Unitus Named A Best Place to Work in Seattle
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine Recognizes Unitus As One of 25 Best Places to Work in Seattle
September 26, 2006—Redmond, WA—Unitus Labs., a nonprofit organization creating innovative solutions to global poverty, was named by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine in its September 2006 issue as one of the 25 Best Places to Work in Seattle. Other winners include Starbucks, Microsoft, REI and Costco.
Based in Redmond, Washington (near Seattle), with an office in Bangalore, India, Unitus dramatically accelerates the growth of microfinance institutions (MFIs)—small banks for the poor—and demonstrates that many MFIs can be run as profitable, large-scale, poverty-focused businesses with links to formal capital markets. As of September 2006 Unitus had 10 MFI partners worldwide serving more than 860,000 poor clients.
The award recognizes Unitus for the quality of its work environment, including perks such as no-meeting Thursdays, flexible hours, and a doggie play area. In addition, the organization offers gas reimbursement and an annual $2,500 training budget for each employee.
Said Kate Cochran, Unitus Vice President of Finance and Operations: “The people I work with are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met. That makes it a lot easier to get excited about coming to work every day.”
“I’m thrilled to see Unitus recognized in this way,” said Unitus President and CEO Geoff Davis. “I’ve always felt that Unitus should not be just another job, but rather the best place our employees have ever worked. With our supportive work environment and being surrounded by motivated, highly-skilled colleagues, we can focus so much more effectively on our goal of reducing poverty through microfinance.”
About Unitus:
Unitus, Inc. is a nonprofit organization creating innovative solutions to global poverty using a venture capital model. Unitus dramatically accelerates the growth of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and demonstrates that many MFIs can be run as profitable, large-scale, poverty-focused businesses with links to formal capital markets. As of September 2006, Unitus had 10 MFI partners worldwide serving more than 860,000 poor clients. Based in Redmond, WA, USA and with offices in Bangalore, India, Unitus relies on innovative financial instruments and the resources of like-minded individuals and foundations to fulfill its mission. Unitus received the 2006 Fast Company Social Capitalist Award for taking an innovative, business-minded approach to alleviating global poverty. For more information about Unitus, please visit: www.unitus.com.