Our flagship office located in the historic Decatur building in downtown Seattle, Synapse Headquarters features 40,000 sq. ft. of engineering lab, a play area featuring foosball, pool, and shuffleboard tables, a projection movie screen, a climbing wall, and plenty of snacks and caffeine.
It was after the crazy dot-com era, often spent eating and sleeping in the office madly pursuing ‘the’ big stock market windfall, Ross Collins and Scott Bright decided to take charge of their fate and do something different. With the combined resources of two other original co-conspirators (now since departed), Synapse was born.
2011 Finalists honored and winners announced at special event on August 11
Seattle – Synapse Product Development was named as one of the finalists for Washington's Best Workplaces by the Puget Sound Business Journal. The program was launched in 2007 to identify and recognize best practices in the hiring and retention of great people. After an extensive and rigorous process, which included more than 230 nominees and the completion of surveys by nominee-company employees across the state, workplaces in four different categories have been identified as Washington's best, based on their various employee benefit offerings, leadership culture and work/life balance philosophies. In total, 85 companies have made the grade as finalists.
Founded in 2001, Synapse is a multidisciplinary team of engineers, designers, inventors, and strategists that solve the most difficult product development challenges from concept through manufacturing for the leading consumer electronics and life-sciences companies in the world including Microsoft, GE, Nike, Panasonic, Samsung, and Philips.
Though weekly company gatherings, employer paid outdoor excursions, and building and playing on their own climbing wall, employees at Synapse rigorously honor their commitment to make Synapse the best job they've ever had and recruit others with the same spirit of collaboration and dedication to play.
"I am deeply honored to congratulate the Synapse team in being named finalists for Puget Sound Business Journal's Washington's Best Workplaces," said CEO Scott Bright. "Engineering is our lifeblood, and this nomination is a testament to each and every employee. It is their spirit of entrepreneurial curiosity and thirst for adventure that comes to the office with them every day. In the world of cutting edge technology, our people and our culture make us a renowned center for multidisciplinary collaborative innovation."
"Work-force development has never been more important – or more difficult – than it is in today's global economy," said Emory Thomas Jr., publisher of the Business Journal. "We believe the Business Journal, as the Puget Sound area's top source of business information, has an important role to play in drawing attention to innovations and excellence in the management of our region's No. 1 resource: its people."
The finalists—25 small companies, 25 medium-sized companies, 25 large companies, and 10 extra-large companies – will be celebrated at a one-of-a-kind awards event at Safeco Field on Aug. 11. Honorees and the public alike are invited to attend and cheer for the workplace accomplishments of these companies from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The celebration will include ballpark food and drink, walking the bases, speed pitching, and an awards presentation. The company with the greatest number of employees present will win a suite at a future Seattle Mariners game.
For more information, visit: www.wabestworkplaces.com
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About Synapse
Synapse Product Development solves the most difficult engineering challenges from concept through manufacturing for the leading consumer electronics and life-sciences companies in the world. Synapse was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
About Puget Sound Business Journal
Puget Sound Business Journal is the region's premier source of business information, serving an unparalleled audience of business and community leaders. In addition to the weekly newspaper, the Business Journal provides daily updates via its web site and email alerts. The company also plays a vital role in bringing the area's leadership community together by hosting a wide variety of events throughout the year, from the annual 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies celebration to the Women of Influence awards event. Puget Sound Business Journal is a unit of American City Business Journals, which operates 40 local business newspapers throughout the United States. Visit Puget Sound Business Journal on the web at www.pugetsoundbusinessjournal.com.
By late 2006, Synapse was out-growing its former location and had just three months to find a new space. "We spent almost half of our time over those months looking before we happened upon our present location," says CEO Scott Bright. The 4-story building--once home to Amazon's call center--was owned by Seattle's prominent Denny family and was sitting empty. Synapse set up shop on the 4th Floor in January 2007. As the company continued to grow, it was obvious that Synapsters would be maxed out for space sooner than expected. In 2011, Synapse took over the 3rd Floor. With the engineers occupying the entire 4th Floor, the 3rd Floor gave Synapse more room for executive offices, marketing, operations and IT, plus room for a testing lab and intimate conference rooms. More importantly, it allowed for Synapse to showcase its unique culture with an open space where Synapsters can take a break from their desks to work, relax, or play. With a community kitchen, plenty of workspaces, a pool table, foosball, and lots of natural light, it's truly the heart of Synapse.
