“We’re a value-driven, culture-first company: we lead with culture, we hire for culture. And ground zero for this culture is our workplace,” says Arjun Jolly, co-founder and COO of adQuadrant, a digital advertising firm based in Orange County.
It’s hard to believe there was a time when adQuadrant – recently ranked as a top place to work in Orange County – didn’t place company culture at the core of its business. The company has been trusted to represent well over $250 million in digital media ad buys on behalf of its clients, thanks in no small part to its passionate and hardworking employees. When the company first started, however, brothers Arjun and Warren Jolly were so focused on the daily hustle that they put culture and office design on the backburner.
“Employees aren’t required to be in the office every day, but the vast majority choose to come in because we’ve created an environment where they genuinely want to be.”
Arjun Jolly, co-founder and COO of adQuadrant
“We were young entrepreneurs who didn’t understand how important an office environment was for building culture and a strong employer brand,” says Jolly. “When we decided to take over the fifth floor in the Pacific Arts building, we had the opportunity to design our workplace from scratch. Warren and I started by eliminating every private office, including our own.”
The reason? Arjun and Warren wanted to send a clear message that everyone is a single team. “We all work side-by-side, collectively driving towards our vision and performing for our clients every day.”
The workspace reflects the company’s two core values: collaboration and service. In addition to removing private offices, the brothers tripled the size of the kitchen. It now features a wide, custom-made island, ideal for team bonding. Smaller breakout spaces give employees the flexibility to collaborate on their terms. The glass-walled team rooms are adjacent to a long wall of windows, which flood the space with energizing natural light.
The radical redesign paid off. “Employees aren’t required to be in the office every day, but the vast majority choose to come in because we’ve created an environment where they genuinely want to be.”