San Ramon, Calif.-based solution provider Kovarus is known industrywide as one of the best places to work in Silicon Valley and is on CRN's Tech Elite 250 list.

So, what's the secret sauce for the $120 million solution provider's success? According to Kovarus principal and co-founder Peter Castaldi, the key is developing the "DNA" of the company: team, talent and passion.

Companies on the Elite 250 list are evaluated based on a detailed employee survey that takes stock of corporate philosophy, collaborative culture, management practices, benefits and compensation.

"We realized early on our biggest asset was our people," Castaldi said. "From a team perspective, we really thrived on the idea of having a supportive and positive work environment where they key was you're collaborating with one another."

Castaldi said Kovarus works to make sure its employees feel empowered by working to give them an understanding of how their job role impacts the company's vision and its customers. Kovarus does frequent internal polls to measure how employees are feeling about the organization.

"That really is key for us, that they feel part of something, not just that they are happy," Castaldi said.

The development of a strong company culture begins with the hiring process, Castaldi said. When interviewing new employees, Kovarus hires using input from both managers and peers to make sure the candidate is the right fit for the company.

He said the company shares the "good, the bad and the ugly" upfront about the culture to make sure Kovarus is the right environment for prospective employees long term.

Once an employee is on board, Kovarus invests heavily in training in both technology and business.

Ultimately, having happier employees trickles down to the customers, Castaldi said. Kovarus' goal is to have what Castaldi calls "customers for life."

"If we're going to be able to have customers for life, we need to have a team, talent and competitive spirit to be the best and desire to win but also that the customers recognize that we're going to do what we need to do to solve their business problems," Castaldi said.

"We have this DNA," he said.