Private 150 slideshow: The face of corporate identity


If you were asked to provide a photo that represents your company what would you hand over?

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This is the choice companies in this year’s Private 150 list were faced with when we asked them to provide an image for a slideshow of list participants we are publishing on our website.

What surprised me is how differently companies interpreted the image that best represents their business. While many provided predictable photos of office buildings and logos, others sent photos displaying a sense of humor that was immediately endearing and ingenious marketing.

Ron Tonkin 11 fun

Our Private 150 list is a roster of private companies headquartered in Oregon, ranked by annual revenue. The list, which we publish each year, consists of businesses representing all kinds of sectors, including construction, professional services, manufacturing, and IT.

About half the businesses in the list provided a photo before our deadline. My personal favorite is a photo sent by Vernier Software & Technology ranked 98. Vernier makes software that helps educators teach science. It is a tricky product to illustrate in an interesting way. The company chose to send a photo of an employee coming down a slide in a Spiderman suit. It might not have anything to do with software development, but it does show a company that perhaps doesn’t take itself too seriously and is creative in its thinking.

I also like Ron Tonkin’s photo of employees dressed in Halloween costumes. The car dealership, ranked 11, could have sent a dull picture of its showroom. Instead it provided a fun photo of its employees. It was unexpected and a welcome change from uninspiring corporate imagery.