Editor’s Note:
In 2021, we celebrated our twentieth business anniversary, recognizing the massive development of the company from 2001 to today. This included a look back on the state of our culture in 2021, the ways it’s developed over the past 20 years, and where it’s heading in the future.
We’re so grateful to our team for another amazing year of innovation and teamwork and look forward to many more. Read below to learn more about the ways Terakeet has changed over the past 20 years!
Since 2001, Terakeet has grown, evolved, and become stronger than ever.
As CEO & Co-Founder Mac Cummings has shared, the Terakeet story is an interesting but complicated one. He and CTO & Co-Founder Pat Danial founded Terakeet in their early twenties as a speech recognition software company. After a few challenging years, the pair recognized shifting customer needs in the digital market and pivoted the company’s focus to helping brands grow their business and protect their reputations using marketing technology. This filled a gap in the industry and, with the support of a business coach and key hiring moves, set Terakeet up for long-term success.
Since then, Terakeet has become an award-winning organization and grown from three employees to well over 400. Together, we’ve experienced big moments as a team and family. From signing our first Fortune 1000 customer in 2017 to celebrating marriages and births, we’ve been there to support one another.
“Terakeet has grown beyond what we ever imagined possible when we started 20 years ago, and it’s because we have the greatest people,” says Mac. “This is their company now, not mine. So many years later, it feels like Terakeet’s future, in their capable hands, is only just beginning.”
In 2021 alone, we hired 183 new team members and promoted or transferred 158. To understand the scale of our 20-year growth, we’ve compiled some of our real growth numbers from 2001 to 2021 below:
- Number of departments: 1 – 18
- Employee count: 3 – 400+
- Location of employees: 1 – 230 cities
As we’ve grown, our employees have helped develop and maintain our culture of teamwork and collaboration through projects both big and small — from community events and internal mentorship programs to simply grabbing coffee with a colleague to offer some advice and support.
“Mac and I are proud to have set and driven the company’s vision, but our people are the reason the company is as innovative and prosperous as it is today,” says Pat. “I hold immense pride in our team’s ability to discover, adapt, and solve new challenges as we continue to grow.”
The hallmarks of this culture are on display every week at our company-wide Circle-Up meeting hosted by COO Ralph Torrillo. Circle-Up has been a staple of the Terakeet culture for years and has remained a reliable and fun way to maintain open communication and support across our entire team. During Circle-Up, executives and employees highlight company news, innovations, and wins, then all team members are invited to “shout out” their coworkers for displaying our company core values.
Our Circle-Ups can sometimes include prizes, surprises, or even a little friendly competition (like last week’s competition for the best impersonation of our executives), but are always an important aspect of maintaining our culture with a growing team.
With our different cultural elements and events in mind, we recently asked our team: ”What does the Terakeet culture mean to you?” and noticed some common themes. Here are just some of their responses:
Support & Flexibility
“Terakeet’s culture is one of inclusion, understanding, cooperation, and growth. The people here work hard but work together. Everyone is pulling towards the same goal and everyone is more than willing to help each other out.” — SEO Analyst Daniel Brhel
“The Terakeet culture is one of the best parts of Terakeet. It’s important to feel like you are cared about as a human being and Terakeet does that and more.” — Associate Outreach Director Maeve Wood
“The culture is the reason I was initially attracted to the job, and is certainly a huge reason I’ve stayed. The flex-time/work-from-home policy is something I never really took advantage of pre-pandemic, but now has been absolutely vital to my mental health and the well-being of my family.” — Outreach Manager Mike Gibson
Inclusion
“Terakeet’s culture is one of inclusivity and integrity. This is one of the warmest, most welcoming jobs I’ve ever worked for. The staff is amazing and it feels like one big family.” — Digital Outreach Specialist Joseph Diaz
“Being welcomed. Everyone that I’ve encountered in my four months of working at Terakeet has been so friendly and welcoming. It’s been great to get to know people, both on my client team and in the social Slack channels. Even though we’re all over the US, it feels like working with a very close-knit group.” — Digital Copy Editor Ashley Maready
“A place for growth, business, and fun all in one. The culture at Terakeet encourages all of us to get to know each other on a professional and personal level which plays a major factor in the positive attitude and gratitude I feel starting each workday. Knowing that those (virtually) around me share similar values and care about our achievements as a company.” — Outreach Manager Amalia Scaravillo
“It means so much! I honestly can’t express deeply enough how much I appreciate Terakeet’s warm and welcoming culture.” — SEO Insights Analyst Marlee Michelson
Industry Leadership & Growth
“Terakeet’s culture is about moving fast and driving results. It’s about being unashamedly the best in the market at what they do while remaining thoughtful, inclusive, and considerate. It is a culture composed of individuals who are the optimal blend of creative and strategic, unbreakably devoted to the future of our industry and nothing short of insatiable.” — Digital Content Specialist Emilee Janitz
“Terakeet’s culture pushes the team to work on the company’s mission in creating the best value for our customers. This is made possible through the company’s commitment to promoting a workplace that enables a healthy work-life balance, personal and professional growth, teamwork, and innovation.” — SEO Analyst Matthew Froelich
Collaboration
“It’s the understanding that I have people to collaborate with and lean on to help solve issues. Everyone is willing to lend a hand to find the best solution.” — Recruiter Mathew Fox
“Openness, communication, and connection across departments and up the chain of command, regardless of tenure or rank.” — SEO Manager Jonas Sickler
“Trust in the quality of my co-workers’ work, respect for them as people, and an expectation that I can earn the same trust and respect from them.” — SVP Software Development Ryan Garver
“To me, Terakeet culture means being a member of a highly collaborative and driven team that pushes each other to new heights, encouraging each other to grow and thrive. There’s a heavy emphasis on enjoyment in work and growing as both teams and individuals, personally as well as professionally.” — Associate SEO Director Jim Plonkey
“Terakeet has some of the smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. No matter the department people work in, everyone seems to be similarly professional, willing to knowledge-share, and dedicated to their crafts. Here are some quick, one-word descriptions that I use to describe our culture: collaborative, supportive, flexible, knowledge-sharing, fast-paced, ahead of the wave” type of thinkers, appreciative, and KIND!” — SEO Manager Nikki Healey
This culture has evolved over 20 years, but the emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and community has long been at the heart of Terakeet. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite memories as a team over the years:
2014
2016
2018
2019
2020
2021
Over 20 years in business, Terakeet has strived for meaningful growth that allows us to uphold the highest standards for both employees and customers, guided by our company values. We look forward to continued growth with intention, keeping our people, customers, and community at the forefront of our strategies. We look forward to experiencing all that life has in store for us, together.