Team SI on Creating Camaraderie That’s Contagious

At Team SI, brainstorming is what brings team members together. From the management to the new hires, the process is important and bonds employees.

But they do it a little differently at Team SI — it’s called “beerstorming.”

“ ‘Beerstorming’ brings all team members together over a frosty beverage to focus on a client or potential client challenge or opportunity,” said Sharon Vogelpohl, principal at the company. “In this loosely facilitated format, team members from C-level to entry level collaborate to generate a multitude of ideas that are then refined into recommendations by the strategy team. The camaraderie, cross-pollination and creativity are contagious.”

Team SI is headquartered in Little Rock with employees also in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. The company, founded in 2010, offers a combination of traditional and digital marketing services, called “tradigital” marketing, and employs 50.

Some of the services they offer include content marketing, search engine marketing, website development and call tracking.

Team SI focuses on employee attitudes, engagement, performance and retention, Vogelpohl said.

“Inventing the future takes an enormous amount of energy and commitment, so it is important to take time to ‘sharpen the saw’ and build camaraderie and confidence among our team members,” she said. “There is a limited talent pool in this space — especially in Arkansas. Our goal is to create an environment to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.”

That endeavor is evidently proving successful as the company continues to grow. Team SI was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the country’s 5,000 fastest growing businesses in 2015 and 2016, holding the highest spot of any business Arkansas both years.

“We are about empowerment and innovation.We are literally inventing the future every day and we value and respect the role our team members play in keeping us on the leading edge of the business.” — Sharon Vogelpohl, principal

And in the end those efforts provide benefits to the company, according to Vogelpohl. She calls the company a leader in digital and data-driven marketing in the U.S.

In order to achieve that status, Team SI has an open approach to new ideas.

“We don’t say ‘no,’ we say ‘what if?’” Vogelpohl said. “This creates a unique and engaging environment for team members to contribute at all levels of the organization. … We are our intellectual capital. Fostering and protecting that is essential to our success.”