Colleen McCormick, Director of Communications (left), and Rob Weisberg, CEO (right)/ Image via Nick DeLuca
Allston isn't particularly known for as a haven for startups or well established companies. It has a reputation as a hive for college students and perhaps its most well known commercial tenant is shoe giant New Balance. But I would argue that New Balance is actually one of two companies that anchor the Allston area's industry.
Invaluable, which we reported is growing by leaps and bounds in none other than New Balance's original brick and beam factory just a stone's throw from its freshly minted Boston Landing HQ, is the largest art auction website in the world.
The swiftly increasing success of Invaluable can easily be quanitifable in its recent takeover of the building's second floor – which doubled its office space to 16,330-square feet, its growing staff now at 127 employees worldwide and counting, or its montly unique visitor count: approximately 3 million unique visitors per month.
They've also enjoyed a 40 percent spike in mobile site traffic after launching an app for the iPad and iPhone.
But to me, its success is visual, which fits in perfectly with a company that's dominating the art game.
That is, clearly Invaluable eats, sleeps and breaths art and has aptly decorated its space to reflect that fact.
Not only is Invalauble adorning its walls, tables and conference rooms with paintings of classic cars, antique dolls that resemble staffers, life-sized games like Jenga and Connect Four, it's also outfitting its space with items and programming that exhitits the company's dedication to investing in its employees while spurring creativity.
Sure the downtsairs faux fireplace is a great touch, as are the four kegs on tap (two of which are the spoils chosen by employees of the month) two freezers full of ice cream, various healthy snacks, weekly catered lunches and health and wellness events like yoga, biking and basketball leagues.
For CEO Rob Weisberg, transparency is also crucial to employee sastisfaction and the ongoing prosperity of the company.
Most of the walls are covered with IdeaPaint, which allows for contant back and forth iterations. At the front of the room are two monitors showing all of the transacations that have taken place via Invaluable in the last 24 hours.
"We share financial data with everybody, how the business is performing this year and we're killing it," said Weisberg. "We're 41 percent positive year-over-year."
But don't just take my word, or Weisberg's word for it.
See for yourself.
