A new year not only means writing new chapters, but reflecting on past ones. At the beginning of 2022, we moved our headquarters to the historic Lyric Opera building in Downtown Chicago. Combined with celebrating Tandem’s 10th-anniversary last year, this move marked the beginning of a new chapter for us. Now looking back, here are some highlights from 2022:
Our Team
This year, the term “Great Resignation” has been used a lot — however, I think it’s more of a “Great Reorganization” than anything. We haven’t floundered during this time and are continuing to refine our hiring process and philosophies. In anticipation of growth in 2023 and looking to the future of our team and our clients, we expanded our executive team to include Camille Schenkel as VP of Client Services.
Camille Schenkel is battle-tested and uniquely capable for the role, and she has quickly integrated into our client work and internal culture. She already has made some big changes, which will continue into 2023 — we can always improve the capabilities our team brings to the market. Tandem has continuously improved in a lot of small ways, and Camille is bringing a more macro lens to identify the bigger shifts we need to make to continue to succeed and bring value to our clients.
“I joined Tandem at an interesting time as we continue to navigate the growth of the company and the custom software development market,” says Camille. “I’m looking forward to partnering with our team and clients on this journey in 2023.”
In 2022, two engineers who started as apprentices and eventually were promoted all the way up to Principal Engineer moved on from Tandem. It’s always bittersweet to see folks’ journeys with us come to a close, but it’s been so rewarding to witness their career growth over time. Both are heading to their new roles with a dramatically different set of skills and experiences than they had when I first met them. This demonstrates the power of apprenticeship and our approach to growing people. I’m proud of them, and so grateful that Tandem has been a part of their journey.
2022 Recognitions
Over the course of 2022, we furthered our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and were recognized for our efforts. Tandem received the Bronze Stevie Award for Achievement in Diversity & Inclusion and was selected as a Best Tech Workplace for Diversity Finalist in this year’s Timmy Awards. We were also named to Clutch’s list of Top B2B Companies in Illinois and earned places on Built In’s Chicago lists for Best Paying Companies and Best Small Companies to Work For.
These accolades are evidence that we are on the right track. In 2022, we continued our commitment to conduct a biennial independent pay equity audit and began work on our next salary band adjustment cycle. It is rewarding that Tandem has received positive feedback, both external and internal, for our decision to commit to transparent, public salary bands as a step to create equity in our organization and across the tech industry.
2022 Accomplishments
Throughout 2022, the Tandem team continued to collaborate with our clients and accomplish big goals.
We are entering our sixth year working with the United States Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM). Much has changed since day one, and it’s a huge honor to the Tandem team that our partnership has provided a stable foundation for MEPCOM’s digital transformation over the last five years. This year, we’ve expanded our core mission from reimagining their MIRS candidate-management software to applying our human-centered approach to other pieces of legacy software within MEPCOM.
2022 was our third full year working with San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) and running their emergency notification platform, which supports communications and reporting wildfire management events. This consistent partnership is a testament to the dependability of the software and our team.
Tandem’s Beyond Finance client team has spent 2022 working on technical priorities like architecture and re-platforming, while also contributing ongoing process improvements for our client’s growing business. Beyond Finance is another multi-year, long-running customer of ours, and in 2022 they quadrupled their volume of clients. It has been rewarding to work with their team as they continue to grow and expand.
Among these and other examples, I’m proud of our multi-year engagements and the trust our customers place in us. It’s a testament to our ability to provide value over the long term even as our world has experienced so much change. With these deep-rooted customers, their organization is often changing just as rapidly. Tandem’s team continues to be a stable partner that can absorb change and adjust when necessary — and serve as a constant support.
Looking Back With Gratitude
As I reflect on this past year, there are so many things to be grateful for:
Our customers — Working with you has empowered us to uncover and solve complex problems across a variety of industries. Thank you for trusting our team.
Our friends — Our sister firms that Tandem is close with and has been able to collaborate with. It’s amazing what we can accomplish working as a network instead of as individual organizations.
Our team — Coming out of the pandemic and looking at the macroeconomic situation, it’s been a year of uncertainty for many. I am grateful for our team’s commitment to our mission, culture, and values.
Our community — The opportunity to contribute to the strength of the software development, user experience, and technology communities.
Looking Ahead
Last year I said 2022 would be a growth year, and that it was. We jumped from no. 197 to no. 86 on this year’s Inc. magazine’s Inc. Regionals: Midwest List, which is a great accomplishment.
Tandem is ever-evolving, and as we head into 2023 there are opportunities on the horizon that will stretch our skill sets — in a good way. It’s an exciting time to expand our capabilities to new practice areas and technologies. We are eager to lean into all the possibilities the near future presents and work hand-in-hand with our clients to seize new opportunities.
