Company News
FloQast Named Top Tech Company In Class by LA Business Journal
For the last three years, the Los Angeles Business Journal has named FloQast as one of the best places to work in LA. While it’s a tremendous honor to make the list three years running, the goal has always been to be number one.
Yesterday, that goal became a reality. Earlier today, the Los Angeles Business Journal named FloQast as the best tech company in our class based on the feedback from numerous FloQast employees.
FloQast has come a long way since launching in 2013, from a nascent idea in Co-founder Mike Whitmire’s head to Amplify.LA. From “The House” to the first real office on Ventura, and later to our current 10,000-square-foot headquarters in Sherman Oaks. But this year, things were different. COVID-19 meant that everyone became a remote employee, threatening to disrupt team cohesion and overall efficiency.
COVID-19 is still here, and we’re all still working from home, but we’re still a team, and that’s what makes us so proud to do what we do.
Recently, I spoke with FloQast Director of HR (and early employee) Adey Tadesse-Heath developing company culture, professional growth opportunities within the company, and what it means to make LABJ’s list of best places to work in LA for the fourth consecutive year.
Nurturing a Company Culture
As one of the first 20 employees to join FloQast, Adey Tadesse-Heath’s growth since starting in 2016 truly embodies professional development at FloQast. Since then, she’s gone from Office Manager to Director of HR, helping define FloQast’s company culture along the way and playing a vital part in the company’s growth overall.
“It is an absolute honor to have made the Best Places to Work in LA list by the LA Business Journal for the fourth year in a row and we are especially proud to have ranked in the Top 3! All of us at FloQast work very hard to make FloQast a fantastic, empowered, and collaborative place to work, so it is very rewarding to have the recognition four years running.
This is very timely as I am also celebrating my fourth year at FloQast, which in the startup world is a very long time! I was hired four years ago as the Office Manager to a total of 18 employees and at the time there was no need for a fully-dedicated HR person, but I was ambitious and told the co-founders that my goal was to take over HR. Since then, we have seen a ton of growth, opening up an office in Ohio, hiring remote employees all over the U.S., and have grown to 160 full-time employees. I’ve also seen so many employees start in entry-level roles and work their way up to earn promotions, be transferred into new departments, or even build a brand new department from scratch! That is the beauty of a startup: There is no ceiling in terms of growth and you are really able to define and own your role and grow with the company. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the years and our employees have adapted well and strived to solve problems, not just in their own department but across the entire company.
Over the years we’ve hired some really amazing people who have pushed FloQast forward and are so inspiring to work with. I truly believe that what makes a great place to work is the employees you are surrounded by, and I have to say our employees are pretty awesome. Everyone has bought into the mission and cares about the success of not only themselves but also their peers and the company overall. We have spent a lot of time over the last couple of years really investing in our employees, since they are ultimately the ones who help shape and define our culture. It is really rewarding to see how proud our folks are to be here, and how much pride they take in their work in every single thing they do.”
Empowering Employees
Having spent nearly two years with FloQast, I can personally (and professionally) attest to everything being said about the company. Opportunities for growth are abundant, our biggest fans are our clients, and I have never felt like more of a respected team member.
As it turns out, I’m not the only FloQast employee to think this. For Software Engineer II Jessica Perina, seeing how much FloQast users love the product and how positively it impacts their day-to-day was both the reason she applied and why she loves doing what she does.
“FloQast initially stood out to me because of how beloved they were by their customers. Although I knew nothing about accounting, as an engineer, it’s important for me to work on projects that bring real value to the people using them. Not only have I gotten to do that at FloQast, but I’ve done it while working on interesting and challenging problems, with amazing co-workers, in a collaborative environment, while consistently learning and growing my skills,” she said. “While I miss the experience and perks of being in the office with everyone, our transition to working remotely during this time has been mostly seamless, and I think that speaks to the strength of our leadership, employees, and the community we’ve created and continue to nurture.”
For Customer Success Manager Myles Jones, the flexibility — with guidance from leadership — is what creates such a positive work environment.
“As a Customer Success Manager, FloQast is a great place to work because I feel empowered to be the CEO of my own book of business. I am given the tools in terms of applications and resources to be successful, but the independence and room to be creative is my favorite part. I am able to really own the relationship with our clients and collaborate with team members on how to handle different situations that arise. I started on the sales team as a BDR and I felt this freedom in that position as well. In my experience, FloQast is very team-oriented and everyone that I work with wants to see each other succeed.”
Unlike Myles or Jessica, Sales Engineer II Megan Gallagher was a FloQast fan because she had used the product in her previous role as an accounting manager. Moving into the Sales Engineer from the accounting side seemed like a bit daunting at first, but ultimately, the move paid off.
“Transitioning my career from being an Accountant to a Sales Engineer at FloQast has truly changed my life for the better. I am given the opportunity to help fellow accountants better their lives by demonstrating what FloQast can do for them. I also get to collaborate cross-functionally by contributing my opinions and ideas for product enhancements within the Company. The flat organizational structure enables me to learn from all levels and departments within the business and feel valued as an individual, even while having the flexibility to be a remote employee. FloQast has welcomed me to the Flo Fam with open arms, and I can’t wait to be a part of the growth for many years to come!”
