Another great company based in Bozeman, these guys and gals are located directly across the street from my office at PureWest. Kudos to the team at MercuryCSC for this distinction.
All best,
Jason Frey
The "Rack" Holding MercuryCSC's commuter bike
Not only did Outside magazine name Bozeman one of America’s best ski towns last year, now it’s also given one of the city’s employers the distinction of being among the nation’s best companies to work for.
MercuryCSC, a downtown communications company, is listed 16th on a list of 50 best companies to work for in the magazine’s September issue, slated to be out Tuesday.
MercuryCSC employees enjoy a relaxed workplace atmosphere with group yoga, mountain biking and snow sports excursions, a company kickball team called “Who Shot the Serif?” and a company cruiser bike for running errands downtown, according to the company’s website.
“Reporting in from Bridger Bowl on a powder morning is perfectly acceptable,” employee Molly Douma Brewer is quoted as saying on the website. “And it’s very likely I’ll run into my boss if I do,” she added.
Donnie Clapp came to work for MercuryCSC in March, making the tough decision to leave his position at Whitefish Mountain Resort, he said Thursday.
So did he make the right choice?
“It’s been amazing. It really has,” he said, without hesitation.“I had a really good job before this one. My office was ski-in, ski-out. It was really hard to give up. But I feel comfortable saying this working environment is as good as or better than that —even without the ski-in, ski-out aspect.”
Mercury’s offices on West Main Street are airy and pleasant with lots of natural light. The relaxed atmosphere is mirrored in the dress code and the flexible hours.
“Powder hours,” as Outside refers to them, means skiers can take the morning off on those epic days and make it up some other time. That goes for runners, bikers, climbers and paddlers too.
“Jeff (Welch, company co-founder and president) feels like the answer to making sure everybody is happy and that they are doing good work is to give them leeway to manage their time as they see fit,” Clapp said. “Some people really appreciate the ability to pursue their recreational pursuits in a time frame that makes sense.
Does this flexible attitude work in the high-stakes advertising and communications field?
Daryl Schliem, Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer, says yes, noting that MercuryCSC is behind the Montana Office of Tourism’s “Get Lost” and “There’s Nothing Here”campaigns.
The chamber and the Bozeman Convention and Visitors Bureau have worked with MercuryCSC to help market the Bozeman area outside the state, Schliem said.
“They really listen to what our board and committee members have to say,” he said. “But if they feel we’re heading in the wrong direction, they’re not afraid to give their professional opinion of why we should do something else that will be more effective.”
Upon hearing MercuryCSC made Outside’s list, Welch posted this on his company’s blog:
“When those who make your product, sell your product, fix your product, are happy and informed, that attitude is going to infect others throughout your networks and by association, rub off on the products they make. It’s like a disease you want to get.”
Clapp believes his boss has the right idea.
“We think that we’ve been able to maintain a high level of creativity, productivity and professionalism because we’re happy, healthy and involved,” he said.
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