28 Sep 2015 Spotlight on Copperleaf

Our featured company for this week’s Spotlight on Tech is Copperleaf Technologies, a dynamic and growing company offering an exciting work environment. Copperleaf provides Asset Investment Planning solutions and technology that help leading energy companies and utilities deliver clean, reliable and safe energy to homes and businesses in BC and around the world.

1. Describe your company and your primary product(s) and/or service(s)

Copperleaf Technologies is a fast-growing, dynamic company that has been developing innovative approaches to making asset investment decisions since 2000. We’ve developed a unique enterprise software solution for Asset Investment Planning and Management (AIPM) called C55 that is used by some of the largest and most innovative utilities in North America, including BC Hydro, Hydro-Quebec and Duke Energy. C55 helps organizations decide where and when to invest in their businesses to optimize their performance and address their aging infrastructure.

Click here to watch a fun video we created to help people understand what we do and what Asset Investment Planning & Management is all about!

2. How many employees currently work at your company?

We currently have 54 employees. Most of us work out of the Burnaby office and we have regional staff located in Ottawa, Dallas, and London, UK.

One thing we’re really proud of is that we’ve come a long way in terms of developing both a market leading solution—and a great working environment—that our employees would recommend to others. We survey our employees each year and this year, every employee indicated that they “would recommend” Copperleaf to their friends as a great company to join, and that they “would recommend” the Copperleaf solution to everyone who requires such a solution.

3. Where are you located?

Copperleaf’s head office is located in Burnaby’s Willingdon Park office complex. We offer free parking as well as secured underground bike storage. We’re a short (5 minute) walk from the Gilmore Skytrain Station, and we offer a transit pass for commuters. We try to create a great place to work by supporting a flexible work environment and promoting an atmosphere that encourages teamwork and appreciation. Since we are growing rapidly, we are soon moving to a larger office space at the Broadway Tech Centre, located next to the Central Valley Greenway bikeway, and steps from the Renfrew Skytrain Station.

4. Describe the culture at your company.

At Copperleaf we developed the culture as a team and we’ve documented it a number of innovative ways. At the highest level, our culture is centered on 7 key values:

Deliver exceptional value Provide extraordinary experiences Be agile Be respectful Be open Always improve Embrace fun

To document and teach our growing team about the culture, each and every Copperleaf employee chooses one aspect of the culture they feel passionate about, and creates a short video to describe what it means to them—in their own words, their own style, and through their own experiences.

Watch this video to learn more about our culture and hear what our customers have to say about what it’s like working with Copperleaf.

5. What does your leadership team (and company as a whole) do to support/grow that culture?

We get together as a team to celebrate key accomplishments and wins! Every time a new contract is signed and every time a new C55 system “goes live” at a client site, we have a celebration lunch based on the client’s local cuisine and culture (eg. Montreal smoked meat and poutine for Hydro-Quebec!).

Each quarter, all employees participate in a team event to reinforce the “Embrace Fun” aspect of the culture, and give people a chance to get to know one another. Recent events include:

New employees also attend a culture session with Copperleaf CEO Judi Hess, who provides an introduction to Copperleaf’s values. Time is spent viewing and discussing the culture videos to help new team members understand what it means to be part of Copperleaf.

6. When your employees talk about your company, what do they brag about?

Great ideas can come from everyone:

When people know that their opinions are valued, regardless of what their role is, they’re more comfortable sharing their ideas. It’s the sharing of ideas that is critical to the success of the company because after all, great ideas can come at any time, from anywhere, and most of all, from anyone.” — Michelle Chan, Software Developer, Copperleaf

Continuous growth and innovation:

“From my first days at Copperleaf, I felt comfortable approaching anyone at the company with questions about our product and process. This benefitted me, because I quickly gained knowledge of the product and confidence in my abilities. It also benefitted my team and the company, as I could make meaningful contributions to projects after just a few weeks on the job. Six months in, I was managing my own projects and proposing improvements to the product. Guiding new team members can be time-consuming, but the return on investment is huge. It’s what drives our continuous growth and innovation.” —Victoria Wills, Project Manager, Copperleaf

Work environment fosters innovation and quality:

“Openness and respect for individual opinions are absolutely crucial to our ability to successfully develop a complicated software product. Complexity means not everything can be defined in advance of software design and implementation. In order to “get it right”, people have to feel that they can freely ask questions, raise concerns, and voice opinions throughout the development process.” —Alan Carruthers, Software Developer, Copperleaf

7. Describe your most recent achievement, milestone, reason for bragging rights.

Copperleaf was just ranked in the Top 20 Fastest-Growing Software Companies in Canada in 2015! And in the PROFIT 500 ranking across all industry sectors combined, Copperleaf ranked No. 181, based on our five-year revenue growth of 337%. We’re also proud of the fact that the Copperleaf team was a Finalist for the 2015 BCTIA TIAs Team of the Year Award, for creating a culture that has had a measurable impact on Copperleaf’s business results! C55 has been adopted by Hydro-Quebec, a world leader in the field of hydroelectricity, and we just landed two noteworthy contracts—with Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest public power company in the US, and with the largest water and water recycling company in England and Wales.

8. What kinds of roles are you hiring for?

We are currently looking for software developers and project managers. Please visit our careers page for more information and visit us at the next TechBrew on October 8 to meet our CEO Judi Hess and VP Customer Experience Miranda Alldritt in person!

9. What kinds of people are you looking for?

It depends on the role, but in general, if you’re a technically creative person who likes to figure out solutions to complex problems, and wants to work in a place where your opinion matters, Copperleaf may be the right company for you! Our employees are:

If this sounds like a team you want to be part of, visit our careers page. We’re actively looking for 3 Project Managers right now.

10. What is your company goal for the coming year?

C55 is the most widely adopted AIPM solution, managing more than $200 Billion in asset investments in some of the most respected utilities and energy companies. Our goal is to penetrate and grow in new international markets including Australia, Scandinavia, and Latin America!

To learn more about Copperleaf Technologies, visit them online at www.copperleaf.com.

If you’d like us to shine the spotlight on your company, email hello@wearebctech.com today!