Our Founding

Allyis co-founders Richard Law, Ethan Yarbrough, and Ken Efta met in 1993, while graduate students teaching English 101 at Western Washington University. Upon completion of their graduate studies, each was hired as a contract worker for Microsoft in 1995. When their contracts ended in 1996, Law, Yarbrough, and Efta decided to start their own company, taking on client projects. They launched what was then called Essential Web Design & Consulting, with just $100 which they used to buy a fax machine and coffee.

The three founders set out to build a different kind of company—a company that recognized the value of its people, their families, and their lives outside of work. From the beginning, they have worked hard to create a fun, passionate, supportive environment, where employees enjoy outstanding benefits and professional development opportunities. Today, employees have a chance to be direct owners of the company while working on and leading projects for some of the biggest and best names in the technology industry.

In 2004, the company changed its name to Allyis (ah-LY-us), a name submitted and voted on by employees. Containing the word "Ally", the Allyis brand reflects the company's mission to meet the needs of its clients and employees as people with individual interests and goals.