Located in a beautiful, brand-new office in downtown Boise, the PartnerHero HQ and US operations hub boasts huge windows with views of downtown on one side and the foothills on the other, morning yoga sessions and a rooftop restaurant. The office is beautiful, yes, but that’s not what makes PartnerHero Boise a special place to work. “You can be you at work. You don’t have to come in and be someone else. Being truly authentic, that’s really what makes this place special,” said Julia Longoria, the US People Operations Manager for PartnerHero.
In this interview with Julia we’ll dive deeper into what it's like to work at the PartnerHero HQ in beautiful Boise, Idaho.
Julia, can you tell us some facts about Boise and what makes it a great place for PartnerHero’s HQ and operations hub?
We moved into our new office in SEPTEMBER of 2020 (?). Obviously a strange time to open a new office but given that most employees have been work-from-home it has given us time to build it out to be exactly how we want it without being disruptive to people’s work. Some of my favorite elements of the new office are how modern and new it is, with amazing views from pretty much any seat. I also love the rooftop garden/restaurant. We’re running an art competition right now and PartnerHero employees from all over the world are submitting their work. The winner will win $500 but we’ll use all the artwork around the office.
Aside from the office itself, Boise is the perfect place for PartnerHero HQ. There are eight major universities in Idaho (one of them in Boise) so there are lots of new grads looking for work, plus it’s just a beautiful place. There are hiking trails all around and the Boise River runs right through town. Outdoors activities are super accessible for everything from fly fishing and biking in the summer to any snow sport you could want in the winter. We really do get the full four seasons here.
What are some of your favorite traditions in the Boise office?
Yoga in the morning together as a team. Before COVID we had a weekly yoga session before work. Dawn in the morning is really nice because all the windows have such great views and it was really perfect for yoga. Some of our more high intensity programs take meditation breaks throughout the day.
One thing that a lot of PartnerHero employees have in common is that we’re all foodies and love trying snacks from different places. When people go on trips, especially if someone goes to visit one of our operations hubs somewhere else in the world they always bring back snacks to share. We call it “a taste of our culture” - coffee from Honduras, chocolate from Berlin. I can’t wait until we’re all back in the office and we can pick that back up.
You’ve been at PartnerHero for as long as we’ve had US operations, since 2018. What are some of your favorite memories?
When I joined there were only three of us in the US. Me, Heather (PartnerHero President and COO) and Shervin (PartnerHero CEO and founder). Now we’re a bustling team of 240! And we’ve expanded into other geographies since then too.
Two weeks into my time at PartnerHero I went to visit our Honduras team. I was so new to the company, I didn’t know anyone and I was going on this trip alone. I had no idea what to expect and I was a bit nervous. I was there for two weeks and it was truly one of the most special experiences of my whole life. The team there embraced me as one of their own, they played music, we went to great restaurants. For the last few days of my trip we went to this small island and I had to take the ferry back to the mainland to catch my flight by myself. Once I got settled on the ferry I started crying uncontrollably. I had such a deep sense of belonging, I felt like I was finally exactly where I was supposed to be.
PartnerHero supports employees to be their authentic selves. We’re pet owners, we’re moms and dads. Heather and Shervin are both parents and are so supportive of parents in the workplace. I’m still nursing my daughter and she comes to the office with me. We all have families and we’re all understanding.
