Matt and I started HQ while roasting hot dogs in his backyard. For all intents and purposes, the card table by the firepit was our office. We didn't have a vision of "making the world a better place" or grandiose plans of starting a design agency. Honestly, we sort of just stumbled into it.
Our second product collaboration together was a website creator for weddings. Every day for an entire summer, I rode my bike to his house on the canal trail and we built the product on his back porch. We weren't wild about the wedding industry, but we were very passionate about making something cool. In many ways, it was our college education about the world of tech and entrepreneurship (while simultaneously studying tech and entrepreneurship at WSU). We loved it.
I had been doing freelance work, and Matt was running a digital marketing company. We got so busy with client work -- and since we were already working together -- we thought, "Why not join forces and focus on building one really good company?" It gave us an engine for building whatever we wanted; whether our own ideas or client projects. HQ was born.
(We're often asked what HQ stands for. The original thought was that our company was a "headquarters" for our various endeavors. Also, it’s short.)
Our team has naturally evolved to avoid buzzwords (“mission statements,” etc.), so we'll just call this a “list of things we care about.”
Work hard and be nice to people.
Design and development are people jobs. We want to work with people who are good to be around (this should be a given, but it’s important).
Focus on user experience. This is what separates us from graphic design agencies. UI/UX design is pragmatic, and is perhaps closer to engineering than art. Our projects begin with understanding goals and users. But boy do we also love the art.
Care. Another given, but we’ve talked to managers whose biggest concerns are how to motivate employees. We're fortunate to work with a team who loves what they do (many of us tinker on side projects after going home). Most things in life are mediocre: It's really hard to make something truly great, and that's what we chase.
Work with interesting people on interesting projects. Some industries are inherently more exciting than others, but regardless, we always get fired up about each project.
Create the kind of workplace we’d always dreamed of. Building a company is satisfying, but even more fulfilling is building a company that improves the lives of our team.
Remain a Utah company. We work with clients from all over the world, but we love living and playing in Utah.
Make cool stuff people will use. There's nothing like overhearing a stranger rave about a product you worked on.
We have an incredible 5th floor office in downtown Ogden, however we have many team members who work remote. We see the advantages of both and are open to hire both local and remote employees.
Theatres, bowling, climbing, a gym, and indoor skydiving are just across the street. Fifty restaurants within ten minutes, and we can walk to most of them. Ogden City has done a great job restoring the downtown area.
We’re minutes away from skiing, cycling, hiking, boating, and more -- close enough that we can get any of these in before coming into the office. The river parkway trail is within walking distance.
Ogden was ranked by Forbes as the 4th best place to raise a family (and you know you can always trust subjective lists on the internet). But really, Ogden is both safe and fun. We love living here.
Utah is one of the fastest growing tech hotspots. We interact daily with brilliant and passionate people. We’re one big family, and it’s always felt more collaborative than competitive.
Built in 1913 and recently refurbished: Open floor plan, exposed brick, 360° natural lighting, and the ever-crucial mini trampoline to cure mental blocks. It might be a little cliché for a tech office, but we love it.
