As we celebrate both the start of a new year and our recent recognition as a 2022 Best Place to Work in Seattle by Built In, we’re reflecting on how far we have come at our Seattle office.
Since I opened the Seattle office in 2018, we’ve increased revenue from Washington-based clients by more than 40% per year, grown headcount to 18 full-time employees and last year moved into new office space at 2101 4th Avenue to accommodate our expanding team. While all five of Walker Sands’ offices share the same core values, each location has crafted its own unique workplace culture — which is why our first “Best Place to Work” accolades are so special to our office.
In Seattle, my priority has been to create a work culture that retains our corporate values of “Learn, Support, Do” while building something that feels true to who we are. Everyone in the Seattle office has contributed to the development of our unique culture, which has helped ensure our office is diverse and authentic. Our team thrives on creating meaningful connections with each other, so we’ve found exciting ways to facilitate connection in the workplace, like exploring each other’s cultures through our annual international district food crawl and learning more about each other outside of the office. And through that connection, we’ve been able to cultivate a strong culture of support.
“Walker Sands Seattle has been such a wonderful environment for me as a former stay-at-home mom jumping back into the workforce. I feel so supported and engaged — which is huge to say of any work environment during this pandemic. I love that I not only connect on a personal level with my team here in Seattle (and across the country at other Walker Sands’ offices), but I also learn from my colleagues. Having mentors at my job was a goal of mine and I wasn’t expecting to have so many across roles and levels in one company.”
Jess Melton, PR Manager
In addition to building meaningful relationships, team members are motivated by their desire to make a positive impact in the world. We frequently talk about how we can give back through a nonprofit or inspire positive environmental impact — and those conversations ultimately drive a lot of our activities. For example, one of our favorite ways to give back is to adopt a family around the winter holidays through a local organization like YWCA or Mary’s Place.
Our furry friends represent another major part of the Seattle office culture. That’s right — our Seattle office is dog-friendly. We welcome furry coworkers like Lady, Archie, Norman and others, in the same way we welcome our human coworkers.
Our work culture gives team members an environment where they can feel comfortable being their authentic selves, enabling them to do the best work of their careers. We were honored to have our work recently recognized when we were named a PRSA Puget Sound award winner for our campaigns with Fuse Venture Partners and Limeade.
“The Walker Sands Seattle team goes beyond the expectations for coworker relationships, offering so much more. There is no person in the Seattle office that I don’t consider a friend that I could turn to for feedback, advice or support. I joined Walker Sands in 2021 and since then have been welcomed in with open arms, now considering myself a whole part of the Seattle team community. From managers and ‘buddies,’ to my coach and other client account team members, I always know that there is someone to turn to for any problems or successes that arise. On the note of successes, you can’t have a win without the entire office offering you congratulations, a celebration or notes about how proud they are of you. There is truly no community like the Walker Sands Seattle office!”
Marin Counter, Media Relations Specialist
But even though we work hard, we find ways to have fun outside of the office as well. From our summer kayak outing to our annual Mariner’s game, we look forward to getting outside and being active as a team. Even in a remote work environment, we stay connected through our monthly virtual coffee chats where topics range from discussions about our Spotify Wrapped or the winter activities our coworkers are enjoying.
“Support is a value at the foundation of everything we do at Walker Sands, and it feels magnified here in Seattle. In the office or outside of work, I know the group supports me wholly. We’re not just a band of colleagues — we’re fellow humans, friends and chosen family.”
Brandon Blackwell, Senior PR Director
Ultimately, our people-first mindset enables us to do great work that we’re proud of as an agency and as marketing professionals. As we look to the year ahead, we are excited to keep growing and achieving our goals with our talented team here at the Seattle office.
Interested in joining our Seattle team? Check out our open positions and apply here.
