View full sizeDamian Smith, general manager of Slalom's Portland office, checks in with employees during a lunchtime gathering in a conference room. A lot of companies lay claim to the work hard/play hard culture, but in practice it can be a difficult balance to maintain.
, which specializes in tech projects, business process work, workplace trends, websites and running initiatives on behalf of its clients, seems to have it dialed in at the moment. The company's Portland branch has continued to grow at an impressive pace even during an economic downturn. In 2010, Slalom grew locally by 54 percent. In 2011, the company expanded by 92 percent. This year, Slalom's growth is holding above 75 percent, says Portland office General Manager Damian Smith, who was lured away from Hitachi Consulting in early 2010.
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Slalom was also recently recognized by
as the No. 1 midsized company to work for in Oregon and by career website glassdoor.com as one of the top 10 companies to work for nationwide.
Besides the chance to escape from the life of a traveling consultant, shown to darkly comic effect in the 2009 George Clooney movie "Up In The Air," Smith says he was drawn to what he perceived as a company with just the right mix of people, reputation, stability and financials.
"It's mostly a trust thing," he says of his attraction to
. "Philosophically, the way the company operates is, 'people first.'"
The lobby of Slalom's Portland office includes a samurai sword, ninja throwing stars and other trophies, awarded to employees who demonstrate prowess in different aspects of their jobs.
Smith said that during his first general managers' meeting after being hired, his boss asked the group, "What are you doing for your people?"
Having considered himself a people-focused leader at Hitachi, Smith thought, "I got this. This will be easy."
After the first general manager answered the question, Smith got out his notebook and started taking notes. After the third GM responded, he remembers thinking, "I'm going to need to pick this up a little bit."
At the Portland branch of Slalom, every manager meets with the employees under his or her charge once a month. Once this meeting has been scheduled, it takes precedence over everything else, including client meetings.
"When you talk to clients about it, they understand that because you prioritize people, you retain the best people and do the best work for clients," Smith says. "People are our only real asset."
Since the opening of the Portland branch, Slalom has grown locally from three employees to nearly 80. One is Chief of Staff Angela Gabel, who leads the recruiting effort to bring fresh blood to the company.
"Basically, my job is to assemble the dream team," she says. "We're looking for both business resources and technology resources. Being that we're here in Portland, the more utility they can be, the more staffable they are. I think we have one of the most well-rounded teams here."
Slalom hosts a social event for employees each month, and Gabel says that attendance is 90 to 95 percent.
More impressive is the once-a-year themed weekend getaway the company hosts for all employees and their significant others. Last year, the event was held at Skamania Lodge and sported a "Portland Hipster" theme, which included costumes, a "Project Runway"-style fashion segment, a live performance by Portland street band Glue Horses and plenty of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Planning the annual getaways is one of Gabel's job duties, and while she struggled to wrap her head around the concept of a "Portland Hipster," she had no such troubles with this year's 1920s-themed gathering, held at Salishan Resort. Beach parties, fishing, kayaking, golf, spa, games and a big Saturday night Prohibition-style soiree were all part of the festivities.
The national general manager and the CEO attended the beach getaway, hanging out with employees into the night.
"It's a testament to just how proud they are of us," Gabel says.
Slalom also encourages employees to get involved with local charities. As part of the Portland office's "Culture Club," they've provided support to, volunteered with and raised money for World Pulse, Habitat for Humanity and the Portland Rescue Mission. They even recently raised $2,300 for the Oregon Food Bank by holding a fat-loss contest because, as Smith says, "I needed to lose weight, quite frankly."
Healthy competition plays a part in Slalom's culture, as well, and a trophy case decorates its offices in downtown Portland. One of the trophies is decorated with "ninja stars," as Gabel describes them, and goes each year to the consultant with the most business prowess. Another is simply a samurai sword, and there's even a trophy for the winner of the office's fantasy football league.
Smith points out that the company's five core values or concepts are integrity, excellence, accountability, fun and being supportive. While those first three are pretty standard for large companies, he thinks the last two speak volumes about Slalom.
Gabel agrees. "We own each other's success here," she says.
-- Jake Ten Pas, Special to The Oregonian