Rockfish Innovations Extend to Employee Needs

The kudos program YouEarnedIt and the efforts of its Giving Committee make Rockfish popular with employees.

Innovation, drive and versatility.

Those are the values the full-service digital innovation partner Rockfish strives to meet as a company. With a list of satisfied clients that include Walmart and P.F. Chang’s, you might say Rockfish knows what it’s doing.

It is certainly true that Rockfish’s ability to recognize the strength in a foundation of innovative, driven and versatile employees makes the company one of Arkansas Business’ Best Places to Work.

One look at the people who run the ship, the employees who make everything happen, and you’ll see a band of people who encompass those same characteristics. For those not hip to the lingo, “digital innovation partner” in this case means they help their clients navigate the murky waters of the technological age, while also helping build relationships between brands and startups.

Rockfish started in Rogers and has expanded to eight locations across the US. It has a wide variety of clients, many of them Fortune 500 companies, and this comes from the desire of the staff to give their clients the best.

“Our differentiators are that we are first movers, doers and are actively involved in the innovation that we bring to clients,” said Kari Wethington, associate director, marketing and public relations.”

With perks like a “dress-for-your-day” dress code, paid time off as needed (unlimited, essentially), events like Office Olympics and health and dental benefits, it’s clear where the company’s priorities lie.

A crowd favorite is a program called YouEarnedIt, which came out of the company’s internal startup incubator Rockfish Labs and is now its own entity run out of Austin, Texas. The idea is that employees can send and receive kudos in the form of points to anyone they feel deserves recognition for a job well done. This fosters an environment of encouragement, and as an added bonus, points can be redeemed for a number of rewards.

The company’s Giving Committee developed a program that functions in two parts. Part one is that employees interested in a raising money through a philanthropic effort, like running a marathon, can request matching funds or donations up to a certain amount.

Part two is choosing two nonprofits that need Rockfish’s help digitally, and working on various projects with them throughout the year, such as the 2014 efforts for the Bella Vista Animal Shelter’s website.

“Rockfish is built on its passionate and innovative people who are the best at what they do,” Wethington said.

Keeping Tabs

In a company that specializes in digital innovation, how do you keep staffers on their technological toes? With inter-office competitions, that’s how. At the annual Rockfish Hackathon, teams compete in a 24-hour window to develop and pitch tech-based business concepts.

This year’s projects included everything from systems to help track your cat’s nutrition and keep him in shape to a game to help you remember names and faces of your coworkers.

The winner was MojoTab, an app to help bar patrons open and close a tab without ever having to leave the party. The app recognizes nearby MojoTab-friendly bars and closes the tab on the way out. We call dibs.