Growing with Purpose: Fostering Lauren’s Unique Culture (Through Rapid Growth)

Since its inception, Lauren has gone to great lengths to build and maintain a unique culture that has made it a preferred place of employment. That commitment has required renewed focus as the firm undergoes significant growth in its client base, with new office locations and the addition of new technical specialties.     

“We've doubled in the last two years, and we expect to double again in the next two years,” explains Tanya James, Manager, Human Resources. “A huge focus from leadership and HR is maintaining our culture, and what that takes as we grow.”

What sets Lauren apart in their approach to talent acquisition is their emphasis on cultural fit alongside technical capabilities. While technical excellence remains paramount, they've recognized that culture and “team fit” have become equally important.

“We look for people who fit our culture, who are interested in engagement and collaboration. If we've assessed someone in terms of their cultural value and technical aptitude, we can teach them in-house what they need to know. We invest in growth and opportunity,” Tanya says.

Perhaps most impressively, Lauren has achieved significant diversity milestones without implementing forced programs. “We've reached parity in diversity, and we're at 30% plus women, which is leading the national average for engineering,” Tanya shares.

Lauren focuses on bringing in senior engineers who are invested in mentorship, allowing them to hire juniors with the right core values and initiative, knowing they can learn and adopt what the company calls The Lauren Way.

Supporting Growth with Infrastructure

Doubling in size over two years is no small feat. The company has adopted a very proactive approach, with leadership heavily involved in supporting HR development and staff onboarding.

“Leadership is invested personally in the success of our total human resources approach. They're not just saying 'go hire 60 people.' They're asking, 'what tools do we need and what people do we need to do this correctly and sustainably?'”

This support has allowed Lauren to streamline onboarding processes and recognize that integration isn't just about the first week, it's about the first six months. They've created a strong engineering-in-training mentorship program, shifting focus from being known solely for senior subject matter experts to investing in developing next-generation talent.

Maintaining Connection Across Locations

With three offices and a hybrid work model, maintaining cultural cohesion could be challenging. Lauren addresses this through strong leadership representation in all locations, regular visits from executive leadership at each location, and a dedicated position focused on culture.

“We have an internal lead of communications and culture. To have someone like that at a company this size who's working very closely with leadership and HR, it really helps us to consistently have programs that are rolled out throughout all three offices.”

Planning for the Future

As Lauren continues to grow, they're focusing on building scalable systems. “We're not just planning on growing to 200 or 250 people. We're setting in place processes that will take us through to more like 400 or 500.”

“We understand the investment needed to be able to take us into the next three to five years, not just the next year or two,” explains Dustin Edgren, Lauren’s president. “We will continue to earn our reputation as dependable, reliable, innovative and fun to work with by continually investing in our culture. That’s always going to be at the centre of the company.”

In an industry often characterized by rigid structures and traditional approaches, Lauren is demonstrating that investing in people, fostering the right culture, and planning strategically for growth can create an environment where both the company and its people thrive.