BW Sessions: Table XI

BW Sessions: Table XI

by KARL SORENSEN

Being blue collar doesn’t always have to mean Carhart coveralls and muddy work boots.  In fact, Table XI, the 12-year-old, Chicago-based digital problem solver, is proof that a gritty, nose-to-the-grindstone workplace can just as easily accommodate Star Wars-themed décor, inter-office dodgeball bouts, and gourmet meals prepared daily by an in-house chef. 

“Our founder built a place where he wanted to work," says a smiling Kate Garmey, Table XI's director of digital strategy. "At the end of the day, we’re about people and ‘doing right’ by our employees and clients.”

CEO Josh Golden

That founder is 34-year-old CEO Josh Golden. With a background in computer engineering and an avid interest in architectural design, Golden assembled a team in the early 2000s that was consistent with his passions. “There’s incredible overlap between architecture and virtual technology, and I saw there was an opportunity to help small businesses bridge the gap between customer and organization,” he explains.

So far, that opportunity has propelled Table XI through more than a decade of growth, including a surge in annual revenue “from just over $1 million in 2009 to $3.5 million in 2012,” according to Forbes. Despite the rapid success, Golden hasn't let it go to his head. On the contrary, he remains committed to 'the little guys'. "We work with less sexy companies," he says. "Businesses that have small geographic footprints and a limited scale, such as small manufacturers, family-owned businesses and general contracting companies.”  At the core, he continues, Table XI wants to provide useful services to growing businesses still digging their way out of the trenches.. 

Table XI Corporate Chef, Aram Reed

Table XI believes in “tech done right,” says Garmey. According to its website, “trust is harder to build than technology,” so the company makes extra effort to build and sustain relationships. There’s a fear that accompanies new technology, so tech companies have a duty to reassure wary customers with honesty and transparency, she adds. With that in mind, Table XI at times has even been known to eat costs, or decline additional business, all in the interest of preserving customer relationships.

Serving a wide range of clients, both nationally and internationally, CEO Golden is determined not to let success go to everyone's heads at Table XI. So the company tries not to forget its original vision and culture. “We’re a group of smart people working together in an organization that stays out the way, changing companies for the better,” he says.