I became Employee No. 8 when I first walked in the door at Boomi in 2003. Back then, it was your classic tech startup.

Part of our origin story is how Boomi began above a Conshohocken, Pa. pizza parlor. (A Papa John’s, in fact.) I barely missed out on that. But there were still moving boxes on the floor of the new office when I arrived. Most of us sat in one room – long before open-seating floor plans were a thing. It felt like we were in a small boat and all rowing together toward a shared goal.

We formed an incredibly close-knit camaraderie as we worked hard to build something from scratch. At the end of many days, we gleefully taunted one another while playing video games or hunched over a foosball table. When there was something important to discuss, everyone just pulled their chairs closer. In some lively brainstorming sessions, we fleshed out the idea for Boomi On-Demand – which would become the world’s first integration platform as a service (iPaaS). I vividly remember our conversations about “atoms” and “molecules” that led us to name the Boomi AtomSphere Platform.

Even if we didn’t say it, each of us felt like we were part of growing something special.

I write this not as a trip down memory lane. Because I was an early-days employee at Boomi and today am the Head of Product, I often get asked how the company has evolved and what’s different. It’s always a difficult question for me to answer.

In some obvious ways, everything has changed. Today, we’re a multibillion-dollar organization with more than 18,000 global customers and a thriving Boomiverse community of 100,000 business professionals. And we’re just getting started. Boomi is at the forefront of solving perhaps the most pressing problems that businesses of every size face today – connecting disparate systems, getting the most from data, and automating processes.

Yet in other ways – the ones that I think matter most – nothing has changed. That same sense of commitment and dedication continues to permeate everything we do at Boomi. Now, it’s true that with more than 1,200 employees worldwide, we can’t gather in one room for an impromptu electronic darts tournament. But I’m constantly struck by how our people are motivated to help one another and continuously innovate to make our platform better for customers.

Leaders at every company speak about their passion for what they do, and I’m sure they all mean it. But what I’ve found unique about Boomi is our ability to turn words into deeds.

A huge part of that is because we’ve never lost our original company culture. We still make a conscious effort to ensure that everyone has a voice. All ideas are valued. People feel like they have a chance to make a real impact. Leaders have an open-door policy, even if it’s now a virtual door in our current world.

All of that inspires a tremendous feeling of loyalty that’s palpable.

I constantly hear from prospects that it’s a key reason why they’ve just chosen us. It’s the same with customers and partners who have relied on Boomi for years. They see how we collaborate internally and work together to solve their problems. They tell us Boomi is just different from our competitors, and it stems from that drive to help and put our customers first.

It’s something I’ve seen for myself. In 2014, I was ready for a new challenge and joined another company. I enjoyed my time there and learned so much, but it was a much different experience. I found that my circle of friendships within the company was much smaller. Our relationships with customers were at arm’s length. For better or worse, I felt like it was more of a job than a calling for most employees.

When I jumped at the chance to return to Boomi five years later – yes, I’m a Boomi-rang – it truly felt like I was coming home. The company had grown, and so many faces were new to me. But there also were so many familiar faces, too, and they were eager to welcome me back with open arms. And it was the same inclusive Boomi culture where everyone felt connected. And it continues that way today. That’s why we’re consistently recognized as a great place to work, including the recent honor by The Silicon Review as one of the 50 Best Workplaces of the Year for 2021.

We’re so committed to our belief of instantly connecting everyone to everything with our platform because we innately understand the power of connectivity within our own business. Yes, it’s having real-time access to what we need to solve problems. But it’s also the spirit of working together. Asking, “how can I help?” Finding a way to say “yes” to taking on big challenges.

That’s no different now than it was nearly two decades ago. At the same time, it’s made all the difference.

Visit our Careers webpage for a list of current job openings, and to find out why Boomi was selected as one of the 50 Best Workplaces of the Year.