HUNTSVILLE, AL – December 2022 – For prospective employees in today’s job market, many factors come into play when making the final decision on a job offer. Many aspects still make the list – compensation, benefits, growth opportunities – but there are some new factors that impact decisions, particularly among younger candidates.
Perhaps most surprising is the increase in the number of candidates who say they consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work. In a recent poll, more than half of the job candidates indicated they would choose to work for a socially responsible company even if the salary was less, and 51% said they would not work for a company that lacked strong social commitments.
While many employers are still catching up to this new workforce view on corporate citizenship, Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation, (INTUITIVE®) has it built into their DNA.
“Taking care of other people is the right thing to do,” says Dr. William Marx, Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer at INTUITIVE. “Less obviously – but way more important than I realized – is that it’s a part of doing business.”
Marx says the topic of giving back comes up in surprising areas, including job interviews. “When we bring in people for interviews, they want to understand the role, but also want to know about how and where we participate in the community,” says Marx. “They want to understand up front how they can participate. Job seekers have many opportunities, and this is part of their decision process.”
Specializing in software and systems engineering, programmatic support, product development, rapid prototyping, and technology management, INTUITIVE is an award-winning employer recognized by its peers, industry organizations, and major publications for consistently demonstrating excellence. It’s even been recognized as the first inductee into the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s Best Places to Work Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on companies who have been named a Best Place to Work for 10 or more years.
INTUITIVE has been named to the Best Place to Work’s Hall of Fame, Military Times’ #1 Best for Vets: Employers List in Alabama, one of the Best of the Best Veteran-Friendly companies by U.S. Veterans magazine, and recipient of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2022 Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion Award. The reason the company has been so widely recognized is no secret, at least among employees. Those awards reflect the people who make up INTUITIVE and the culture they have created.
Contributing To The Community
“One of my favorite aspects of working for INTUITIVE is the opportunities we have to give back to the community,” says Harleigh Bass, digital artist. “This isn’t something we only do around the holidays either. We do it throughout the year.”
Bass, who joined the organization in 2020 as an intern before moving into a full-time position, says it isn’t hard to find people who are willing to participate. “INTUITIVE uses its resources to make it easy. During the summer, we provide school supplies through the National Children’s Advocacy Center right here in Madison County. Then at the holidays, we all have a chance to deliver meals to families in need, those that are home-bound, and the elderly,” says Bass.
“Holidays can be a difficult time for many people, so we want to give them a ray of hope,” says Bass. “We don’t always get to see the direct impact of our efforts, but our holiday meals initiative is a great way to connect directly. It’s so fulfilling to do something locally.”
Patrick Lunsford, senior analyst in configuration management, agrees. “The holiday meal delivery has become an annual thing for my wife and me. We see the direct impact it has on those families, and it makes us feel good to help people in our community.”
Contributing To The Corporate Culture
Lunsford joined INTUITIVE after a 26-year career in the U.S. Army, hoping to continue his service, and he says the cultures are very similar.
“I like organizations that take care of their people. Being in the Army, that’s what the Army is all about. I took care of my soldiers,” says Lunsford. “When I came to INTUITIVE, I was impressed by the little details that show they care about me as an individual. It seems small, but on my first day, the TV monitor in the reception area had my name on it. Details like that show they care.”
Lunsford quickly discovered that INTUITIVE’s attention and caring extended beyond its employees and even beyond its geographic community. The company’s efforts on behalf of the Veterans’ community are an important aspect of the company’s culture for a man who is both a Veteran and the father of an active-duty Army captain.
“One of the most emotionally meaningful opportunities I’ve had at INTUITIVE was the chance to volunteer when our company sponsored The Wall That Heals,” says Lunsford. This three-fifths scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial traveled to Huntsville in November 2018.
Lunsford and other INTUITIVE employees were on-hand to unload and assemble the 375-foot scale replica of the monument that honors more than 3 million Americans who served in the armed forces during the Vietnam War and bears the names of more than 58,000 men and women who died there.
“It took us a whole day to put it in place, then another day to take it down,” says Lunsford, adding that the replica is made of 3-inch-thick marble. “It was my chance to pay homage to those who served before me and made the ultimate sacrifice. Given the chance, I would do it again every time.”
Contributing To The Future
Perhaps one of the most impactful ways INTUITIVE contributes to the community – and the country – is through the technology it develops.
“Many of the teams at INTUITIVE work in areas that improve major government programs,” says Dr. Marx. “A lot of what they do may not seem especially flashy – developing tools for cost scheduling management, for example – but they make major programs more efficient and more effective. They find ways to do things better.”
INTUITIVE is finding ways to leverage innovation for other areas and industries, from data analysis to military technology. For example, INTUITIVE analyzes big data to help the Department of Defense identify supply chain trends to expedite efforts and anticipate risks. Those same tools that identify supply chain patterns and anomalies can be used by the healthcare industry to flag early indicators for disease or illness.
“The same is true of our imaging technology,” says Marx. “We’ve developed algorithms that recognize topographic features in images to support and defend our warfighters in combat, but those algorithms can also be used on a much smaller level in medical imagery to identify tumors, bone cracks, or any other physiological anomaly.”
Bass added, “INTUITIVE shares the knowledge it develops at conferences, as part of collaborative research studies. We share that technology across industries, invest it back into ourselves to do more and to spread knowledge everywhere we can.”
Making The Right Move
Being part of an organization that is committed to making a difference at every level of the communities it serves can be a life-changing experience. As INTUITIVE co-founder, Harold Brewer, says, “Ultimately we believe to take care of your company, you take care of your community.”
If the current job market has you rethinking your career path, consider joining an organization committed to making a difference through success that’s built on ethics, diversity and giving back.
From the smallest task to the largest implementation, INTUITIVE takes great pride in its reputation for service excellence and for keeping its commitments. The company is also committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and doing business with diverse suppliers.
The company’s success requires the full and active participation of all its talented and committed employees. Embracing individual uniqueness brings creativity and vitality to INTUITIVE, and by fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and support, the company can fully value and appreciate the strengths afforded by the differences, styles, ideas, and organizational contributions of each person.
If INTUITIVE sounds like the kind of cutting-edge organization you’d like to join – and become one of the innovative, empathetic problem solvers committed to giving back to the community – explore INTUITIVE’s available positions by clicking here.
ABOUT INTUITIVE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION:
INTUITIVE® is an aerospace engineering and analysis firm headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama that provides production support, software and systems engineering, programmatic support, product development, rapid prototyping, and technology management to the Department of Defense, other State and Federal Government agencies, and commercial companies. Our approach couples the latest technology with engineering expertise, analytical proficiency, and keen managerial oversight. From design through production to sustainment, we proudly provide management and technical solutions throughout all phases of the system’s life cycle.