wishes granted in the U.S. each day.

Wishes are granted through the support of in-kind donations, community supporters, individual volunteers, and corporate partners. Perficient has been a Make-A-Wish partner for more than 17 years, and in that time, we’ve donated more than $106,000 to the organization.

There are several ways to get involved with Make-A-Wish, including making donations, volunteering to help a local family, fundraising to grant wishes in their local communities, and more. Interested in getting involved with Make-A-Wish? Visit the Get Involved page on their website to learn more and help them transform lives one wish at a time.

READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

It’s no secret our success is because of our people. No matter the technology or time zone, our colleagues are committed to delivering innovative, end-to-end digital solutions for the world’s biggest brands, and we bring a collaborative spirit to every interaction. We’re always seeking the best and brightest to work with us. Join our team and experience a culture that challenges, champions, and celebrates our people.

Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!

Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

We are thrilled to share that Perficient has been named a 2021 Top Workplace by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch! This is the fifth time that our St. Louis office has received this honor with past wins in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2019. It is also our second win this year, as Perficient was also recently named a 2021 Best Place to Work by the St. Louis Business Journal.

How it Works

Top Workplace winners are chosen solely based on feedback from their employees, making this win even more valuable and meaningful for us. While great benefits and culture can make a company a great place to work, a Top Workplace winner is also judged on the following:

It’s about organizational health. Employees want to align with the company’s vision, be challenged by a high-performance culture, and feel that they are valued and that their voices are heard. – Top Workplaces

Any company with at least 50 employees can compete in this process, and this year over 227 employers and 50,000 people chose to participate. Representatives from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch analyzed each company’s data, and the top 151 companies were ranked based on size and score. Winners were honored at a virtual celebration on June 17th and featured in a special edition of the paper this past Sunday.

A Hometown Celebration

This year’s celebration was hosted virtually by the Post-Dispatch with surprise appearances from some of St. Louis’ finest! The 151 winning companies were broken down into three categories based on size, and each grouping was announced by a local celebrity:

1. Small Employer Winners announced by David Freese, 2011 STL Cardinals World Champion and MVP
2. Midsize Employer Winners announced by Jackie Joyner-Kersee, six-time Olympic medalist
3. Large Employer Winners announced by Andy Cohen, TV Host and Entertainer
4. Other Special Awards announced by Joey Vitale, St. Louis Blues Radio Color Analyst

Our Award-Winning Culture

Two of the most important aspects of our company are our culture and our people. We are honored to receive an award based on these factors and will continue to maintain our unique and collaborative culture that values every voice and inspires our colleagues. 

We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized as a Top Workplace in St. Louis for 2021. Our culture and employees are truly what makes Perficient so special.

Brian Conway, St. Louis General Manager

This win adds to our growing list of honors and awards won by our offices around the country. All in all, we are proud to say that Perficient is one great place to work!

JOIN AN AWARD-WINNING WORKPLACE

On October 25, colleagues from our global headquarters gathered to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The event included traditional Indian cuisine, games, music, and more. Our colleagues had a great time learning about some of our peers’ culture and joining in on the fun. We even started the event with an intense game of musical chairs and are already looking forward to next year’s celebration. Take a look at how our colleagues celebrated.

What is Diwali?

Team Members played various games

Diwali is India’s biggest festival and is practiced by millions of people. Diwali originated as a Hindu holiday, but is celebrated by various religions including Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, and across many regions of India. Each religion and region has different historical events and stories around the festival. However, the festival represents the same ideology that light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil prevails. In fact, the word Diwali derives from the Sanskrit work “dipavali” meaning “row of lights”.

The 5 Days of Diwali

Traditional Diwali Cuisine

Diwali lasts five days each year. Each day has their own story and significance.

1. Day One: Dhanteras – Falls on the 13th day of a lunar fortnight on the Hindu calendar. This day celebrates prosperity and is typically celebrated by shopping for gold and silver. It is said that Goddess Lakshmi came out of the churning ocean on this day and was met with a special puja (ritual).
2. Day Two: Chhoti Diwali / Narak Chaturdasi – Legend states that Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasura on this day, freeing 16,000 imprisoned princesses. This day is spent in various ways, but is most known as the day of rest. Some take a ritual bath before sunrise and prepare for the next day’s festivities.
3. Day Three: Lakshmi Pujan – This day coincides with the last day of the dark fortnight of the lunar month, or the new moon, and is the height of the festival. Lord Rama is said to have returned home after his exile on this day. Homes, temples, and communities are adorned with lights. Families gather and wear their best outfits to celebrate.
4. Day Four: Govardhan Puja and Gudi Padwa – The fourth day has various meanings across India. Some celebrate it as the day when Lord Krishna defeated Indra, the god of thunder and rain, to save the farming communities. Another interpretation of the day references Parvarti and her husband Shiva playing a dice game in which Parvarti wins. Shiva surrenders his adornments to her, and because of this, the day is celebrates the bond between husband and wives.
5. Day Five: Bhai Dooj – Celebrates the brother and sister bond. Brothers travel to visit their sisters who prepare them sweets and pray over them.  Some say it symbolizes Yamuna welcoming her brother Yama, while others say it symbolizes Krisha going to his sister’s, Subhadra, after he defeated Narakasura.

The St. Louis Perficient Team

READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

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. Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

The St. Louis Business Journal recently named Perficient a Best Place to Work. A team from our global headquarters celebrated the honor during an awards ceremony the publication hosted to spotlight winners of the annual program.

“The recognition is a testament that our employees are truly excited about working at Perficient,” said Jason Hudnall, general manager, St. Louis. “We are extremely honored.”

During the St. Louis Business Journal’s ceremony, more than 750 attendees – a record number – cheered each other on for going above and beyond for their employees. Perficient landed in the “Large Finalists: 100-249 local employees” category, and ceremony speakers cited our high degree of role autonomy, significant work-life balance benefits, awards for excellence, opportunities to connect with colleagues during fun office festivities and outings, and more.

Back at our St. Louis office, colleagues were treated to 10 dozen donuts. In all the celebrations, the Best Place to Work award brought to mind all the aspects of working at Perficient that our colleagues hold dear. 
Teammates of all tenures – from recent hires to veterans – shared their experiences:

Why Perficient is a Best Place to Work

All-Time Favorite Employer

“I have been with Perficient for nearly four years, and I can say this has truly been the best place I have worked throughout my 20-plus years in IT consulting. Engaging leadership, continual organizational growth, and co-workers who have an authentic desire to always deliver the best all make me proud to call Perficient home.”

– Josh Ward, strategic client director, three years with Perficient

People Are a Priority

“It is rare to find a company like Perficient that never loses focus of its people, even while growing at such a rapid pace. Perficient understands the importance and the value in building a strong, positive culture. Perficient truly cares about its people, and the communities they operate in. Our customers know they have a true partner in Perficient, and not just another consulting firm looking to ring the register.”

– Kevin Kozlowski, client services director, one year with Perficient

Culture Centered on Involvement

“Perficient promotes a culture in which your fulfillment as an employee is as important as your value as an employee. Perficient values its employees as individuals, and Perficient promotes and supports employee involvement in the community. Perficient has been successful at building its St. Louis customer base while sustaining its culture of involvement. Many employees have been with the company for several years.”

– Anthony Karre, director, 19 years with Perficient

Teammates Help Each Other Excel in Work and Life

“Perficient provides many opportunities for our employees to get involved in leadership projects outside of their daily job functions. For instance, many of our team members spend time giving back and volunteering in the community. Other colleagues help coordinate amazing social events that help build culture and foster networking. Others are focused on growing their skills by lead trainings and mentoring their peers through career counseling. It’s all about building relationships and making an impact in each other’s lives.”

-Jason Hudnall, general manager, three years with Perficient

Looking Forward to the Future

“The people, our clients, our growth, opportunities to succeed, and the engagement of senior leadership has made the past seven and a half years of my career with Perficient unbelievable. Perficient is the absolute best place to work, and I am looking extremely forward to the next seven-plus years.”

– Ellie Huss, director, seven years with Perficient

Our St. Louis office was also named as one of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2016 and 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. 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.

The St. Louis Business Journal recently announced its 2019 Best Places to Work, and we are honored that Perficient landed on the list.

More than 250 nominations were submitted for the 2019 awards, and we were among the 85 companies that made the cut as a finalist.

“Participating companies and their employees completed surveys administered by Quantum Workplace, which used its own algorithm to measure communication, management structure, benefits, teamwork and several other factors at each local firm,” according to the St. Louis Business Journal. “Grouped by size, the companies then were ranked by Quantum for measuring up as St. Louis’ most employee-friendly workplaces.”

Recognition of this nature builds on Perficient’s status as a premier employer in the St. Louis area. Perficient’s St. Louis office was named as one of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2016 and a Top Workplace by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2015, 2014 and 2013. Perficient has also been named a Top Workplace in additional markets including Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis. 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.

Perficient is consistently recognized for providing a high degree of role autonomy and significant work-life balance benefits – and we have fun. St. Louis-based colleagues enjoy discounted tickets to St. Louis Cardinals games and the ability to procure tickets near the Perficient Perch and in the Perficient Red Jacket Club at Busch Stadium.

For the 2019 Best Places to Work award finalists, Perficient landed in the “Large Finalists: 100-249 local employees” category. Winners in each category will be announced during an awards breakfast on Thursday, March 7.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.

Follow Perficient on LinkedIn here.

Three of our St. Louis technical consultants recently participated in University of Missouri – St. Louis’ “Show Me the Data” Hackathon. Participants worked in teams of three to five people utilizing both existing and newly created data to create an interface that solved real-world business problems.

Teams had 36 hours over one weekend to apply their hacking skills and build their application. To participate in the Hackathon, participates need to be either current undergraduate or graduate students, or graduated in the past six months. Coding experience isn’t required, but participants needed to have a strong interest in technology and problem solving.

Pablo Romero, Perficient associate technical consultant, and his team won first place for the Hackathon and received some great prizes. Lucas Barth and Ryan Manse, both associate technical consultants, also participated in the weekend’s festivities with various teams. Pablo, Lucas, and Ryan are all members of our inaugural Perficient University, which hires and trains entry-level coders and developers.

Visit perficient.com/careers to learn more about working at Perficient.

Connect with us on LinkedIn here.

Our St. Louis colleagues kept an annual tradition going strong this year, as they joined together again to collect school supplies for families in need. Team members across all departments donated nearly $900 worth of markers, backpacks, pencils, glue, notebooks, and more to Circle Of Concern, a food pantry that aids low-income families living in west St. Louis County. The organization distributes grade-appropriate supplies to students from kindergarten to college.

Taking Pride in the Team’s Generosity

“It really was an amazing feeling to see the pile of supplies grow and to know that our team is helping the kiddos and families in our community during an important time of year,” said Jaime Boyce, senior systems administrator at Perficient.

Jeff Reichert, senior systems administrator at Perficient, agreed. “It was great to see the team in St. Louis come together and donate so many items,” he said. “This makes me very proud to be a part of this generous team.”

Starting School with a Smile

Mamta Kohli, project manager at Perficient, helped to pack up the donations from our St. Louis office and drop them off at Circle of Concern.

“It feels great to be part of the organization that helps support the drive every year,” she said. “Knowing that your contribution can help make a child start off the school year with a smile on their face is a great feeling. Not only does it help the child but it also takes a lot of stress off the parents, who want the best for their child but are just not able to provide that at the moment due to their financial situation.

“A simple thing like having a new backpack to take to school on the first day can have the child start off the school year with confidence. Circle of Concern is always very appreciative of this kind gesture of Perficient.”

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.

Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.

Connect with us on LinkedIn here.

If there’s ever a way to shake up traditional team-building activities, axe throwing is certainly it.
A group from our Perficient marketing team spent a recent Friday afternoon at The Axe House in St. Louis. We found it to be a fun opportunity to get to know each other better outside of the office.

No one from our team had ever been axe throwing before. Some of us were a little apprehensive at first. (How sharp are these things?) Any initial fears quickly eased, though, as The Axe House crew demoed the proper – and safe – way to throw.
We soon found ourselves slinging away with increasing confidence (and much less ducking behind the throwers). Most of us eventually landed axes in the wood boards – our team erupting in cheers every time and pausing to get photographic proof of what we’d achieved. (This was no easy feat.) Some of our colleagues even threw Chinese stars and knives in a designated area with surprising skill.
Afterward, we shared our pictures, and the comments reflected what a blast we had:

It was so much fun!
A fantastic team activity. I really had a great time!
Loved this!
…you can’t have enough axe photos of yourself.
Everyone I’ve told about this wants to go axe-throwing now! So much fun!

It’s going to be hard to top this outing.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.

Back-to-school season got a little brighter this year for local youth in need thanks to our St. Louis team.

Colleagues donated school supplies to Circle Of Concern, a food pantry that aids low-income families living in west St. Louis County. Items included markers, backpacks, pencils, notebooks, and more. The organization distributes grade-appropriate supplies to students from kindergarten to college.

Mamta Kohli, Project Manager at Perficient, helped to pick up the donations from our St. Louis office and drop them off at Circle of Concern.

“The lady in the pantry and the volunteer who helped unload were very surprised by the amount of school supplies and also very appreciative of the generosity of Perficient,” Mamta said.

Mamta shared a memorable moment that made the school supply collection all the more worthwhile:

“While I was in the parking lot helping unload the supplies, I saw a mom with two young kids who had just picked up some food from the pantry. The little girl was smiling when she saw all the school supplies. I am sure she was excited that next time she comes she probably will be able to get some new school supplies, too.

“Seeing the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes made me smile. I was also very grateful that we as a company take the initiative to help kids and families who are going through a tough time.

“Every little bit of assistance probably makes a huge amount of difference for them in their lives. I’m glad I could help out for this great cause.”

Read more about how our colleagues across all of our locations make an impact in their communities.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.

Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.

Connect with us on LinkedIn here.

Helping children with special needs has always been close to Mamta Kohli’s heart. She’s a project manager with Perficient who also has a teaching background.
She was grateful to join a group of co-workers to support Equine-Assisted Therapy’s 2016 Hoedown for Hope fundraiser. The team from our St. Louis office volunteered in a variety of capacities to help the non-profit organization continue to provide therapeutic horseback riding activities for individuals with special needs.
Mamta (pictured below with Jason Hudnall, General Manager, St. Louis office) worked in the parking lot, assisting attendees with parking and directing ingress and egress traffic. She also helped pack-up and clean at the end of the evening.

Tamara Mathis, who works in our human resources department, has a niece with special needs and loves horses and helping others. She assisted with the purchasing of merchandise sold at the event and clean-up afterward.
“The experience was humbling and exciting,” Tamara said. “To be able to witness the humanity that people have for others was mind-blowing.”
Janet Lockwood, talent acquisition coordinator, helped set up the buffet and then paired with a volunteer from another group to “sell” envelopes containing gift cards and certificates for a variety of services and organizations. All funds went to the organization.
“Organizations like Equine-Assisted Therapy are yet another channel of hope and support for families. But financial resources are always hard to come by in the not-for-profit world. By volunteering, labor can be transformed into service dollars,” Janet (pictured below) said.

For her, the Hoedown for Hope further reinforced the benefits of organizations like Equine-Assisted Therapy.
“One of the attendees was a young lady I had observed in another therapy environment. While the atmosphere was festive and the organizers grateful, it was seeing her that made me realize how much support these families need,” Janet said. “I’m a firm believer in the role animals play in helping kids and adults alike either overcome their special needs or manage them. I’ve also seen the benefits through friends with children with special needs. The entire family smiles when they talk of this therapy.”

Tamara agrees. “Events like the Hoedown for Hope give light to some that are in darkness,” she said. “It reminds people that everyone does not have the same luxuries in life, and even if a financial gift is unable to be given, the gift of time and care suffices much more.”
Following the Hoedown for Hope experience, Mamta is considering volunteering for Equine-assisted therapy in a larger capacity. “In the future, I would like to be more involved in the actual program working with kids,” she said.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.

Twenty volunteers from Perficient’s St. Louis office recently had a very rewarding day at the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery.
Our team broke up into morning and afternoon shifts on Saturday, June 25, at the St. Charles, Mo., location. I was personally part of the 10-person morning crew, and I brought my 8-year-old daughter along to assist the team and get exposed to helping others in our community.
We started the day by unloading an SUV full of donations that our St. Louis office had collected during a month-long drive.


Then, a Crisis Nursery representative gave us guidelines for the day and talked about the mission of the non-profit agency. The safe haven protects children by providing temporary, 24-hour shelter when their families are experiencing an emergency or crisis.
We broke up into small groups and got to work. One team organized and stowed away donations in storage while another played with the kids at the main facility. My daughter and I joined yet another group at the nursery’s adjacent facility and did laundry and sorted clothes into dressers in the children’s rooms.

The groups rotated throughout the day and participated in a variety of chores and activities. The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery representatives told us they were appreciative of the on-site support and the donations we delivered.

Overall, the day was fantastic. The smiles on the children’s faces were all we needed to know we were having a big impact in the lives of local kids in our community. I’m extremely grateful to my colleagues at Perficient who helped with donations and volunteering on-site.

Follow Perficient’s Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
Follow Perficient on LinkedIn here.