When Work Works for Women
In 1986, Diane Boly and Pat Welch didn’t just start a business — they built the workplace they wish had existed for them. A place where women, especially single mothers, could thrive without compromising their careers or their families. A place where collaboration, flexibility, and belonging weren’t perks, but the foundation.
It all started because Pat had stepped away from her career as a recruiter to spend time with her young children. When she returned to work two years later, she found that someone else had taken over her desk, her clients, and her relationships. That someone was Diane.
Everyone expected a bloodbath of competition, but instead, they formed a partnership that reshaped the industry.
They decided to pool their efforts and split everything 50-50. In doing so, they more than tripled their billings. This collaboration made them the top billers at their agency. Despite this success, when they asked for a 401(k) plan, they were met with resistance — the $1300 start-up cost was deemed too expensive. So, they got creative, structuring themselves as independent contractors under the umbrella of the agency to gain the autonomy they needed to secure their futures.
Three years later, this agency was sold and the new owner wanted to tear up their contracts and pull them back under his control as employees. Diane and Pat didn’t hesitate. They walked out the door — and their candidates, clients, and even the company’s receptionist and secretary went with them. They set up shop in the Jackson Tower overlooking Pioneer Square and Boly:Welch was born.
From day one, they built the kind of workplace they’d once needed themselves. They offered benefits — including that 401(k) plan — and created a culture that prioritized people over profits.
They encouraged collaboration over competition, and fun and flexibility became part of Boly:Welch’s core values. They wanted to bring their full selves to work, and they wanted the same for their employees. (They also wanted them to bring their dogs and their kids, and they did!)
Today, Boly:Welch has grown to nearly 40 employees and continues to be a women-owned and –led business. While the world of work has evolved, our commitment remains the same: to cultivate work environments where everyone can thrive, especially those for whom the workplace was not originally designed.
We believe that when people feel like they truly belong, they do their best work — and that benefits everyone.
