REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION
MANAGERS WITH 100 TO 499 EMPLOYEES
Adams Street Partners
Chicago
AUM: $41 billion
Employees: 170
3 Cool Things:
• Offers a learning management tool called Axonify that rewards participation with points redeemable for prizes. Axonify covers subjects from fund and investment strategies to firm culture and compliance. Prizes include a leather desk set and portable chargers.
• Social committee hosts monthly happy hours, themed lunches and baking contests.
• Volunteering is encouraged. The company arranges access to community events, including an annual day of service. Believes that the team that gives together stays together.
Employees say:
• “Adams Street has a positive culture of ‘Midwest values’ that emphasizes nice people doing good work who actually care about the well-being of those around themselves. This is in contrast with the typical sharp-elbowed New York-style investment firm.”
• “The culture of collaboration is really genuine and impressive. People share a high level of engagement and focus on high-quality results while appropriately sharing credit for our firm’s successes.”
• “Group leaders have sent snacks and thank-you emails since we have been working from home, which is just a little something to show their appreciation, but it is so much more than our friends get. They also have made us feel very secure throughout the COVID crisis. Among all my other stressors, I do not need to worry about job security, which is a huge blessing!”
HOLIDAY BREAKFAST: During Adams Street’s annual holiday breakfast, employees chow down on pancakes, hot cider and donuts. A major highlight is the coveted ugliest sweater competition.
-PROFILES WRITTEN BY SUZANNE COSGROVE, JUDITH CROWN, MEAGHAN OFFERMAN, TRILBE WYNNE and JULIE TATGE
Reprinted with permission from Pensions & Investments. © 2020 Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Click here to read more about Pensions & Investments 2020 Best Places to Work in Money Management.