These guys don’t suck

The Vacuum, a design company in Nelson, works with many high-profile companies

Kris McLaughlin is one of several talented developers at The Vacuum, a digital agency based in Nelson. — Photo courtesy Kris McLaughlin

What do McDonald’s, AutoTrader Canada and Warner Bros. have in common? They've all been clients of The Vacuum, a group of dedicated digital wizards primarily based in Nelson, B.C.

Kris McLaughlin is the latest employee at The Vacuum to be lauded for his talents. He won Developer of the Year at the 2010 Canadian New Media Awards and has been with The Vacuum since the very beginning.

"I started working with Nate (Smith), the owner and founder of the company," said McLaughlin. "We knew each other as kids and then met up again at the University of Lethbridge. We took the same fine arts and multimedia program, and when he started the company in the fall of 2003, I was his first employee, in early 2004."

Smith's love of hiking, biking and skiing had him setting up The Vacuum's headquarters in Nelson—but not before he did some work in California. This gave him the chance to make connections with many people, gain real-world experience and be recognized for his skills—something he could draw on when he started The Vacuum.

McLaughlin said that the company's work with Warner Bros. for the movie Watchmen has been some of his most exhilarating to date.

"It was different than anything we’d ever done—interfacing with a website and phone system in real time," he said. "You could put in your phone number and the website would actually phone you. It had voice recognition, so you could talk in real time on the phone and it would respond on your computer screen."

The Vacuum is a small shop, consisting of between three and five employees and drawing from a pool of freelancers when necessary. McLaughlin said one of the company's pillars is its relationship with its clients—speaking honestly, creating camaraderie and radiating enthusiasm for their work.

"We take ourselves pretty lightly—we laugh a lot," he said. "But we take the work seriously and we’re all dedicated to doing a good job."