One of the
first stories I ever did on the North County Surf blog was about a good friend of mine by the name of Jonathan Hanwit and his wife Guujse Bendeler (shown below). Jonathan grew up in VB (that's Virgina Beach for all of you that don't know Wes Laine personally) and moved out to the west coast for, you guessed it, better surf. Back in 2003, they started a branding and interactive agency called
Parallax that created precise messaging and smart visuals. Around 2010, they moved to downtown Encinitas; Guujse said they needed more office space, Jonathan says it was to be closer to the surf of Encinitas. Either way, it was a win-win: the business has soared and Jonathan is on the verge of making the ASP world tour. One of those statements is true, I'll let you guess which one.
Regardless, like any successful business, they continued to evolve and innovate. They changed their name to
thinkParallax and along the way became corporate social responsibility experts with some of America's biggest companies asking them to spread their message.
But what has really set them apart recently is the initiative to get their employees AWAY from the office. A novel idea considering employers are looking for ways to keep you AT work longer and for less pay. Their concept is to give each employee a $1,500 travel budget to go anywhere in the world and let their creative spirits soar. There are a few guidelines though; employees have to go somewhere they've never been before, the destination has to challenge them somehow, and they have to go between the months of September and December. The idea has been such a huge success- and I don't mean just for the employees- that media outlets around the country have been eating it up. From the front page of the San Diego Business Journal and
Union Tribune, to Adweek, to the hottest magazine going-
Fast Company, and close to 100 other media outlets (trust me- do a Google search).
thinkParallax offers time and vacation stipend to all 10 of its employees in hopes they’ll have experiences that cut down on burnout, open their minds and make them better problem solvers. It’s practically a requirement. "Sometimes the results may be intangible, but in the end you have a more engaged and inspired work force" says Jonathan. If I worked at thinkParallax, I think I'd visit Teahupoo and come back to work a happy camper for a variety of reasons. One- I just vacationed in Tahiti. Two- I'm going back to work for an owner that GETS IT. Nice work thinkParallax. Or lack of work I should say. Now, I'm not taking credit for their success even though my story seemed to happen around the same time, but coincidence? Hardly.
