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In 2013, Santiago was named to Inc. magazine’s “30 Under 30” list and was also invited to the White House for recognition of his entrepreneurial contributions through the Champions of Change program.
As the Founder and CEO of Emplify, Santiago Jaramillo leads a team of engagement experts in their mission to unlock human potential by providing more reliable employee engagement insights for better decision making.
From humble origins, Santiago immigrated to Florida with his family after escaping a kidnapping at his church by the militia in Cali, Columbia. Through this experience, he learned the importance of adaptability and grit which have been grounding principles for him throughout his business career.
A serial entrepreneur, Santiago has developed and grown multiple small and midsize companies. Most notably as the founder and CEO of mobile app platform, Bluebridge, Santiago grew the company from his college dorm room to become the premier app platform to churches and tourism destinations across the country. Under Santiago’s leadership, the company grew to over 45 employees in four years and nearly 500 customers across the world.
Santiago has spoken to and trained thousands of CEOs and HR leaders across small, mid-market, and Fortune 500 companies on the importance and business value of employee engagement. In 2013, Santiago was named to Inc. magazine’s “30 Under 30” list and was also invited to the White House for recognition of his entrepreneurial contributions through the Champions of Change program. Most recently, he was named to Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list in 2015 as one of the youngest honorees in the program’s history and received the award for Indiana Latino Businessman of the Year in 2016.
A nationally recognized expert and keynote speaker on employee engagement, Santiago Jaramillo is the co-author of Agile Engagement, an Amazon best-selling book that provides employers with a framework for measuring employee engagement.
Listen in as Santiago shares his inspiration for becoming a tech entrepreneur and details why he values creating a company culture focused on positive employee engagement.