When Carey Ransom was tapped to lead RealPractice Inc. in late 2009, he laid out some aggressive changes to prepare the company for substantial growth.
He wanted a clean slate, so he overhauled the staff and executive ranks and moved the company’s headquarters from Venice Beach to Santa Ana.
It was a “rebirth.”
“I knew the culture of the company would have to change to be successful,” said Ransom, the chief executive of RealPractice, a maker of Internet-based software. “It was a nice business, but it wasn’t a high-growth business.”
Serving Law Firms
The Santa Ana company’s customer base is law firms. It markets software designed to help them save time and money. It tracks procedural rules at the biggest courts in the country and gives lawyers access to up-to-date rules for submitting documents, court deadlines and any court business.
The business wasn’t producing the growth sought by its backers, a roster that includes Cor-ona del Mar-based Miramar Venture Partners.
Ransom arrived from a post of vice president of business development at Brand Affinity Technologies Inc., an Irvine-based advertising startup with technology that aims to automate celebrity endorsement deals.
He quickly tweaked the business model, and RealPractice began offering software and services designed to help law firms get new clients, manage expenses, boost marketing duties and take care of other office tasks.
“This is where there is big opportunity,” Ransom said.
RealPractice has 34 employees and is ap-proaching $10 million in annual revenue. It ranked No. 13 in the small-companies category in the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list this week.
The list was compiled for the Business Journal by Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group, an independent workplace researcher that managed the registration process (see Methodology, page 26).
Ransom champions a high-energy environment where every employee has a voice.
“Everyone is empowered to contribute,” he said. “It’s a real flat organization.”
The company has daily stand-up meetings where all the divisions take part in a town hall setting of sorts, airing out their strategies, challenges and accomplishments.
The company aims to keep its employees happy with a stocked kitchen, fantasy football leagues, sports contests and happy hours.
Staffers recently took a trip to Strawberry Farms in Irvine for golf lessons and some friendly competition.
Rock-Star Parking
When two prime parking spaces opened up in the parking lot, Ransom quickly scooped them up for the rock-star parking program, where employees nominate monthly achievers.
RealPractice is big on hiring and promoting within, often tapping interns for full-time positions.
Paige Reinsel was hired as a marketing associate last year after finishing an internship with RealPractice when she learned about social media, email marketing, copy writing and other skills to complement her recent degree from University of California, Los Angeles.
“This one just seemed to fit because it was the most hands-on,” she said. “At other companies, you’re limited to a certain space. It’s such a great experience here because I’m learning so many different aspects.”
The company also offers a benefits package with health care coverage and flexible hours, Ransom said.
“The culture is pretty much set,” he said. “I think we built a real substantial company here and still have the lifestyle of Orange County.”
