Company Culture: As the 10^th employee, Lindsey Cochran, vice president of business development who joined Harper + Scott (asi/220052) about five years ago, has had a front-row seat to the growing company’s culture. “It’s a safe space to find ways to reach a common goal,” she says. “We want to leave an impression on clients, the industry and the employees.” Cochran – a finalist last year for ASI Media Salesperson of the Year – appreciates the autonomy management offers her and her colleagues. That’s been brought into even more focus during the pandemic, which compelled new ways of thinking and led to unique new projects.

The firm, a certified B Corp, is also fiercely committed to sustainability and social consciousness. “That’s attractive to younger people and a huge draw for applicants,” says Chief Marketing Officer Kate Hallett. “We’re committed to sustainability and making tomorrow better. Work can be a place of refuge, relief, inspiration and empowerment.”

Harper + Scott offers unique benefits like fertility support for female employees and encourages attending educational off-site. “We want people to feel supported in growing their careers and furthering their professional skillsets,” says Hallett. “It’s about leadership their way.”

COVID Changes: Employees at New York-based Harper + Scott are mostly remote; in-office work is voluntary and done at “hot desks.” While Hallett comes in every day, Cochran has lived in Chicago since her first day at the company. “They really wanted me to move to New York,” she says. “There was some back-and-forth about it, but I never did. Now we’re officially hybrid.”

While Hallett says there’s “still value in in-person work,” management has had to be flexible and rethink the office. “Our space is now a showroom where we can tell the company story,” she says. “We recently hosted Google there because of a project we’re working on for them. We want people to leverage office culture as it works for them.”

Parting Tip: When bringing new people into the company culture, Hallett does something unique: Both she and the prospective hire take the official job description for the opening and mark it up. “I ask them to edit it in a way that they think brings out their interests and takes out what they’re not interested in, and I do the same,” she says. “Then we find commonalities, so we create the position together. It’s a mutually created role that creates strong trajectories for growth and drives satisfaction and retention. People feel strong in their role and shaping their futures with us.”