Posted 08.01.2010

Best Companies to Work For in Colorado 2010: Small

Infinity does it again

By Lisa Ryckman

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infinity systems engineering
www.infinity.aero
There's got to be something extra-special about a place that lands in the top spot three years running in the Best Companies' small-company category.
Could it be Infinity Systems Engineering's fully covered medical, dental and disability? Or its 10 percent contribution to a 401(k) plan for all employees - who are immediately vested - regardless of whether they make contributions themselves?
Perhaps it's the quarterly happy hours, or the twice-yearly bonuses. Or maybe it's the annual profit-sharing - a perk of being privately held - or the yearly trip to vacation spots like Hawaii or Acapulco or the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas (this year: New York; next year: London, to celebrate the company's 15th anniversary).
Answer: pretty much all of the above.
"Even the people who take out our trash want to become employees," says Alan Patterson, Infinity's vice president of operations. "Someone who hears it for the first time can't believe it's real. But it's been that way for 14 years."
The perks and the profits come courtesy of CEO Andy Wilfong, who wants his employees to retire with his company.
"He does whatever it takes to keep everyone he's got on board," Patterson says.
The Colorado Springs-based engineering and information technology company works on satellite programs, serving such defense industry clients as Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, as well as military and government clients. It brought in more than $12 million in revenue last year and boasts a 98 percent retention rate and a 90 percent recruitment rate.
"Everyone's out there working so hard, and this is why they're working so hard so willingly," Patterson says. "By keeping our employees content, they go out to our customers and perform work and do it so well that it generates additional positions for us. The happier we keep the employees, the more work we get as a company."
To be sure, some perks have gone by the wayside; an employee survey found that more people wanted happy hours than weekly massages, and workers were too busy to take time for monthly screenings by a wellness coach.
But managers are committed to ensuring their 73 employees' needs are met, whether that means enough flexibility to carry some employees through economic downturns or allowing a worker to relocate and stay with the company.
And when Infinity does have an opening, the company looks in-house first to determine if the job might be a fit for one of its current employees, to challenge them or move them up, Patterson says. New hires generally come from the military, whose personnel might have the proper expertise and security clearance.
No surprise - the company's hiring process is ultra-efficient, too, Patterson says.
"If we want you, we can have you onboard tomorrow," he says. "We very rarely get turned down."

2009 Rank: No. 1

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IP5280 Communications
www.ip5280.com
Working at IP5280 is all about the climb: taking the first step, conquering the mountain - then enjoying the big picture from the top.
"Bottom line, it's who we are," says John Scarborough, managing partner for the Englewood-based Internet phone provider. "We really love this central theme because it reminds us that all great things start with a single step - whether we're talking work, home or play. The idea of ‘climbing' creates a great unifying force among the employees and throughout the company."
And happy employees make for happy customers and more business - which makes for even more happy employees. The company has doubled its work force to 48 in the last year and is still hiring, and revenue has gone from $4 million to $5.5 million.
Being part of this company's team means working hard and playing hard, with plenty of opportunity for both. IP5280's technology - Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") - gives employees the flexibility to work pretty much anytime, anywhere. Their efforts are rewarded with monthly events such as ski trips, snowmobiling, paintball or dinner at Del Frisco's.
"We do see the importance of the work/life balance," says Scarborough, who met partner Jeffrey Pearl when both worked at Qwest. "We spent 20 years apiece in big corporations. I didn't even know the words ‘work/life balance.'"
Their knowledge of big corporate culture has helped them shape IP5280's in other tangible ways. The CLIMB program, for example - Creating Leaders in Management Behavior - grooms high-potential employees for leadership roles, a key piece of the company's commitment to promoting from within.
IP5280 is equally committed to giving back to the community; once a year, its metaphorical climb to the top becomes a literal one when 150 employees, family members and business associates climb a 14er to raise money for Children's Hospital and the Kempe Foundation. Last year's climb raised $50,000, a mark they're hoping to top on Aug. 13.
No better way to understand the last words of IP5280's mission statement: "The climb is the challenge; the view is the reward."
2009 rank: No. 3

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jg management systems inc.
www.jgmsinc.com
At JG Management Systems, the corporate culture encourages a roll-up-your-sleeves, pitch in and give back kind of attitude.
The Grand Junction-based company's 24 employees - including CEO Jerome Gonzales - follow the 10/80/10 concept: 10 percent of their time goes to mentoring colleagues, 80 percent is devoted to their regular work and 10 percent is spent learning from others.
"We encourage knowledge sharing, not knowledge containment," Gonzales says. "Does this approach take more time on everyone's part? Of course it does. But we all see the benefit. The joke around the office is that the more everyone knows what I know, the less I have to work!"
Founded in 2001, JGMS uses engineering methodologies to provide operational and technical support in the areas of facility operations and assessments, program and project management, architectural and engineering design services, construction management and environmental services. From its 12 offices, JGMS works with clients including the National Guard Bureau and other Department of Defense agencies, the Department of Energy and National Laboratories, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal and private entities.
The company, which reported $4.25 million in revenue last year, actively encourages pitching in outside of work as well by offering employees 40 hours of paid volunteer time - something Gonzales calls "community stewardship."
"Employees are free to support whatever cause they are passionate about," he says. "They can spend their time all at once or spread it across the several events throughout the year. The only requirement is that the support be toward a nonprofit."
JGMS employees have planted trees in downtown Washington, D.C., gone on church missions to Africa and taught classes on financial literacy to school kids in Grand Junction.
Gonzales encourages his employees to practice "servant leadership," built around humility, putting others first, giving back and being willing to take on the tough jobs. He says JGMS is leading the charge for workplaces to give back to the community by fostering a culture of philanthropy, consistently donating financially and materially to nonprofit organizations and projects, and supporting employee participation in volunteer activities locally and nationwide.
"These are not qualities or ideals that can be faked. These qualities are intertwined with everything JGMS does. It is the fabric of who we are," he says. "JGMS is proud that we can do well - and do good - at the same time."
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