Allyis co-founders Richard Law, Ethan Yarbrough, and Ken Efta met in 1993,
while they were graduate students teaching English 101 classes at Western
Washington University.
The trio didn't set out to form a business when they finished their graduate
studies. Instead, each wound up getting hired in 1995 as contract workers for
Microsoft.
When their Microsoft contracts ended in 1996, Law, Yarbrough, and Efta decided
to start a business of their own that could take on project assignments from
client companies.
They launched the business (then called Essential Web Design &
Consulting), with only $100 in startup funds, which they raised by each
chipping in to buy a fax machine and coffee.
Law, Yarbrough, and Efta worked out of their own homes for the first two years of the business before moving operations into a small office space in Kirkland. In November 2004, they moved the Allyis headquarters to downtown Bellevue, where it took over the fourth and sixth floors of the Summit Ridge Building. Due to the company’s steady growth, in November 2007, Allyis moved its headquarters to a much larger space in Kirkland’s Plaza at Yarrow Bay, located at 10210 NE Points Drive.
At the beginning of 2004, they decided to change the company name to Allyis (ah-LY-us). Allyis is a made-up word that was suggested by Rochelle Hill, the company's executive vice president, and chosen by a vote of the entire staff.
Law likes the fact that the name includes the word "Ally," which suggests the company's mission, which is to be an employer that meets the needs of its employees as people with individual interests and goals.
Beyond recognizing these responsibilities to employees, Allyis acknowledges
its obligation to serve clients as the best in the industry—always ready to
offer solutions to any business challenge.
Allyis' management team now includes Suzette McClintock, who was the company's first client when she was a manager at Microsoft. McClintock, the company’s chief business officer, oversees strategic development of the company, including client relations and business development. Rochelle Hill, executive vice president, has operational oversight of the marketing, human resources, and employee care departments, and Mark Wasowicz is the company’s chief financial officer. As co-founder, Ken Efta now acts as a principal consultant to Allyis and clients.
Allyis is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a Certified Technical Contractor for the State of Washington, and a member of the WSA. The company’s record of achievement includes work with Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Cingular, Expedia, InfoSpace, Electronic Arts, and Washington State.