The past year has certainly brought some challenges. So when the wins come our way, we just have to take a moment to celebrate—and maybe even do a bit of reflecting on how we got here.
If you caught the announcement on our LinkedIn page, then you already know:
Stax Bill was recently chosen as the Kanata North Company of the Year in the Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs)—hurray!
The Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal presented awards to local businesses that have been able to show resiliency and even success in the face of unexpected obstacles. And we’re among some impressive homegrown talent in this city.
So what does the BOBs selection committee look for in a Company of the Year award recipient, and why was Stax Bill chosen?
We caught up with Jamie Petten, President and Executive Director of the Kanata North Business Association (KNBA), and Michael Curran, Ottawa Business Journal President and Publisher, who were jointly involved in the selection.
The KNBA present #SeriousTechLivesHere awards in partnership with the BOBs to leaders in the community that have gone above and beyond to demonstrate business excellence, says Petten.
Amidst this year’s challenges the Stax Bill team have shown resilience and ingenuity in their ability to continue to keep momentum within the company. We are honoured to have team Stax Bill growing in Kanata North!”
Curran further commented that the recipient of this award demonstrates outstanding business growth, expertise, innovation, and commitment to the community.
“The BOBs selection committee was impressed by Stax Bill, a company that is producing a product that is more relevant than ever in the pandemic,” he says. “More specifically, Stax Bill’s ability to grow its customer base and forge stronger relationships with its clients in challenging times.”
The committee also took note of Stax Bill’s significant efforts to support local food banks and embrace other social causes, says Curran.
We’re extremely proud to have received this award, as well as such kind words from leaders in our local business community.
Let’s take a step back though and reflect on what got us here…finally….to the end of 2020.
Prior to the onset of the current pandemic, Stax Bill had been in a phase of rapid business growth, as our CEO Tyler Eyamie elaborated in this blog post.
In 2019, we grew our annual recurring revenue 110% year-over-year and our customer base by more than 155%. We welcomed an increase in our employee count of over 40%.
And for 2020, we had plans to grow our team by another 50%+.
But of course, things went a little differently than we—and everyone else—planned. We pivoted quickly toward new goals and sightlines, we still managed to grow our team by close to 50%, and we’re pretty proud of where we’ve landed as we approach the end of Q4.
Here are a few other things we’re proud of this year.
- We successfully shifted from that rapid growth focus into customer success mode to support our valued customers. We know those relationships are one of our greatest assets.
- Our product continued to gain market share in both the SaaS and Internet of Things (IoT) and telematics spaces—the fastest growing markets today.
- We’ve led fundraisers to support causes we’re passionate about, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the local Ottawa Food Bank.
- We’ve supported our own team with flexible policies and compassionate backing from the top down to deal with unprecedented work-life conditions—we’re all about family first.
So what’s next for Stax Bill?
We’re still growing! Not only are we working hard on some exciting product developments, but we’re also looking to build our talented team by another 25% in the next couple of months. Stax Bill’s hiring for positions in engineering, marketing, finance, and more.
Have a peek at our open positions or share them if you happen to know the perfect candidate. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Thank you to the Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa Business Journal, and the KNBA for the recognition, and congratulations to all the 2020 BOBs winners.
Here’s to continuing the momentum in 2021!
