High-growth trajectory

Tim Kelly describes Macedon Technologies as an “employee-centric company.” The Reston-based IT software firm hires job applicants who want to “be more than a coder that sits in a dark room and works with specifications,” says Kelly, Macedon’s vice president of professional services and operations. “They have the opportunity to work directly with clients” in developing solutions for their needs.”

Austin Rosenfeld founded the business in 2009. Using the Appian platform, Macedon services range from architecture and analysis to design implementation and deployment.

Macedon writes software for a variety of industries, such as pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, finance, education, energy and entertainment. Its customers are spread across the U.S. and Canada.

During the past eight years, Macedon has grown from one employee to 90 employees. “We will be roughly around 130 employees by the end of the summer,” Kelly says. “Every 18 months we have outgrown our facility.”

The company moved recently into a new 25,000-square-foot facility that, based on its current growth trajectory, it will outgrow in a year and half, Kelly says. “We continue to grow headcount and client base while maintaining our unique culture.”

The company experiences consistent year-over-year growth. In 2014, it was the 842nd fastest-growing company in the country on the Inc. 5000 list. “We have more than doubled in size since then,” Kelly says, noting the firm is preparing to open an office in Austin, Texas, where it has a strong concentration of work.

Macedon recruits from the top U.S. universities but makes offers to less than 1 percent of job candidates interviewed. “We want to ensure that people coming in will not only technically be able to do what we do but will also fit into our culture,” Kelly says.

In addition to recruiting for strong technical abilities, Macedon also looks for people who have a good understanding of how the world “works outside of being a programmer,” Kelly says. “Are they good human beings? Are they someone we want to work with? Are they someone we can trust will add to the culture we have here?”

The company rewards employees based on their demonstrated ability and accomplishments. “As a result, people’s careers tend to be accelerated,” Kelly says.

New employees joining the company are offered corporate housing for their first month. Since most are not Northern Virginia residents, the idea of finding a place to live in an unknown area can be daunting. “Corporate housing allows them the opportunity to assimilate to the area and to decide where they want to live and with whom they wish to live,” Kelly says. “We want to make their life easy and the transition easy.”

About a month before starting with the company, each employee is assigned a Macedon buddy who serves as a resource. “The buddies are similar in title but with enough experience as to how the company works to help new employees in their transition to Macedon,” Kelly says. “It provides a level of comfort — someone to help you out but they are not your boss.”

Employees receive a comprehensive benefits package and are eligible for various monthly and yearly bonus programs. The company pays 100 percent of health-care insurance premiums for each employee.

Macedon also holds a variety of corporate events that range from baseball games to charity fundraisers. “Every year we throw an over-the-top family and friends picnic,” Kelly says. “We will hold our fourth annual picnic this June.”

Each month Macedon also hosts a company-wide meeting where Rosenfeld talks about “where the company is going and what we are doing. That’s when we celebrate promotions and work anniversaries,” Kelly says.