Celebrating Growth and a National Recognition

Today is an exciting day for all of us at Digital Echidna as it marks the release of the 2017 PROFIT 500 ranking of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies. In our inaugural appearance on the list, which appears at CanadianBusiness.com, Digital Echidna is ranked at 182!

This ranking will also appear in the October issue of Maclean's, which will feature a special report on PROFIT 500 winners.

What I'm most excited about with this award is that it's reflective of five-year growth. At 358 per cent growth, that's reflective of a lot of positive things, of which I'm extremely proud. That growth represents:

• The trust and faith many companies have put into me and this company over the years;
• The talent and dedication of our incredible staff, which has helped us reach new and more aggressive targets year after year;
• The support and generosity of our families, who have supported all of our efforts and goals; and
• The support of the local community -- government, education, advocacy groups, all of whom have been part of this effort, establishing London as a technological hub.

Back in 2011, we had a dozen employees; today, we're over 60. Back in 2011, we didn't have any clients outside of Canada; today, we work with marquee names like Dartmouth College, The Juilliard School, State University of New York, and ST Media, amongst others. And we’ve also expanded our reach within Canada over this time frame, with clients like Special Olympics Canada, TVO, and a host of hospitals and healthcare facilities, just to name a few.

We've made some bold choices over the years that have paid off. Going all-in on the Drupal Content Management System was obviously a huge decision that has paid off. And today, more and more of our enterprise-level clientele are choosing Drupal as a determining factor. We also took an early and active role in online accessibility, focusing on education and support, and promoting the business-building benefits of accessible development, especially as it correlates to mobile and SEO development.

We're confident in our abilities and we do good work. That's reflected in the feedback we get from clients and the growth we've enjoyed over the years. We prefer to be quietly humble about our accomplishments, but something like this Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies designation does let that cat out of the bag a little bit.

But, while appreciated, this recognition is just a waypoint along a much longer road for us. We have aggressive sales and growth targets for the next five years, and we're committed to reaching those goals based upon the strong foundation we enjoy right here in London. 

We're also excited to be joined on the list by a number of other local technology companies. What that shows is that our belief in the potential of London as destination for technological talent and innovation is well founded, and we're proud to continue to support this community's development

Maybe in five years we'll be back on this list, showing exponential growth from where we are now. That's what we're striving for and I truly want to thank everyone who has been part of this journey since 2002 -- and will be part of it for the next several years!