A rrowpoint Partners was founded in 2007as a collaborative partnership. “Onephrase that I cannot accept is ‘I work forhim.’ You work with me and we work forour clients,” said David Corkins, co-

founder, principal and portfolio manager. Arrowpoint’s culture is centered on this team

approach. “We like cross-coverage and cross-train-ing. We focus less on titles and more on teamwork,”said Jill Jepson, ambassador of culture. The floorplan, which is designed to encourage collaboration,has limited private space and blends togetherdiverse roles and departments. Sitting in the midst ofother teams and projects “facilitates idea exchangeand provides exposure to the efforts of your peers,which makes for a very cohesive culture,” ClaytonFreeman, research analyst, said in an e-mail.

Work-life balance is another vital ingredient atArrowpoint. Originally called the “inspiration wall” but currentlycalled the “family wall,” a large space is dedicated to family pho-tos and other images chosen by employees. Ms. Jepson said build-ing the wall into the office layout was critical. “Family is importantto us. We like it near high traffic so it’s near our conference rooms,the public ones,” she said.

Arrowpoint, which currently employs 37 people, is 100%employee owned. The firm has more than $7 billion in assetsunder management invested across a range of strategies, butMr. Corkins believes Arrowpoint’s most valuable assets arethe employees. “People ask, ‘What’s your AUM?’ It’s 37 peo-ple,” he said.

To celebrate its people, Arrowpoint’s “fun committee” holdsgatherings in the “fun room” to recognize work-relatedaccomplishments and to observe significant life events,including birthdays, marriages and new additions to families.

To thank their families for ongoing support, the staff travelswith their families from Arrowpoint’s headquarters in Denverto participate together in Camp Pendleton’s annual “mud run”in Southern California. “We’re all driven. We’re all focused.

We’re working hard but we reallyhave fun together. We laugh a lot,”said Ms. Jepson.

To maintain its culture of collegial-ity, the firm has a lengthy recruitingprocess before hiring each newemployee. Mr. Corkins said a singlehire could take longer than a year.“You don’t really get to know some-one in one hour across a desk,” hesaid in describing an evaluationprocess that looks at compatibilitymore stringently than professionalaccomplishments.

In commenting in the employeesurvey for Best Places to Work inMoney Management, one employeesaid: “In addition to skill set, cultural fit seems to play a big role inhiring decisions. I appreciate that.”

— Trilbe Wynne

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THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF MONEY MANAGEMENT

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December 8, 2014

Arrowpoint PartnersBased: Denver ³ Ranks 4th among firms with 49 or fewer employees

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DOWN AND DIRT Y: Arrowpoint employees don’t shy from participation in the WorldFamous Mud Run at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

‘People ask,“What’s yourAUM?” It’s 37people.’DAVID CORKINS