In 2011 as we celebrated Atomic Object’s 10-year anniversary, the question of our next strategic move loomed large. With a strong culture and thriving team, we wanted to share Atomic with more clients and practitioners than those in our home base of Grand Rapids, MI. This is where our journey into opening a second office–and eventually deciding to close it–began.

Atomic Object is a custom software and design development firm. Our first CEO, Carl Erickson, founded the company in 2001 and shortly thereafter, I joined the consultancy as its first software developer. In 2019, Carl passed the baton to me and Atomic’s other co-CEO, Shawn Crowley, but in 2011, I was still relatively new to leadership. Nevertheless, Carl gave me and Shawn the opportunity to drive the implementation of our next strategic move; it was an early test for us.