Yakabod Defined

Translated from the original Hebrew, Yakabod means "God’s glory”. Founders Scott Ryser and Scott Williamson chose the name to reflect their own Christian faith, and Ryser jokingly calls it "our anti-Enron device. It's a reminder that we're not building the company for our own egos."

This said, everybody in the firm chooses his or her own spiritual path, if any.  ("Hey, if somebody believes they were sent here by Martians, that's fine, as long as they apply Yakabod's  core values in their work," says Ryser.)

Why mention faith at all? Many successful executives keep their personal beliefs—politics, religion, the merits of OS X versus Windows—to themselves. For Yakabod's founders, a public profession of faith is simply part of their personal commitment to living lives that matter. If it works on Sunday—and they firmly believe it does—then it sure ought to work on Monday.

"If living our values lets even a few people see that it's possible to build a company based on what's right, rather than what's expedient, we'll have lived up to the name," says Williamson.

Executive Team