Gator100 Nominees

01-20-2021 11:31

Emeri Schweigert

The story of Feathr began when Aidan Augustin began attending tech/startup meetups during a college internship. Complaints about paper business cards turned into brainstorming about mobile solution. Aidan and his roommate Neal Ormsbee began working on what they then called “CardSync”. They competed in several startup competitions, winning local recognition and an invitation to join the then-brand-new "Florida Innovation Hub at UF" incubator program.

In 2012 Feathr, Inc. is incorporated. Aleksander Levental joins the team and begins focusing on networking at conferences and events. However, the "conference app" space is too crowded and Aidan and Aleks set out to course correct. The next iteration, an "ad retargeting for events” product, is well-received. Feathr's value is solving digital marketing problems with speed, precision, and friendliness. Over the last year, Feathr's focus has shifted from associations to helping organizations in the Non-Profit Sector, promoting their missions with our new key phrase: Marketing is Good.

The culture of Feathr is both challenging and nurturing. During the onboarding process, new team meet with members of every department, learn the history of how Feathr came to be, and how their role supports the bigger picture. Feathr encourages employees to both never be afraid to ask for help, and never be afraid to dig deeper for the answers. Feathr employees stick to six core values: Practicality, Ambition, Clarity, Trust, and Service. Not only do Feathr employees apply this to their working relationships with each other, but also with any customers they interact with every day.

When Feathr sets out to hire a new employee, we always emphasize looking for a culture *add* and not a culture fit. All of the employees at Feathr are passionate individuals, not just regarding our product and helping our clients, but also about helping their communities and supporting local charities. As the majority of our customers are now in the Non-Profit Space, they have shown an amazing amount of gratitude and appreciation for the work we do and the passions we have – both in and out of work!

Once a quarter, Feathr holds what we refer to as ‘I-Wings’ meetings, giving updates, discussing numbers, the path forward, and any updates to policies or procedures. Feathr has a number of employees residing outside of Gainesville, but we take this opportunity to bring as many as possible into town for the week. We feel it’s important for everyone to get to experience Gainesville, as our location of choice and home of our beloved Gators (seriously - just ask our CEO!) Past activities include picnics at Depot Park, happy hours at The Top, and a scavenger hunt competition that spread Feathren all around downtown to explore.

Feathr has set the bar high for employers when it comes to benefits and wellness. This would include our Employee Wellness Program, our Professional Development Program, Extended Parental Leave, as well as Creation and development of a robust and well-tuned Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department and working group. We have also extended our allowance of time available for employees wishing to take Service Time Off from one day a year to one week a year.

feathr.co