Honored
Leader: Keith Smith, Co-founder and CEO
Company Name: 180solutions, Inc.
Location: Bellevue, Wash.
Nature of Business: Online search marketing services
Founded: 1999
Revenue: $53.5 million
Growth Rate (2004): 177 percent
Number of Employees: 207
Average Tenure: 1 year
A 6-year-old company with more than 200 employees, 180solutions, Inc. is
recognized as one of the fastest-growing providers of Internet search marketing
solutions. CEO Keith Smith believes in the management philosophy of working
hard, playing hard, and leading by example. This philosophy is visible across
the company as performance results are displayed on plasma screens throughout
the building, allowing employees to monitor their daily productivity. Each
year, the company sets group and individual goals that are published on
small, laminated cards and kept on employees' desks. Much of the company's
success is also driven by Smith's motto, "Leave your ego at the door." Employees
work on a level playing field where each team member's ideas are valued
and considered. After hours, they are often found winding down and building
teamwork by playing volleyball or having a barbecue on the company's Astroturf
rooftop.
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