Why SEP Wins By Putting People First

SEP has been part of Indiana’s tech landscape since its founding in 1988, but the software engineering firm’s longevity isn’t the only thing that makes its culture stand out. The Westfield-based, 100% employee-owned company has built an environment where people are supported by peers,  encouraged to do meaningful work together and empowered to deliver solutions clients can trust. That foundation is what earned SEP the 2025 Mira Award for Exceptional Employer of the Year.

The award was a milestone, but the story behind it is what matters: a culture intentionally designed to help people build long careers, sharpen their craft, and feel invested in the work they do.

A Purpose Built Around People, Not Products

SEP was founded on a simple idea: build a company where people genuinely love to work and where software solutions meaningfully improve the world around them. That idea still guides the organization today. As President & CEO Raman Ohri describes it, “The tech is the easy part. Our work is actually all about people — our teams, our clients, and the people who use and benefit from the things we build.”

That mindset shapes how SEP operates. It drives how the company hires, how it trains, how it works with clients, and how it thinks about long-term success. SEP’s purpose is straightforward: build a healthy company so smart people can do great work and live a life they love.

Choosing an In-Person Model and Making It Work

While much of the industry shifted to hybrid or remote-first work, SEP remained committed to full-time, in-person collaboration. The decision wasn’t ideological; it was operational. SEP’s work depends on teams learning quickly from one another, transferring knowledge across disciplines, and solving complex problems side-by-side.

The model works because collaboration is built into every layer of the company — from peer mentorship to interdisciplinary project teams. Bringing people together isn’t an expectation; it’s the way SEP creates high-quality work and real learning momentum.

Hiring People Who Want to Learn

SEP’s hiring philosophy centers on identifying people who are curious, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement. The company uses skill-based assessments to evaluate candidates, not just degree credentials, and has a long history of hiring non-traditional candidates. Whether they’re recruiting top talent that fits their existing culture or helping early-career developers grow their skillset, SEP is committed to accelerating skill-based learning for their team members.

Director of Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Kyle Pinches says the career path is useful, but it’s not the biggest reason people stay. “The career path helps provide individuals with good guidance on ways they can grow over time and how they can work towards it,” he said. “But larger pieces of why people stay tend to be the variety of work we do, ownership in the company, and the ability to trust in their coworkers.”

That variety is a major differentiator. Because SEP builds custom solutions across industries — from medical devices to aerospace to logistics — employees rarely fall into long cycles of repetitive work. Once a project is completed, engineers and designers move to new project teams, giving them exposure to new technologies, new problems, and new ways of thinking.

Onboarding Designed for Long-Term Growth

SEP’s onboarding model covers more ground than most, but it’s thoughtfully distributed over time to make it manageable and effective.

Pinches outlined four core components:

Standard Onboarding – The basics every company needs: clear processes, quality systems, and operations.

SEP Guides – Every new hire is paired 1:1 with an experienced SEP employee for their entire first year. They meet weekly to answer questions, make introductions, help the new employee understand how SEP’s teams work, and provide exposure to a wide variety of projects.

SEP Learns – An 18-month cohort-based program that meets weekly. It covers professional development, high-level SEP practices, habits for continuous learning, and the expectation to share knowledge with others.

Real Client Project Work Immediately – New hires join a client team in their first week, pairing with experienced team members and learning by doing.

This structure blends mentorship, cohort learning, and real-world experience, a combination that contributes to SEP’s strong retention rate, helping SEP achieve an impressive 94.8% retention rate.

An Ownership Mindset That Changes the Culture

SEP’s transformation into a 100% employee-owned ESOP has had a major cultural impact. Few companies in Indiana — less than 0.02% — operate as ESOPs. The structure changes how people think about their work, their teams, and the company’s long-term health.

Employees receive extensive financial transparency and education. They’re shown how the company earns revenue, how client relationships sustain growth, and how their work contributes directly to company success over time. As Director of Marketing Kelly Wilson noted, new hires might not fully grasp the value of ownership right away, but after several years, the impact becomes clear, both financially and culturally.

That sense of ownership shows up in how teams operate. People speak up when something needs improvement. They take responsibility for the quality of their work. They support the success of their peers. The company’s values emphasize humility, curiosity, generosity, and a commitment to doing things right, not just fast.

Client Relationships Built on Honesty and “Kind Truths”

One of SEP’s most consistent cultural traits is its insistence on honesty, especially when advising clients. Teams are encouraged to give “kind truths”: direct, practical guidance rooted in what’s best for the client, even when it means turning down work or recommending an off-the-shelf solution instead of custom software.

This approach has led to long-standing client relationships that span years and sometimes decades. SEP becomes a stabilizing partner, trusted not because it chases revenue but because it prioritizes integrity.

A Culture That Extends Beyond the Office

SEP’s commitment to community is woven into the company’s operations. The SEP Foundation has awarded five STEM scholarships to students from underrepresented backgrounds, hosted TechPoint for Youth Xplore sessions, and supported The Last Mile program — eventually hiring a Last Mile graduate.

Employees regularly volunteer with organizations like Gleaners and Camptown, and SEP’s purpose — leave everything better than you found it — shows up in how teams serve their neighbors just as much as in how they build software.

As Ohri put it, “There’s a generosity that permeates SEP’s culture — helping our customers reach new heights, helping each other grow, and helping people in our community.”

A Culture Worth Recognizing

SEP’s recognition as the 2025 Mira Awards Exceptional Employer of the Year reflects the steady, intentional work the company has done to build a place where people want to stay and grow.

“Being named Exceptional Employer by TechPoint means so much because it reflects the culture we’ve worked hard to build,” said HR Director Dawn Bunting. “We want SEP to be a place where people grow, feel supported, and do meaningful work that makes a difference in our community.”

SEP has shown that a people-first culture isn’t a slogan, it’s a long-term commitment. And it’s one that continues to shape careers, strengthen teams, and contribute to Indiana’s thriving tech ecosystem.

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