Our Story
We're not just about tech. We're also about people.
That’s what InterWorks is built on.
Why I started InterWorks,
and why we’re based in Oklahoma.
– Behfar Jahanshahi, CEO
I’ve always loved learning and tinkering with tech. Helping others with their technical challenges never felt like work – but rather a pleasure and honor. I would daydream about the complex problems a business might have with their technology and incorporated InterWorks while attending OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma and turned my focus towards solving technical problems for business. InterWorks was born.
This was not intended as my ‘real job’ in the early years but it became obvious to me I was having a great time doing what I love. I recruited friends to help and an incredible adventure began. That dynamic is still the foundation of our culture today. Now we’re a global consultancy and small giant. The focus on craftsmanship, camaraderie and having fun is as important as ever.
First came IT, then came BI,
with much more in between.
In 1996, we did anything clients needed when it came to IT — from running cable to bringing internet to small-town schools. The work wasn’t glamourous, but it was fun, done with friends and made clients happy. With each new call, we learned something new and grew.
Fast forward to 2011: We’re doing IT, plus web and software dev, for clients across the U.S. One day, a client insisted we explore a business intelligence tool called Tableau Software. We grew to love it, and thus began our passion for data and analytics.
Go big or go home,
but stay humble.
Our unique blend of IT, BI and dev expertise was the magical combination that brought us to the international stage. We were working for Twitter, Google and Nike. We were opening offices in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta. Europe, Australia and Singapore followed.
Suddenly, this small company from Stillwater was 275 employees strong around the globe. But a few things remained the same: delight the client, be kind and don’t stop learning. We weren’t about going big; we were about staying good at what we do. We still are.
All for one and one for all,
which is still true 25 years later.
We’ve achieved much at InterWorks over the last 25 years, but we’re just getting started. Tech is always changing, and we’re ready for each new challenge. The true magic happens when we come together to create solutions that delight our clients and exceed their goals.
We’re proud of InterWorks. Our unique culture highlights the passion and skill of each person here. It’s a place where people feel like they belong and that their teammates have their back. We want our clients to feel the same – believing in the power of both tech and people.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Don’t forget to have fun.
How we operate: Best Work, Best Clients, Best People.
Our Mantra
We realized at some point that if we didn’t put guardrails on our business, we might keep growing into infinity and potentially wind up in a place we never intended to be.
The question loomed on, and it honestly took a few years of conversation and reflection to finally emerge with a guiding mantra that felt fitting: “Do the best work for the best clients with the best people.”
Best Work
Best Work can qualify as a lot of different things. Maybe it’s the ability to truly understand a client’s needs, collaborate really well or just execute at a high level. Best Work can be all those things and so much more.
Best Work is all about doing your best work at all times, even if nobody ever sees it. Whether it’s a network rack, a database schema, data entry, a dashboard or whatever, this philosophy should be applied to everything we do.
Best People
Best People to us doesn’t always mean people with a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience. Those things are useful and contribute to Best People, but there are brilliant people out there who don’t have it together in ways that matter to us.
An essential quality of Best People is the drive to go beyond what is asked. Sometimes, this is doing work with such care that it blows people away. Just as often, it’s doing tasks nobody asked them to do. We look for people who genuinely take care of others.
Best Clients
Who or what qualifies as Best Clients in the first place? We could talk about our clients who are household names, and it’s true that many qualify as Best Clients, but it’s really not about the name or the logo that makes them so great.
It all boils down to the relationship we have with our clients that makes them a Best Client. Do they trust us as a partner? Do we get to do cool work together? It is a two-way relationship that leaves us both happy.
