20 things you didn’t know about Masergy

2020 marks Masergy’s 20th anniversary, so we’re celebrating by highlighting fun factoids from the past two decades. Masergy’s history is rich in pioneering moments, pivotal transformations, and funny tales that date back to the company’s startup days. How did we evolve and mature? Here are the 20 things you (probably) never knew about Masergy.

1. Masergy was started by Barry Nalls. Launching a technology company in the early 2000s (at the end of the dot-com boom) was one of the toughest time periods to embark on such an adventure, but Nalls had a knack for foreseeing trends in networking. He pioneered some concepts and technologies that are now widely pervasive in modern networks today.
2. At the Masergy HQ, meeting rooms are named after locations and regions (Trinity River, Red River, APAC, Americas, etc). Their naming convention dates back to Masergy’s founder, Barry Nalls, who was an avid outdoorsman, hiker, and rock climber.
3. During the scrappy startup days, Masergy provided no network performance monitoring during the weekends. The network operations center (NOC) was only staffed Monday through Friday. When coverage was expanded, NOC employees were required to take the customer service cell phone home with them. Calls were forwarded and when the phone rang, answering it was required. Rest was a real problem, as the phone typically rang both day and night.
4. When the company was still in its infancy, employees shared their offices with multiple people. Some accounts state as many as 10 people in one office. While privacy was slim to none, the environment was the breeding ground for Masergy’s undaunted commitment to customer-first service. In that office, everyone knew when a client was miffed and everyone was immediately responsive.
5. During the early years at Masergy, all employees were required to go on camping trips as a means for team building. Trust-building exercises and rock climbing at frightening heights were key activities. Employees were taught to tie knots and belay their teammates, breaking their fall when necessary. It was one of those things that employees either passionately loved or furiously hated. Tears were shed. Total meltdowns happened. But deep bonding moments and lasting memories fostered the tightest teamwork.
6. Early on, Masergy was backed by venture capital investors who recognized the value of innovative technology and the intellectual property that Masergy represented. Once they saw that Masergy could demonstrate high-performance network service across long distances and do so with a level of consistency that enabled service level agreements, they were ready to invest. That was the launch of the company.
7. By 2008, in order to reach its next phase of growth, the company needed investments in leadership, service reliability, and sales. It was then that Chris MacFarland (now Masergy’s Chairman and CTO) was invited into the company. His influence was pivotal in Masergy’s evolution.
8. Masergy was actually acquired twice by investment firms–ABRY partners in 2011 and Berkshire Partners in 2016.
9. Committed to customer-first service, Masergy once arranged for a server to be packed on the back of a yak and hiked across rural fields of Vietnam in order to deliver a circuit for a client. True story? While this one has been difficult to fact check, tenured employees have provided confirmation (albeit without any additional details). Even if it’s more fairy tale than fact, it’s a great way to illustrate our customer-focused culture.
10. Friday is officially donut day at the Masergy headquarters. Employees are treated to a buffet of donuts and kolaches–and they go fast!
11. Birthdays are a big deal at Masergy. Monthly celebrations include singing as well as both cupcakes and sheet cake.
12. Trevor Parks, Director of Security Solutions, is Masergy’s very own “security ninja.” He’s competed on the TV show American Ninja Warrior multiple times and in the office he’s known for unfathomable self-discipline.
13. A handful of employees have been at Masergy for the entire 20 years: Mark McCann, Rinen Marinas, Brad Anouar, Youssef Rafatjah, Grace Brillante, Asa Baldwin, and Will Cox. Congrats to the long-timers!
14. Ping pong and foosball are deeply ingrained in the corporate culture. Masergy’s two game tables have been a staple breaktime activity for employees for years.
15. The recent construction at the Masergy HQ has garnered attention from the Dallas press.The current Dallas office has been the primary office since 2000 and is currently undergoing a considerable expansion that will include additional space for new offices and an Executive Briefing Center. Masergy also has offices in London, San Francisco, New York City, and Manila.
16. Masergy now serves clients across 102+ countries and the list just keeps growing. The latest growth is in the Philippines, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States.
17. Masergy’s Net Promoter Score consistently ranks 70+, which is actually on par with companies known for customer obsession–like Apple, Google, Amazon and other market leaders.
18. Masergy’s first client agreement was formed in late 2001. It was such a proud moment that the sales representative brought the signed contract to the company holiday party to share the evidence of Masergy’s first real, true customer.
19. The Masergy family is growing and investments our people continue. Masergy now has 700+ employees, and 15% of promotions come from within. New leadership training programs are also being rolled out in 2020.
20. CEO James Parker is an avid soccer fan. His team is Tottenham Hotspur (a.k.a. The Lillywhites). Established in 1882, the club’s emblem is a cockerel standing on a football, with a Latin motto “Audere est Facere” (To Dare Is to Do). And if that isn’t daring enough…. If Parker could have any job he wanted, he would be a Formula One race car driver. Go speed racer!

Ready for more? Here are Masergy’s biggest innovations.