Igloo grows in DTK
One hundred and thirty eight per cent revenue growth seems in juxtaposition to the small, downtown business most are familiar with. But, because of Igloo, a provider of digital workplace solutions, this figure has found a home in Kitchener’s downtown core, and has nowhere to go but up, literally.
Igloo’s growth goes beyond the massive increase in revenue; they have expanded to another floor of their space at 55 King St. West and are hiring around 50 new people this year to fill that space. And despite the worldly title they’ve earned on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list for the second year in a row, Igloo’s newest hires will be found locally.
“We’re hiring across all functions: development, product strategy, marketing, financial, sales – everything,” says Mike Hicks, Igloo’s VP of Marketing. “And by staying in Kitchener, we have access to the incredible talent that’s here. We have great institutions and a robust start-up culture. Large organizations need to be hiring here.”
Hicks has great hope for what local hires at Igloo and across other companies could mean for the downtown.
“Kitchener has this great balance between infrastructure and a small town, family feel,” he says. “People are deciding to relocate their families here for what’s offered.”
Those offerings extend from within the office environment Igloo is slated to occupy, though. According to Hicks, Igloo’s employees, local or otherwise, benefit from branching beyond the desk, and into their city.
“Lunchtime is a big one for our team, that’s where cultures come together and food is a common ground,” says Hicks. “Even if someone doesn’t live here yet, there’s enough going on to draw people back on the weekend. We’re really seeing downtown get stronger.”
Igloo’s team engages with downtown’s offerings in a lot of ways, but as a company that specializes in providing flexibility to the modern workplace, naturally their engagement with the core follows suit. Flexibility, options and innovation are king.
“We need to keep up the innovation in food, entertainment, sports and leisure. The next wave of the tech community is coming, and they’ll be innovative downtown in ways we haven’t even thought of yet."