AlertMedia

Keep people safe. Anywhere. Anytime.

That’s the mission behind AlertMedia, a global organization helping companies protect their employees, whether they’re in the office, working remotely, or traveling around the world.

In this episode, Jena talks with Jenna Eichberg, Chief People Officer at AlertMedia, about scaling a mission-driven company, building culture across geographies, and why simplicity, humanity, and trust are at the core of everything they do.

What you’ll learn:

• The origin story of AlertMedia, founded during the Texas fires
• How their 24/7 global intelligence team monitors risks and protects employees worldwide
• Why Tuesday lunches became a powerful cultural tradition
• The challenges of scaling culture across Austin, Mexico City, Windsor, and Ireland
• Why personal, thoughtful applications stand out when applying for jobs

AlertMedia highlights:

Founded: 2012
Team Size: 420 employees (and growing globally)
HQ: Austin, Texas (with offices in Mexico City, Windsor UK, and Ireland)
Work Model: Hybrid/remote global workforce
Culture: Simplicity, collaboration, humanity, integrity, customer-first, hard work

To learn more about AlertMedia:

 AlertMedia Careers (They are hiring!)

AlertMedia on LinkedIn

Jenna Eichberg on LinkedIn

Transcript

Jena Dunay: Hello friends and welcome back to another episode of Culture Uncovered. I am super excited to be here today with the Chief People Officer of AlertMedia. Jenna Eichberg is here to chat a little bit about the organization, what they do, and a little bit about what their culture is like. I’m really excited for you to hear about this organization based in Austin, Texas. So Jenna, welcome to the show, another Jenna!

Jenna Eichberg: Thank you so much, Jena. I am really excited to be here and tell you a little bit about me, but also about AlertMedia. I share this with many people, but this organization isn’t just an organization to me. I’m a true believer in our mission and what we do every day. For those who don’t know what AlertMedia does, we are a 120-person organization headquartered here in Austin, Texas, with a global presence. Our mission is to help companies keep their people safe.

So whether your employees are traveling, working remotely, or sitting in your offices, our company is helping you understand all the risks and threats that may be presented to them wherever they are in the world. We provide that information at their fingertips and enable two-way communication with employees to help keep them safe and navigate crisis situations.

Over the last couple of months, and especially here in central Texas, natural disasters have been impacting people in ways we’ve never seen before. There is a real need to make sure that people, no matter where they are, understand those threats, have the information, and can take action proactively to get themselves to safety. Being based in Texas these last couple of weeks has been challenging as we’ve seen a lot of loss. For me, it was so important to hear those stories and understand not just the impact, but also how our organization, through alerts and timely information, was able to help people evacuate or confirm their safety. Hopefully, we saved lives, which is what we strive to do every single day here at AlertMedia.

Jena Dunay: It’s such a fascinating concept and obviously very relevant in today’s world. How did the company start, and when did it start?

Jenna Eichberg: Our founder, Brian Cruver, started the company. What’s really cool is that we have a leadership development program here at AlertMedia called Leading at Alert, which is designed to invest in and grow our managers at every stage of their careers. One of the key components of that program is inviting Brian to speak to our managers about leadership.

He always starts by telling the story of why AlertMedia came to be. At the time he founded the company, the Texas fires had just happened along with other crises about 12 years ago. The focus was on how to make sure that in moments of crisis, people have information proactively to keep themselves safe and take action. If you don’t have that information and you’re being impacted without understanding the risks, the implications can be severe, significant, and tragic.

What I love about Brian is that he didn’t just think about the purpose of the product but also how to create the most seamless user experience. Someone can simply sign in and use it from day one to take action. As a Chief People Officer who now uses the product to keep my own workforce safe, I appreciate that he led with simplicity as our strength, one of our core values. He created an easy-to-use product that helps you take action quickly in the moments that matter most, when you have the least time to do so.

Jena Dunay: You say that very eloquently, and I think it’s really helpful for people to hear not only what you do but also the founding story. Founding stories tell a lot about an organization’s values and leadership. So clearly the mission and ethos were there from the very beginning.

You mentioned you have about 420 employees, correct? And you’re based out of Austin, Texas. Now the million-dollar question: are people in-office, hybrid, or remote? What’s the work situation at AlertMedia?

Jenna Eichberg: That’s a great question. We are a hybrid organization. Our headquarters is here in Austin, where on a typical Tuesday lunch, we have about 130 to 150 employees in the office together. But we’re also global. We have an office in Mexico City with about 45 employees, who work in a mix of hybrid and remote arrangements depending on where they live.

Mexico City is such a large area that commutes can take two to three hours, so flexibility is important. We also have a beautiful office in Reforma, along with remote employees across the city.

Jena Dunay: Wow.

Jenna Eichberg: We also have a UK office in Windsor with about eight to ten employees at any given time, also hybrid. Additionally, we have a large remote workforce distributed across the United States and Ireland.

Jena Dunay: Tell me about Ireland. Why Ireland? I love Ireland.

Jenna Eichberg: That’s a great question. We need to have a global intelligence team monitoring risks and threats worldwide. Our 24/7 global intelligence team includes veterans and people with military and intelligence backgrounds. They monitor different sources and create human-vetted intelligence to alert our customers.

To cover the globe, we need employees in different time zones. Having a team in Ireland has been incredibly valuable, not only because of the time zone but also because the team is very talented and engaged. They’ve brought great insights as we’ve grown in the EMEA region.

Jena Dunay: Awesome. So I have to ask, how did you come across the organization to begin with?

Jenna Eichberg: Funny story. I interviewed with a CEO of another company before I even knew about AlertMedia. I really liked him and the organization, but I ended up being the runner-up for the job. He called me afterward and said he thought I was an incredible talent and wanted to stay in touch.

Later, when AlertMedia had an opening, he actually referred me to my now-CEO. That started my interview process here. What was really special is that my sister is also a CHRO. When I called her about interviewing with AlertMedia, she said, “I bought AlertMedia for my own company.” She shared how it was one of the best products she had ever bought, and why it was such an easy yes for her. That was really validating for me.

For me, it’s important to believe deeply in a company’s product. Between my sister’s experience and my own interactions with the executive team, it just checked so many boxes. Most importantly, my interview with our CEO, CK, sealed it. The CEO–CPO partnership is a critical relationship, and I felt alignment on strategy, culture, and the role. It was exactly what I was looking for in my next opportunity.

Jena Dunay: I love that story. It says a lot about you and about the CEO who referred you. And hearing your sister actually used the product must have made it very real for you. Being part of a mission-driven organization where you believe in the values and culture is powerful.

Jenna Eichberg: Exactly. You spend way too much time at work to not love the people and feel like you’re making an impact. At AlertMedia, I wake up every morning knowing I’m working for a company that makes a difference. That excites me every day. It also helps that I’m surrounded by incredibly brilliant people who not only make me a better professional but also a better human.

Jena Dunay: So we’ve talked about the obvious unique benefit of being part of AlertMedia: the mission and being surrounded by awesome people. What are some of the other unique benefits that are specific to AlertMedia?

Jenna Eichberg: One of the things I love is that every single Tuesday, our entire organization, no matter where you are in the world, comes together for lunch. This tradition started from the very beginning with our founder. On Tuesdays, whether it’s a social lunch to connect or our quarterly town halls, we use that time for critical conversations about strategy, vision, and priorities.

Employees walk away not only more informed but also more connected, having fun together. That balance of working hard and having fun together is important to our culture.

Jena Dunay: I love that. You also mentioned earlier about manager training at every stage of a career. Can you talk about that? Because that’s rare.

Jenna Eichberg: Absolutely. When I came in, one of our priorities was making sure managers got the right development at the right time. Over the last two years, we’ve built a comprehensive program journey for managers at each stage. We call it the Kickstart program for new managers, and Leading at Alert for more experienced managers.

It’s grounded in our values and tailored to what makes a manager successful at AlertMedia. From coaching, feedback, and one-on-ones, to living out our values in leadership, the program makes training practical and applicable.

Jena Dunay: That’s powerful. And speaking of values, can you share AlertMedia’s values?

Jenna Eichberg: Sure! Our values are:

• Simplicity is our strength.
• We work better together.
• We’re humans, not robots.
• Our reputation is priceless.
• Customers always come first.
• Hard work pays off.

Jena Dunay: I love “Simplicity is our strength.” So many organizations make things complicated, but that one stands out.

Jenna Eichberg: Yes, and we really live it. Whether it’s implementing new systems, leveraging AI, or rethinking processes, simplicity drives us.

Jena Dunay: I also love the collaboration piece. It’s a buzzword, but it sounds like you hire for it intentionally.

Jenna Eichberg: Exactly. And “We’re humans, not robots” reflects how we show care and build authentic connections. Whether it’s moms supporting each other as they return to work or colleagues helping each other through challenges, that human touch matters.

Jena Dunay: That’s why people stay.

Jenna Eichberg: Yes. And with “Our reputation is priceless,” we emphasize integrity and leading with kindness. Customers often tell me they want to work for our company after seeing how our employees interact at conferences. That’s a huge compliment.

Customers also always come first. The urgency of our work means it could be life or death, so our employees show up every day putting customers first. And finally, hard work pays off. When people give their all, their work should be rewarding and fulfilling.

Jena Dunay: I resonate with that one. So, no company is perfect. What are some areas AlertMedia is working on improving?

Jenna Eichberg: Over the last year, we’ve grown globally so quickly. The challenge is maintaining a strong employee experience for everyone, no matter where they sit. We want people to feel connected even if they’re not at headquarters. That means listening, understanding regional differences, and evolving to serve diverse needs.

I recently visited our Mexico City office to meet employees one-on-one and in groups. It’s about building trust, making sure they feel seen, and adapting to their specific needs. One size doesn’t fit all.

Jena Dunay: That’s so important, especially with rapid growth. Culture often breaks if it’s not handled intentionally.

Jenna Eichberg: Exactly. But what amazes me is that when I sat in our Mexico City office, it felt like Austin. That consistency comes from our high-touch, deeply connected culture. We create opportunities for people to interact personally, socially, and professionally. Everyone feels invested in each other’s success, and that threads through the entire company.

Jena Dunay: That’s powerful. So if someone’s listening and thinking, “AlertMedia looks really cool,” tell us, are you hiring?

Jenna Eichberg: Yes, we are! We currently have open roles across sales, customer success, customer support, and engineering. We’re hiring in the United States, Mexico, Ireland, and the UK. People can visit our careers page on alertmedia.com to learn more about the company and see all opportunities.

Hiring is where culture starts. Your first hire in a region is critical. We’ve been lucky to find incredible people, like our regional HR manager in Mexico City, who truly embodied our values and helped us build culture there.

Jena Dunay: That’s amazing! Final question: what advice would you give job seekers who want to apply to AlertMedia?

Jenna Eichberg: Definitely apply. And don’t be afraid to reach out with a thoughtful personal note about why AlertMedia. I always look at those. What I don’t find helpful are canned, AI-drafted communications. A personal touch sets you apart. I can’t promise anyone a job, but I do respond to genuine messages and often have conversations with candidates who reach out.

Jena Dunay: Amazing. Thank you, Jenna, so much for sharing about AlertMedia. Folks, if you’re listening, check out their careers page, their LinkedIn, and connect with Jenna on LinkedIn as well. We’ll see you next week on another episode of Culture Uncovered.