Brave River Solutions
By Anthony Vecchione -06/10/2022 - first published in Providence Business News
PBN BEST PLACES TO WORK 2022
Small Company 1. Brave River Solutions Inc.
Employees in R.I. 30
President: Jim McAssey
Brave River Solutions Inc. President Jim McAssey describes his staff as innovative, passionate and dedicated. Established in 2000 in Warwick, the company specializes in web design and development, software development, information technology managed services, consulting services and digital marketing. The firm’s services are performed in-house.
In response to COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges, Brave River Solutions outfitted its employees with home offices and instituted a hybrid work schedule to allow continued remote work and flexible work schedules.
The company has always supported continued learning and recently purchased licenses to a learning management system, and it is crafting career paths to help all employees continue to develop their skills.
According to Molly Silva, accounting manager and human resources coordinator, the hybrid office schedule has been met with an overall positive response.
“It is a practical and valuable perk that really helps with work-life balance,” Silva said. “All of our employees have unique situations outside the office, so having the flexibility of [a] hybrid office means something different in each case.”
One of the other initiatives that the company implemented since coming back to work after the initial COVID-19-related lockdown is having lunch brought into the office once a week.
“Again, the work-life balance benefits when we are properly fueled and have one less thing to worry about during the workday,” Silva said. “The employees know they will have appetizing, healthy options for lunch that they don’t have to prepare and pack or take the time to go out and pick up, and it’s on the company, so even better.”
Brave River Solutions prefers promoting existing staff, especially when it has an employee with the desire to advance and skills to take on additional responsibilities.
Management also values the expertise and fresh perspective that new hires bring to the table. It is this combination, the company says, that allows it to continue to evolve its business practices and continuously improve what it does and how it does it.
“We are definitely in an interesting time relative to recruiting and hiring. While many companies have had distributed teams in the past, the pandemic has made that much more common and accepted for both employees and employers,” McAssey said. “Candidates who would historically only look for a local job – Rhode Island or nearby Massachusetts – are now interviewing and being hired for jobs all over the country/world.”
In the past 12 months, the company has implemented a technology-focused learning management system to facilitate the continued development of its employees, enabling them to remain technology leaders for its clients.
Having fun is also part of the corporate culture at Brave River Solutions. For example, quarterly staff meetings are followed by a gathering for informal social interaction. The company also offers a midday stroll where everyone can step away from their desks and get some fresh air and exercise. The company holds an annual summer family gathering, as well as a winter/holiday event.
McAssey asserts that Brave River and its employees genuinely care about their clients’ success.
“We strive to provide high-quality solutions, on time and within budget,” McAssey said. “Not to say we do not have issues or missteps, but at the end of the day, we put our heart and soul into the solutions that we build and the services that we provide, and it shows.”
McAssey said that the company has built a team with diverse skills and backgrounds and the leadership team is ensuring that they evolve, improve and stay relevant.
“With 22 years of experience and a team of dedicated, passionate technology experts, we are well positioned to continue this success,” McAssey said.
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