Small Is Big

Success of the business lies in a personal, people-first approach

Anthony Martell and Peter Begley have been fortunate to work with “exceptional individuals” in their careers. Aside from wanting to give back to an industry that had been good to them, they found themselves missing the excitement and challenge of a start-up. So together in 2018, they founded InTegrum Resources

“We are entrepreneurial and enjoy scaling and growth as much as anything else,” Martell says. “We wanted to get back into an environment where that was the core tenet … We don’t want to be all things to all people — we want to be really good at what we do.”

InTegrum was founded out of a drive to build something great. The company’s mission: To help large enterprise clients improve their efficiency and business operations. The company currently has 18 employees and is interviewing for about a dozen more. Despite their plans for expansion, however, they haven’t lost sight of who they are. “Growth is essential to success, but it can come at a cost and change what makes you different,” says Sean Higgins, managing director of delivery. “With us, you know who you’re working with. You know who’s going to be calling you. We don’t want to lose that.”

The small-company feel is part of what makes InTegrum so special to its clients, but the organization knows that the real driver of its success is its people. “We have a firm belief that the success of the business lies with the success of the people,” says Martell, who serves as chief operating officer. To that end, the company is committed to taking care of its own. For the internal staff, InTegrum’s culture, clear career growth options and a goal-oriented environment set them up to succeed while helping InTegrum win a Best Staffing Firm to Work For accolade.

Working Together to Win

InTegrum employees know that their individual success depends on hard work, what Higgins calls a “sweat equity.” The organization’s competitive pay and incentives mean that workers can start making money quickly. “If you put in the effort, success will come your way,” Higgins explains.

Even though the culture is competitive, InTegrum’s staff believes that collaboration is the key to everyone’s success. “It’s a sports team type of feel, like working together to win a big game,” Higgins says. In fact, he adds, a lot of InTegrum employees come from an athletic, military or other team-oriented background.

Director of Client Services Chris Colleary agrees, noting that the staff stays connected whether they’re working remote or in the office. “[We] prioritize employee engagement,” he says. “I feel close to all the employees, whether they’re here or in a different state.” The collaborative environment helps all of InTegrum’s employees feel like part of a cohesive team working together toward the same goal, even in such a fast-paced industry.

The ability to work remote and a generous paid time off policy are other ways that InTegrum supports its people. Higgins explains, “The work-life balance here is unprecedented. All the leadership are family-oriented. They understand that we have priorities, and we need the flexibility to pick up and work remotely.”

But it’s not all work — the staff enjoys spending time together outside office hours too. “We’re not too uptight. We mesh really well,” Higgins laughs. They like to cut loose and get food and drinks together, and they also enjoy quarterly outings, rounds of golf and annual company trips for high performers.

InTegrum’s collaborative environment, flexibility and camaraderie have its staff coming back for more. Colleary says, “I love the culture here. I love coming into the office every day.”

Fast Growth

InTegrum is leveraging its reputation in the industry to foster growth, and new hires who join the team find clear career path opportunities laid out from day one. Martell explains, “If you enter as a recruiter, you know the path to be a senior recruiter and beyond. In a company growing as fast as we are, there are also opportunities out of the traditional career path that allow people to go in a different direction.”

Colleary says that it’s a great opportunity for recent college graduates and for people who are early in their career. “If an entry-level person joins the team in a business-development position, we expect them to move into a senior-level position in a year. They can then build out their own team underneath them in a couple years after that.” If you show self-management and initiative, you will grow, he says.

To help make this growth possible, the company provides developmental support. “We make it clear that we want to empower you and build a team around you,” Higgins says. “When we have a new hire, we put them on the fast track to success — to making money as soon as possible and as fast as possible.”

And they enable that fast track with training and support. “We’ve got a couple of people who’ve been doing this a long time who train people and mentor,” Higgins relates. “We allocate new hires to a senior person. We basically attach them to the hip of someone who’s been doing this a while. It accelerates their growth.”

Celebrating with Candor

InTegrum measures success with weekly targets. “We set goals every Monday and check them on Friday. If everyone meets their goals, we celebrate that and maybe cut out early to start the weekend,” Martell says.

When team members exceed their goals, they recognize and celebrate it. “We have a process of recognition that people enjoy. We celebrate the small successes along the way,” Martell says. “We also have a biweekly newsletter that talks about successes and accomplishments.”

Meanwhile, if the team doesn’t meet all their goals, they have an open and honest dialogue about what to do differently the next week — a philosophy they call “radical candor.”

Supporting each other’s wins and facing challenges head-on as a team supports the culture, Higgins says. “It makes it better for everyone. People are open to a strong team-building culture — it amplifies everyone rooting for each other.”

Getting Recognized

Currently, the InTegrum team is celebrating being named a Best Firm to Work For. It’s a huge boost; not only does the staff “feel like they deserve some recognition for their culture and company,” but the award will help attract the right talent. “We are grateful for the recognition,” Colleary says. “Job seekers have many options nowadays, and this helps us stand out … It’s something that we are proud of.”

Higgins concurs. The award shows new hires that InTegrum is “doing something right,” and it also elevates their brand among new and potential clients. “It’s a lot of cold calling in this business. People have their guard up,” he says, adding that earning a best to work for distinction helps alleviate some of those concerns while amplifying InTegrum’s name in the space.

Martell agrees that it’s a win-win for all. And this is just the beginning. “This was our first award — and we plan on winning several more!”