Serious fun drives Aquatic Informatics employees

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Jacqueline Gullion loves that she can put a smile on her customers’ faces, help save the earth and still have fun while working at Aquatic Informatics.

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As team lead, user experience, Gullion is responsible for ensuring that a user’s experience with the company’s cutting-edge software is hassle-free.

“My job is super fun – it feels great to make it easy for workers testing water quality to do their jobs and the company is aligned with my values of protecting life on the planet,” says Gullion.

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Aquatic Informatics is headquartered in Vancouver and provides software that addresses critical water data management, analytics and compliance challenges in the rapidly growing water industry. The company provides solutions that help organizations ranging from small towns to national monitoring agencies.

The work may be fun, but the company’s purpose is serious. With two million deaths and more than four billion illnesses caused every year from water-related diseases and disasters, the need for accurate water data is critical. That gives Aquatic Informatics’ corporate culture a strong sense of mission.

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“At the end of the day, what holds our culture together is having people who care about what they do and who identify with our core values,” says James Reyes, vice president, sales.

“We’ve created a collegial, collaborative atmosphere where people can be at their best and truly value and enjoy working with their teammates. And we don’t take for granted that we get to work with really smart teammates to build amazing technology that matters.”

Aquatic Informatics grew significantly when the company recently acquired Sedaru, a leading provider of water utility management software. To keep growing and remain innovative, the company focuses on recruiting and retaining people though a holistic approach to employee support.

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“To attract people, it’s not just about the salary. It’s about flexibility and authenticity. We also support our employees to excel through diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as education and training,” says Reyes.

“It’s really about the people and what drives them. We know that by supporting our employees in this way, we can innovate and achieve more.”

Giving back is another strong thread woven deep into the company’s DNA. Through its Ripple Effect program, Aquatic Informatics donates its software to communities and organizations to help them better manage and protect their watersheds. Employees volunteer to assist those projects and give their time to shoreline cleanups and water conservation initiatives.

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Aquatic Informatics also uses constant communication to keep employees connected. Each week is capped by an online huddle meeting with updates on how different departments are doing and on new company initiatives. Employee recognition plays a big part in the huddle and Gullion knows just how motivating that can be, especially for those new to the company.

“I have two student interns and both of them recently got kudos at a big company meeting with 150 people watching. How cool is that?” says Gullion.

“We’re really clear that we value individual people and their unique contributions and backgrounds. That’s part of why I say this is the best job I’ve ever had.”

This story was produced by Mediacorp in partnership with Postmedia, on behalf of Aquatic Informatics.