In early February, Denver entrepreneurs, philanthropists and business leaders convened at the Fillmore Auditorium to recognize the 2020 class of 40 Under 40 recipients. Some of the city’s fastest-growing companies were on hand, with honorees from Guild Education, Flowhub, Geospiza, to name a few.

While the ceremony kicked off with remarks from Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who joked that when he was honored with the award twenty years prior “the only people in the audience were the recipients,” attention soon turned to the new class to share their secret talents and words of wisdom for future winners. 

It should come as no surprise to those in the Colorado business community—where “work hard and play hard” is more than just an expression—that common themes included aligning your career with your passions and seeking balance in everyday life.

More from the honorees: 

“Try to live a balanced life. It’s easy to get caught in the competitiveness/”rat race” idea that having a successful career pushes people to. It is extremely important for everyone’s mental health to incorporate enough time to exercise, travel, visit with family, volunteer, etc.”

– Nella Foschi, VP of Finance, Extraction Oil & Gas 

“Work shouldn’t feel like “work.” Find what you love, lean in and become the best at it.”

– Jon Buerge, Chief Development Officer, Urban Villages 

“Focus on creating alignment in your life first, and a sense of purpose and results will naturally follow. Spending a bit more time upfront to determine what you’re committed to will save you time in the long run and make the journey more enjoyable.”

– Jeremy Duhon, Found & Curator, TedxMileHigh

“Chart your own course based on your values, your passion and your skills — and make it happen!”

– Justin Croft, VP of Development, Zeppelin Development 

 “Your family and your career are important, but it is also important to take care of yourself. Challenge yourself to find something you do every day that is just for you. For me some days that is playing tennis, reading a book with zero academic merit or finding time to work out.”

– Britt Urband, Managing Director, JP Morgan Private Bank

The full list of Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 honorees can be found here.

A conversation with two Matter employees of color 

February is Black History Month, and that can bring about interesting opportunities for reflection at any workplace, but especially at an agency like ours. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ethnic makeup of the PR industry in the U.S. is nearly 88% white — with just more than 8% African American, and an even smaller number of Asian and Latinx American professionals accounting for the rest of the professionals in our field. When it comes to acknowledging Black History Month, PR firms are faced with the sometimes-uncomfortable reality of the question: Are we qualified to talk about this, when we still have so much work to do to address underrepresentation and lack of racial diversity? I’d like to think yes – it’s not just important, but imperative. Because I’ve learned that in life, and especially in business, if we can’t acknowledge our shortcomings, we can’t begin to address them. 

That’s why I’m exceptionally proud to be the co-chair of the Diversity Committee here at Matter – not because I believe I or Matter deserve a pat on the back or can speak from some lofty pulpit on the topic – but because it’s important to talk about how our leadership recognized the need to create this initiative and is comfortable admitting we have a lot of work to do. 

With that in mind, amidst various internal communications planned to acknowledge Black History Month, we also approached some of the professionals of color on our team to discuss their experience in the industry and at Matter. I’ll be honest – a few of us were a bit worried that even the idea of interviewing our colleagues on this basis might have the unintended effect of encouraging tokenism – but we also felt it was disingenuous to comment on the topic at all without spotlighting the voices of Black team members in positions of leadership, and giving our peers a platform to be honest. So, I hope you’ll take a minute to read through this Q&A with two rising stars at Matter: Marissa Lindstrom, who was recently promoted to Digital Marketing Strategist in one of our fastest-growing and most demanding departments, and Tobias Henderson, who recently raised his hand to help lead our Professionals of Color Circle and co-chair our Diversity Committee. 

What drew you to Matter? And to this career in general? 

Marissa: Less than a year ago, I moved from San Diego, CA to Salisbury, MA, so naturally I was looking for jobs in the area. I was introduced to Matter by a coworker, Alex Foley, and immediately knew it was somewhere I wanted to work. I was not only drawn to Matter’s captivating company culture, but also the amazing work the digital team was producing. Since graduating college, I knew I wanted to work in the marketing world and as my entry-level career began to blossom, I quickly recognized my passion for digital marketing. 

Tobias: Being a visually motivated individual, the first thing that attracted me to Matter was the bold, eye catching design of the website! After perusing the impressive list of #workperks offered (summer Fridays are my fave!), I stumbled across a spotlight feature of Anne Lines, Matter vice president, detailing her experience with Matter and her favorite thing about public relations: how every day is different. The daily versatility of working in this field, in an agency setting like Matter, is why I find PR so appealing. It never gets boring! And knowing a VP still enjoys that aspect most sealed the deal for me. 

What do you think Matter is doing right to tackle this topic, and where might we have our biggest opportunities to improve? 

Marissa: Diversity is a “trending” topic on most executives’ minds. Companies know they should be cultivating a diverse work environment, but they don’t always understand why. The difference between these other companies and Matter is we understand the value of diverse opinions, backgrounds and mindsets, and furthermore we encourage and respect these opinions. Matter is not only creating a diverse workforce, but also a diverse leadership team comprised of women, people of color and other diverse backgrounds. We’ve created communities of diverse employees through our Professionals of Color circle, which serves as a safe space for people of color. However, there is always room for improvement, as the work is never done. While Matter employees go above and beyond to make sure they are volunteering in the local community, we should explore dedicating some of our volunteer efforts to organizations that specifically aid Black individuals. 

Tobias: Starting the tough conversation is the first (and right) step to diversity. We only have room to improve from here!

Do you think it’s important (and/or appropriate) for workplaces to recognize and put into place formal programming around cultural or racial observations like Black History Month? Why or why not? 

Tobias: Not only is it appropriate, it’s necessary. Formal programming around culture is an action which reflects that our leadership values all marginalized voices.

Marissa: I can’t express enough how important it is for workplaces to recognize and put formal programming in place for cultural observations like Black History Month. It’s imperative to build on the study of Black history and get people to understand the important roles of black people in the larger narrative of the United States. BHM is a great time to pay homage and create more opportunities for learning by supporting black business owners, hosting black speakers to come speak to your employees, and amplifying black voices by giving people of color, like myself, the opportunity to share our experiences with the greater company and feel comfortable doing so. 

How important is diversity and inclusion to you, when you think about your position and role at a growing, national agency like ours? 

Marissa: Diversity and inclusion are very important topics in my life and something I am extremely passionate about. We are all human, and while we may come from different walks of life, backgrounds and cultures, at the end of the day, we are all in this together. As a woman of color, I strive to do my best, and be my most authentic self every day in order to encourage others to do the same. Often, people of diverse backgrounds feel like they cannot share their authentic self to the greater public due to fear of judgement. I hope my experiences and my voice encourage others to share their unique point of views, thoughts and leadership with all of us at Matter. We all have an authentic self, we all have our own experiences and we should all let our voices be heard, so we can all learn from one another. 

Tobias: As a professional of color, there’s no question that diversity is inherently important to me. I live it every day. What is important? Inclusion. With initiatives like Matter’s diversity effort, it opens the possibility to have a seat at the table and join the conversation. Being a member and co-chair of the Diversity Committee has already connected me with unique and kind individuals from the northern shores of Massachusetts to the Columbia River. Simply having the ability to have an open, honest conversation with someone who understands the little, yet important, things that unite our common purpose: to just be ourselves. Nothing more and nothing less. 

What would you challenge other agencies and firms to think about or put into action?

Tobias: I challenge other agencies to incorporate an open-door policy into their organizational strategy. Providing a space and time for everyone to have honest, open conversations about sensitive topics like diversity and inclusion is key to realizing a cohesive and united workforce.

Marissa: I challenge other agencies to look at their employees and ask if their staff is representative of who they want to be. While many people talk about having a diverse workforce, it’s not enough to say it — you must do it. Hiring people of diverse backgrounds, promoting within and encouraging your staff to form diversity committees to support historically marginalized groups is so important. You must continuously educate your employees on the importance of diversity and speak truth to power in your inclusion efforts. When we know better, we do better. And as companies work to foster diversity and inclusion, it is important we hold ourselves accountable. 

What do you like best about your job every day, and the clients you work with? 

Tobias: I enjoy the fluidity of my day-to-day and the varying industries of our clients. It’s amazing to work with clients in varying fields, whether it’s cannabis-related tech solutions or the latest product making waves in DevOps, I get to learn something new every day.  

Marissa: What I like most is that I am constantly challenged to step outside of my comfort zone to do something new or learn something different every day. There is never a dull day on the digital services team, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a contributing member! I work with a diverse roster of clients — from tech, to healthcare, to transportation services — and I wouldn’t want it any other way. There is a tremendous opportunity in working with a variety of clients that has only helped me strengthen my skillset. I hold great pride in being a member of the Matter team and I look forward to my continued growth and opportunity at this thriving agency!

Our Work Continues

A year and a half ago, Matter endeavored to hold ourselves more accountable, making a concerted effort to more meaningfully and explicitly foster diversity at Matter. Working together and with the help of an outside consultant, we formed our Diversity Committee, developed a 5-year strategic plan, and began executing on it. While inclusiveness and support for diversity have always been in Matter’s DNA, formalizing this effort has allowed us to be more cognizant of what we need to do as an organization and as individuals to strengthen how we recruit a more diverse workforce, maintain an environment where everyone’s perspectives and contributions are encouraged and respected, better serve our diverse clients and their audiences, and reflect the communities where we live and work. 

From our senior leadership to staff across locations, everyone at Matter has passionately embraced and supported this initiative as well as the recommendations our Committee has brought to them. Since launching, we’ve made some great first strides – in our hiring and retention; by introducing more inclusive benefits, such as floating holidays for religious observances and cultural celebrations; through establishing a series of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for professionals of color, LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, and for women and young professionals; and by developing a series of staff-wide trainings that we’ll begin executing in the coming months. But we have a lot more to do – and we welcome that reality. From offering more meaningful educational programming and fun activities to celebrate milestones and observations, to ensuring we give real leadership opportunities to all employees in an equitable and responsible way, we’re excited to elevate our colleagues and watch Matter grow. In ways big and small, we are doing our part to ensure someday soon, the statistics on the ethnic makeup of our industry more accurately and appropriately reflect the real community we’re a part of. 

Today, February 11^th, marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To celebrate the scientific accomplishments of women around the globe, Matter’s Women Professionals Circle teamed up with Matter client Level Ex, creator of industry-leading medical video games for physicians. We spoke with Victoria Perizes, Senior Biomedical Solutions Specialist at Level Ex, to discuss the importance of science, her journey in the industry and being a woman in a male-dominated industry. 

Why is science interesting to you/what does it mean to you?

Being a scientist is one of the few occupations that allows you to ask the wildest questions and then investigate them. The thing we colloquially call “Science” is merely a tool set that allows us to explain the relationship between things on earth, in our bodies, in space, etc. People often think science is the citadel of facts and regard it as this rigid, cold process. In reality, it gives you the tools and space to feed the imagination and curiosity we all have when we’re kids — the big difference is that you actually get paid to do it. The fact that humanity has created this tool is quite poetic, in that the application of science has progressed humanity in countless ways. To me, science is the vehicle for both exploration and progress.

How did you get your start in science?

There was no eureka/defining moment that really drove me to science. When I was graduating high school, I essentially gave myself three options: (1) Become a pilot (I come from a family of pilots), (2) become a chef (I LOVE cooking), or (3) go into the sciences and/or medically related field. At that time, the aviation industry was not in a good spot — you saw major airlines filing for bankruptcy and others going out of business. So I scratched that off the list. Becoming a successful chef pretty much requires you to be a business owner, and at 18 I really did not think I had that in me. So, the only thing left was something in medicine or science. I somehow decided I wanted to become a physical therapist only to completely change my mind my senior year of undergrad (majoring in Kinesiology). At that moment, I really thought hard about graduate programs that complemented the BSc I was about to receive…long story short, I decided to get a master’s in biomedical engineering. How the hell did a non-engineer go and get a master’s in an engineering discipline? That’s a whole other story.

Share a bit about your journey in the industry, and how it led you to where you are today.

This is an interesting question, because biomedical engineers don’t really go into the video game industry and you’re certainly not told it is an option when you’re in school. I did a lot of research when I was in grad school, but generally focused within the discipline of biomechanics.

After I graduated from grad school, I knew I did not want to continue academic research and was determined to work at one of the big med device companies with the goal of designing implants (hip and knee replacements, mainly). That didn’t happen, despite me applying to over 120 jobs. I saw a job opening at Level Ex (a company I knew very little about), applied on a whim and got an interview. Next thing I know, I was being offered a job and I thought to myself, “How many opportunities will I have to work in the video games industry?” The answer is very few. Regardless, it was an incredibly difficult decision, but I took the job and, in all honesty, did not expect to love it as much as I do. 

To my knowledge, Level Ex is one of the only studios that employs biomedical engineers. And the only studio that seeks to deliver medically credible, plausible and engaging content to our audience of attending physicians — effectively creating awesome video games through medical content. Making the decision to work at Level Ex has been one the best I’ve ever made. I get to use so much of my background in biomedical engineering and kinesiology in the most unique and creative way in order to help the company fulfill that promise. More importantly, I have learned so much about how videogames are made and have developed such a deep respect for the artists and designers that work in this industry. 

Any notable mentors you’ve had along the way?

My graduate advisor was really a great mentor, not just from a technical/research perspective, but also from a career advice perspective. He always gave me his honest opinion and never sugar coated anything. This would seem like a commonsense thing for advisors to do, but anyone that has done academic research will tell you it is very hard to find a good advisor. 

And then there’s my sister, Angela. I don’t know that I can call her a mentor in the traditional sense, but she definitely influenced my decision to go into the sciences. Growing up, we would always have (and still have) some of the craziest/passionate conversations about physiology at the dinner table and we would just get so excited about random enzymes or biological processes (I know, very nerdy). I think about these moments and realize that those conversations really made me fall in love with science even more. 

What was a key piece of advice you learned from a mentor?

There are two key pieces of advice that have stuck with me:

1. Don’t reinvent a solution that already exists — just add your two cents to make it better.  
2. Whatever it is that you pursue in your career, do it with gusto and an unquestionable curiosity.

What do you think is important to note as a woman in a male-dominated field?   

If you’re a woman in science, find other women in STEM fields and build a support network — it makes a world of difference.

Any notable career milestones you’d like to share?

This past summer, we were awarded a grant from TRISH (the Translational Research Institute for Space Health) that I co-authored. Effectively, this means we’re working with NASA to bring our video game technology to space medicine. I’ve been a lifelong space nerd, so being the lead Biomedical Researcher on this project has been an absolute dream come true.

Anything else relating to your career or being a woman in the industry that you’d like to share?

Being a woman in the video games industry and a scientist, I think it is so important to hold your ground and be confident in yourself and your skill set. Be confident about what you know and candid/honest about what you don’t know. You’ll be tested every day, but remember that you are just as qualified as your male peers. Above all, do not entertain any nonsense that degrades you at the expense of avoiding an uncomfortable situation.