AdCellerant

Our ongoing partner education series is the purest expression of our mission. We measure its success not just by platform adoption but by the "retention and growth" metrics of our partners, proving that when they truly understand the tools, their local clients and their own businesses, they succeed.

Yes, and it's most visible during our company's all-hands meetings, which we've held on the same day and at the same time for 13 years. Leadership doesn't just share the wins; we transparently discuss the "misses" and financials, treating every employee as a business owner personally invested in our collective goal of helping local businesses grow.

The holiday season at AdCellerant is a time of joy, celebration and connection. To ensure our team members can enjoy the festivities, we are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It's a great way for everyone to relax, recharge and spend quality time with loved ones.

A standout tradition is our annual company-wide holiday party, hosted at incredible venues in Denver that bring our team together to celebrate another successful year. These events are always a highlight, filled with laughter, great food and fun memories.

From trendy downtown locations to unique event spaces, we ensure the celebration is as special as the team we're honoring. On top of that, each team at AdCellerant keeps the holiday spirit alive with their own mini-celebrations. Whether it's a Secret Santa exchange or a festive happy hour, these gatherings allow teams to bond and share some cheer in their own unique ways.

This year, I'm most excited to see how our creative and collaborative culture shines during the holiday season, both at our big party and within the smaller team celebrations. It's the perfect way to wrap up the year and get ready for all that's ahead!

At AdCellerant, we strive to ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued during the holiday season. Our approach focuses on creating celebrations and opportunities that reflect the diversity of our team, so no matter how our employees celebrate — or even if they don't — there's something for everyone to enjoy.

We make the holidays inclusive by focusing on giving back to the community. Through our AdCellerant Gives program, employees come together to support local families in need. This year, we're filling wishlists for eight families through the Denver Human Services Be-A-Giver drive.

We believe a way to build inclusivity is to provide space for all team members to celebrate and participate in their own way. For example, we offer different ways to contribute to the Be-A-Giver drive, ensuring team members can participate in a way that is most meaningful to them.

We offer the opportunity to cash in "team recognition" points to sponsor gifts for the families. We also host a gift-wrapping day at the office for those who prefer to get hands-on. The act of giving brings us together in a shared purpose.

Our holiday celebrations emphasize teamwork, giving back and creating meaningful connections. We love celebrating together but also focus on giving back and making an impact, reflecting our commitment to our community. As mentioned, one of our cherished traditions is collectively participating in giving through our AdCellerant Gives program.

Each year, we support families in need through Denver Human Services, learning about the needs and wish list items for caregivers and children alike. This year, we are thrilled to support eight families — three more than last year! This collective effort brings our team together and makes the holidays brighter for those who need it most.

A highlight of the season is our gift-wrapping day at the office, where we gather and wrap piles of gifts for the families. It is a truly heartwarming time! This year, the event will feature an ugly sweater theme, a cozy hot chocolate bar and a holiday movie playing in the background.

We always look forward to this day filled with laughter, teamwork and the spirit of giving. Whether it's through acts of kindness, opportunities to connect or just enjoying a good cup of hot chocolate — the holidays are special.

As leaders, we try to be as transparent as possible, so it's no secret that we keep our expectations high for our team. But the great thing about our group is that they're so driven and talented, they want to be held to the gold standard, which makes it easy for us to put our trust in them, give them to tools to succeed, and let them run with it.

Our engineering team cultivates a culture of learning by intentionally weaving it into the way we work every day. Hackathons and innovation days give engineers the chance to experiment with new ideas and technologies outside of their regular project work, which keeps curiosity alive and encourages innovation.

We host regular lunch-and-learn sessions where team members share insights from recent projects, introduce new tools or discuss industry trends. Professional development is also a priority — we provide access to online courses, conferences and certifications so that our engineers can continue to grow in areas they're passionate about.

At the same time, our core value "a good idea can come from anywhere" empowers our engineers to grow in their knowledge and develop novel solutions to problems, bringing those solutions into production.

The impact of this learning culture is felt directly in the quality and pace of our work. Because we prioritize continuous improvement, our code is more reliable, our systems are more resilient and our delivery cycles are faster. For instance, our move toward automated end-to-end testing grew out of a knowledge-sharing session.

What started as a single engineer's presentation evolved into a team-wide initiative that allowed us to adopt continuous delivery practices with confidence. As a result, we reduced release cycles from weeks to days, accelerating our ability to respond to customer needs.

Beyond process improvements, the culture also drives innovation. Hackathon projects have evolved into valuable internal tools, saving time across the organization. And because engineers feel supported in their growth, they are more engaged, more collaborative across functions and more likely to stay and contribute for the long term.

For leaders who want to build a similar culture, the most important thing is to lead by example. Show that you value learning by participating yourself — whether that means attending a lunch-and-learn, taking part in a hackathon or sharing something new you've been exploring.

Learning also needs to be visible and celebrated. When an engineer introduces an idea that improves a process, highlight that success so the rest of the team sees the impact. Strike a balance between structured opportunities — such as stipends for courses or conference attendance — and unstructured time for exploration.

Most importantly, create psychological safety. A culture of learning thrives when engineers feel safe admitting what they don't know, asking questions and experimenting without fear of failure. Finally, connect learning to impact.

When people see that their growth not only helps them personally but also improves the team's ability to deliver quality work, they are more motivated to keep learning and contributing.

It's the first company that I've worked at with true career growth and when you express your interest in doing something else, they will make sure they keep to their promise.

Ricky is a senior product manager focused on the proposals and orders area of AdCellerant's application. She teams up with employees from engineering, design, sales, operations and everyone in between to get a clear picture of what users need and where they're facing challenges.

Her day-to-day work involves brainstorming new features, prioritizing tasks and making sure the system is easy and enjoyable to use. It's a lot to balance, but Ricky loves seeing how her work helps clients succeed. The best part is collaborating with so many talented people – it's definitely a team sport.

We wanted to highlight Ricky because of the incredible impact she has on both her team and our products. She consistently demonstrates leadership in her role, making sure that every voice is heard and that collaboration drives success. Her dedication to both her professional growth and her team's growth, as well as her ability to manage multiple priorities, is inspiring.

Ricky truly embodies the spirit of teamwork, and it's clear she's making a significant difference at AdCellerant.

Ricky strives to create a safe space where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas. She encourages open dialogue, listens to diverse perspectives and welcomes feedback — even the critical kind — to ensure all voices are heard. In team meetings and brainstorming sessions, Ricky fosters an environment where no idea is dismissed, knowing it may inspire the next solution.

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she actively participates in meetings, shares her ideas and challenges assumptions, ensuring that diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes. Ricky values recognizing achievements, both big and small, and celebrates milestones while learning from setbacks as a team.

She believes product development is collaborative, with each team member's contributions deserving credit. In the fast-evolving tech world, especially with AI, Ricky encourages her team to stay curious, ask questions and keep up with trends. She also leads by example, constantly learning and growing, and is taking continuing education classes at Cornell University, proving that it's never too late to learn something new.