You recently graduated from college, and the time has to come to find a job in the real world. You already know some of the things you are looking for in a potential employer, typical things like good benefits, a casual atmosphere, and room for advancement. If you found a job with a cool boss in an environment that was actually fun and creative, that would be terrific. However, you may not expect to find such a company. In fact, you might feel lucky if you found a job that you do not mind getting out of bed for in the morning. A cubicle near a window and free Starbucks coffee would be nice.

Companies that attempt to offer more than just a place to plan your next career move and a quiet spot to surf the Web do exist in the Denver metro area. Here at Go-Go, we have made it our mission to help you find these companies. Leopard Communications, located in Boulder, is one such company.

Owner Sherry Leopard started Leopard Communications in 1985 as a marketing communications company. The company has evolved into developing e-business strategies and solutions for Web-based clients such as IBM, USWest, and Lucent. "I needed a job, and this is what I know how to do," said Leopard, who has a background in writing and communications, and freelanced for IBM.

"We want to be on the leading edge of marketing and distribution," said Leopard. Leopard's goal is to help clients create Web-based infrastructures through which new products can be offered and sales transactions are easily made. "We want to give our clients lots of ways to reach and keep customers," said Leopard.

But what makes Leopard Communications the kind of place a talented and diverse college graduate would want to work for?

For starters, it's not the typical gray and white sea of cubicles at Leopard Communications. "We have an amazing collection of toys," said Leopard, referring to the variety of toys, games, and decorative paraphernalia in employees' work spaces. Employees can release tension at the air hockey table in the kitchen, or at the basketball hoop in the writers' area.

Employees needing inspiration visit the Think Tank, a darkly lit room with purple and yellow walls and bean bag chairs. Weekly yoga classes are held on-site to help employees relieve tension.

Leopard Communications employees are an active and athletic group, which the company encourages. The company sponsors both a softball team and a bowling league. The company also participates in marathons, as many of its employees are marathon runners and triathletes. Occasionally, employees bring their dogs to work, and then as a group go for a hike. Employees receive an annual health club reimbursement.

Hungry? Employees get freshly made cookies every Friday afternoon. Thirsty? The company holds quarterly FACs. Need a vacation? New employees get three weeks of vacation their first year.

In addition to helping its employees relax and blow off steam, Leopard tries to create a high-energy, collaborative work environment. This begins from an employee's first day. Leopard Communications has a buddy system in which a new employee is paired with a seasoned employee, who explains everything from the company's culture to how to run the fax machine. New employees are also taken to lunch by a group of Leopard employees representing the company's various departments.

Once an employee is oriented, the employee's development and integration into their department's team begins. Managers frequently have team-building events for their departments. Janice Calm, training and development manager, develops training programs on- and off-site. Employees are also promoted from within whenever possible, rather than hiring from outside of the company.

"Leopard Communications is an open-book managed company," said Cathy Gonzales, director of human resources. According to Gonzales, executives are available to talk to employees at anytime to answer questions about the company's finances, direction, and business plan. It is acceptable and even encouraged, for example, for an employee to walk into the chief financial officer's office and ask to see the company's current financial reports.

"We are looking for employees who are independent but comfortable with guidelines, don't want to do the same thing every day, want to learn new things, like things fast-paced, and who are passionate about the Internet," said Leopard.

Visit www.leopard.com for more information.