Editor's Note: Seismic is one of Inc.'s 2017 Best Workplaces, our annual recognition of companies creating employee-centered organizations.
Southern California's startup hubs are determined to catch Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Los Angeles has been dubbed Silicon Beach, but there's another option just 20 miles north of the Mexican border. San Diego tech companies are pitching the sunny city as a place with tech salaries comparable to the Bay Area, but a lower cost of living, and plenty of interesting work. The local startups need to entice software engineers and other talent down south.
And Seismic is succeeding by selling itself as a fun place to work. One of San Diego's ascendant startups, Seismic is a B2B software company that lets salespeople create highly refined proposals within minutes using a presentation platform powered by machine-learning algorithms. Fueled by new funding, the company has more than doubled in size in the past year to 200-plus employees. As it accelerates into the aggressive growth phase of a startup's life cycle, its leaders want to make sure that they do it well.
One anonymous Glassdoor reviewer wrote in February: "Seismic is by far the most team-oriented company I have worked at. At most companies, the motto 'We're all in this together' rings true until about ... what, 25 or 50 employees? We're now north of 200 employees and we're still working towards one common goal."
Scaling the work force swiftly has been Nicole McGuire's responsibility. A former Qualcomm exec recruited by CEO Doug Winter, McGuire has built out familiar HR functions such as a formal onboarding process for new employees, and regular performance evaluations to help keep managers and employees in sync. "Bringing HR into a fast-growing company is something of a scary proposition for folks," she told Inc. "They think, 'Oh boy, here comes the corporate culture and here come all the processes and policies,' right? That's definitely not the case."
