Originally featured on ocregister.com - August 1, 2016
Information-technology firm Sidepath has garnered recognition for its positive work environment, joining the ranks of Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces for 2015. Through anonymous surveys conducted during the Top Workplaces selection process, Sidepath employees gave the firm kudos for its family-like environment and upbeat culture.
‘A feeling of family’
Based in Laguna Hills, Sidepath is an I.T. solution provider and technology integrator. According to Sidepath marketing manager Stevie Hutchinson, the company fosters an environment that promotes creativity and generates a feeling of family. She noted that the Sidepath management team’s authentic concern for the people who work there is evident in every aspect of the business, from employee engagement to its benefits package, which includes 100 percent-covered healthcare, as well as other smaller perks, such as company-provided lunches on an almost-weekly basis.
Hutchison noted that the Sidepath team is a very tight-knit group, comprising employees who are genuinely friends both in and out of the office. The company culture is based on a “work hard, play hard” mentality, where customer satisfaction is valued even above profitability and employees are encouraged to maintain a work-life balance and have fun.
“If you take care of your people, your people will take care of your company,” Sidepath President Jim Andronaco said.
Personal and professional growth
Sidepath considers personal growth just as important as business growth, and the executive team believes that people need to get more out of life than just results in the office, Hutchinson said. To encourage personal and professional development, Sidepath sponsors training sessions and classes for employees to increase their knowledge base as new technologies emerge and change.
When recruiting new employees, the Sidepath executive team looks for team members who share the company’s customer-first philosophy, Hutchison explained.
“They want people who want to be part of building something bigger than themselves,” she said. “People here are sure to be a good fit if they are fun, energetic, enthusiastic, passionate team players who are willing to go above and beyond for the customer.”
Sidepath partner Patrick Mulvee said, “It’s about great people – people who are in it as a team, not focused on themselves. It’s all about finding people who care about the company and the customer.”
Hutchison noted that the company is always looking for top engineering talent.
Community partner
Sidepath engages in a variety of charitable endeavors and was named Dell’s Philanthropic Partner of the Year in 2015. On top of his responsibilities as president of Sidepath, Andronaco serves as a Board Member for the Orange County Childhood Language Center, which provides free diagnostic and therapeutic services to children from 2 to 16 years of age who exhibit a wide range of speech, language and learning challenges.
Sidepath also supports multiple local and national charities through employee participation in golf tournaments and other fundraising events, and by donating silent auction items. Organizations it has supported include Patriot Paws, local baseball leagues, high-school and college sports teams, the Coachella Valley Autism Society, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, the Nike N7 Fund, the Timothy Hatch Foundation, Susan G. Komen, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Autism Speaks, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the American Diabetes Association.
Last year, Sidepath was also the title sponsor at the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Charity Golf Tournament and had staff onsite participating at the event.
Sidepath
Sector: Information Technology
Employees in region: 35
Headquarters: Laguna Hills
Founded: 2002
Website: sidepath.com
Awards
What employees enjoy