Coastal Cloud: "Live at the Beach. Work in the Cloud."

Coastal Cloud is the largest IT consulting company in Florida that specializes in the Salesforce.com technology platform. In only four years, Coastal Cloud has grown to become one of the top cloud technology consulting firms in North America and serves over 250 clients across the globe. The woman-owned company has a growing team of 130 certified consultants and has completed more than 750 projects and built industry-specific solutions for health care, communications, media, education, high tech, manufacturing, energy, professional services, real estate, retail, non-profits, economic and workforce development organizations and state and local government.

The technology consulting business is highly competitive, and the “war for talent” is relentless. Coastal Cloud was designed to disrupt this battle by offering a very different environment for employees to live, work and play. Sara and Tim Hale, founders of Coastal Cloud, spent long careers working for global IT consulting firms. They experienced first hand the rewarding work but unbalanced lifestyles such firms demand. They sought to design a new type of IT consulting firm that leveraged the latest and greatest cloud technology platforms and offered rewarding client projects while enabling a work-life balance that other firms could not match. They set up a technology Solution Center on the beautiful, unspoiled beaches of Flagler County and recruited a world-class team of technology consults who wanted to escape the perils of constant travel and congested metropolitan areas.

A visit to Coastal Cloud’s headquarters in Palm Coast reveals a team of skilled, hard working, friendly professionals who collaborate all day long with teammates and clients to deliver some of the most innovative projects in the world. Those professionals can often be seen wearing shorts, flip flops and aloha shirts. They enjoy flexible schedules, generous time off, professional growth and short commutes via car, bicycle and even golf carts! But the relaxed atmosphere belies the team’s intense focus on client solutions and delivering high value outcomes.

“Our consultants enjoy a rare balance of engaging technology consulting work coupled with time to share with friends and families,” says Sara Hale. “In essence, we created the type of consulting firm we always wanted to work for.”

“But we are also designed to provide an exceptional level of client service,” says Tim Hale. “We have our Palm Coast Solution Center to provide best practices and industry expertise coupled with local, certified Salesforce.com consultants in every major metro market across Florida, including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee and South Florida.”

Coastal Cloud’s model is working as the company enjoys some of the lowest attrition in the industry and extremely high client satisfaction levels. Their model is expanding nationwide offering additional high quality of life options for employees with new Solutions Centers in Louisville, Ky., and Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Tags: Best Companies 2017