As always in business, at the beginning of a new year, we are looking at the one that has just ended, what we did well, best or…we could have done better, take the lessons, and get ready to do even greater this year. As it is specific to our company culture, we are a team that sees, listens, takes good examples, so that we can create in an innovative way and give something back ourselves. So, what inspired us most this year?
Mature business at its best
This being the year of the great going-back to before-pandemic good old habits, our business development team resumed their partaking in business events eager to meet partners or new clients face-to-face again. MWC Barcelona in February and MWC Las Vegas in September were the perfect scenes to showcase how businesses can successfully undergo digital transformation using portal solutions, the more so during challenging times. We’ve gathered first-hand insight from our participating team here.
Yes, we are always present at international events that bring valuable know-how to us and our clients. But we are also active players in the local and national business environment. For this, Ropardo received recognition as strategic technological partner for business development in Transylvania. Our award still stands tall in one of our meeting rooms.
What we also know is that there is no business without partnerships. Our major pride and joy this year is co-founding Sibiu IT Association, launched on December 8, 2022, after many months of work and preparation. For Ropardo, the association is an extension of our endeavors to level up the local business ecosystem by joining forces with other organizations and individuals, acting in a collaborative spirit to promote the growth of the IT industry and contribute to the professional development of local companies.
So yes, in terms of business we conquered new markets across the ocean and strengthened our position as powerful player in the Romanian software development landscape. It looks pretty mature to us.
Behind a mature business, there are OUR PEOPLE
Ropardo offices are a place where anyone can voice their idea and feel that they matter, a place that is run by an open-door policy. Here, everyone is encouraged to speak up, so that together we can reSET the world, and be part of the solution, not the problem.
We do this with the conviction that it is the right way to make people matter. In the same note, our culture as an employer, responsible for the wellbeing of our team, include many other healthy habits that we won’t let go, such as encouragement and support towards continuous learning. This year, we delivered and invested in trainings like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Mobile App Testing and Mind Maps, IT Systems Audit, Agile Scrum fundamentals, Azure, Python, Kubernetes, to name what comes first to mind.
Also, we have always strived for a balanced environment, betting in the recent years on the hybrid work model where people mix office days with work-from-home. This model is pandemic-proof, so we encourage it further.
Considering all this, it is no coincidence that our team has added 10% more colleagues this year. We are glad to have them all and do great things together.
Inspiring events with and for the young generation
They say that part of being mature is the ability to embrace the potential of the young. I think we do this and a whole lot. Read further and let’s see if you agree.
As member of the Smart Factory Romania association, Ropardo, organized this amazing educational contest for students, challenging them to create an autonomous weather station. It happened on April 15 and was addressed to students that are passionate about electronics, robotics, automation, marketing. We were confirmed once again that the young are natural scientists and engineers. They love to question, experiment, and play. As usual, we don’t leave your curiosity unattended, so here is extra information.
While a huge success for us, this wasn’t the only occasion to get inspiration from our younger peers. We also attended:
- the Orientation Day for 1st year students
- the Student Job Fair and the Hardware and Software Engineering contest
- the Sixth International Conference on Applied Informatics – Imagination, Creativity, Design, Development
- the Eighth National Conference on Informatics – Programming, Communication, Imagination, Design
…all of them organized by our partner, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu. Another day in the students’ life was about Factors of Success, a presentation given by one of our senior team leaders on the keynote of Project Management.
By far one of the amplest initiatives of the year was the four-month campaign #CrushIT – Start Smart in Your IT Career, dedicated to final-year students. During our many encounters across time, we became aware of the pains and challenges they meet when trying to get their first job and being asked for experience when they are actually just starting. So, we have created multiple opportunities for students to already have a rich portfolio when applying for their first job. They are all detailed in the articles on the blog under the CrushIT section. Also, we invited them for an open talk at our Student Edition Meetup where the audience was numerous and curious and the speakers empathic and generous with answers about work life. If you wish to watch (again), the meetup hosted by Sibiu Web Meetup, it is still online on YouTube. Due to increased interest in the topic, we are leaving the doors wide open for students who want a free hour of consultancy regarding their career opportunities during faculty or immediately after graduation. Anyone interested just has to fill in this form and our friendly specialists in the HR department will get back asap.
Last but not least, there is Infoliceanul, our annual IT contest addressed to high schoolers. About a competition as old as Infoliceanul at its 29th edition, anyone could have said that it can no longer bring anything new. But as soon as it started, throughout the entire duration of the organization and up until the tests and awards, this year’s edition brought a huge positive vibe that we admit having missed after the pandemic years. More about the energy of this year’s edition, in this info-blog article.
Invited by Astra County Library, we had the opportunity to talk to teenagers from Sibiu about the Faces of IT and the future of the Millennials within the program Astra Adolescent and exchange curiosities related to the vast domain that is the IT.
Fun as part of the workplace
Fun is not just fun, it’s well-being; well-being is in turn enjoying your work life. It’s how we see it. That is why we put jokes in mornings, witty lines on t-shirts, coffee in breaks, and now and then some invigorating team battles (Ropardo Bowling Cup), loud team buildings (summer outing), and a merry X-mas party.
We are part of the community; community is part of us
When we say community, support for education is the first thing that comes to mind….to our mind at least. And this is because we believe in education as making a difference in the world, now and on the long run.
Our most substantial education program is Infoliceanul. Yes, I know I mentioned it before, but wouldn’t you? This contest happens every year thanks to the time, know-how and money our team puts in to create an accredited space where highschoolers can showcase their talent in IT, explore their capabilities and get prizes for it. This year, 90 participants competed in four sections Programming, Robotics, Software Creativity, PowerPoint Presentations, and AutoCAD.
In the same note of continuous learning that characterizes our company culture, Sibiu Web Meetup is a monthly free gathering, for anyone sharing an interest in web development, web design, and all other web-related topics. You don’t have to be an expert to participate. Senior web developers, Junior web developers, or students are all welcomed. Even more, we encourage you to make the switch from participant to speaker if you feel like sharing something from your experience with the community. You can see it before you try it. We keep summaries of all the meetups of the year, as well as referrals to the YouTube videos.
Another contribution to the Astra County Library consisted this year of multiple additions to the website our creative team of web developers built for them tag by tag in 2021. The purpose is to enhance the modern digital interface and facilitate users’ access at the library resources, thus encouraging reading, research and documentation.
As for social support, we were there for various causes and associations that offered us the opportunity to give a hand in their initiatives: Sibiu Marathon, Asociatia de Poveste, Bad Petunia, Veteranii Riders Club.
Always with a hand up for innovation both in technology and business
Being an active player in the IT community, strengthens our responsibility and commitment to innovation, delivering outstanding software worldwide, and participating in educational processes, scientific research, and other innovation-enhancing initiatives.
Our presence at Sibiu Innovation Days has become recurrent. During the two days dedicated to digital transformation this year, Ropardo was part of the panels with two major topics (1) A Trip from a EU Horizon Project to a StartUp, and (2) Work-Life Balance Applied to the New Hybrid Workplace Reality, and also juried the programming contest with great honor!
The great add-on this year in terms of innovation and partnerships was Ropardo entering in the FIT EDIH project, where our role is to ensure technological support for SMEs to make digital transformation a reality in their business.
Do you wonder what our plans for 2023 are?
We hope you do; we sure are eager to tell you. So here is what is already in the agenda:
- Continue the digital transformation of the business landscape
- Monthly web-related meetups with Sibiu Web Meetup
- The Smart Factory Romania contest
- Continuous Learning for our people, with trainings and personal development requested by themselves or proposed by the company
- Infoliceanul – #30 Anniversary Edition – Now that it’s a mature contest, why not let it have its own social face. You can already join the community whether you are a student, teacher or wish-to-be volunteer.
- Now and then, we’ll let the new year surprise us. We’ll take every opportunity and make it worth IT.
We invite you to follow our social media pages to stay tuned and miss nothing in the year to come.
🔗 Facebook | 🔗 LinkedIn | 🔗 Instagram
Meanwhile, we leave you with this short recap video of our year. Enjoy!