We started Friends From The City in 2020, during the pandemic. Like a lot of people, we watched government systems struggle under the weight of the moment. Vaccine scheduling sites crashed. Benefits portals couldn't keep up. The people who needed help most often had the hardest time getting it.
Lapedra and Tamara Tolson had both worked inside the federal government. Lapedra as a researcher and designer. Tamara in communications and content. We understood how these systems were built, and why they so often fell short. But working inside had limits. Our scope was narrow, and our ability to influence change was limited.
Starting a company was our chance to do more. We decided to build a team with people who cared about this work the way we did. People who were also interested in making government services better.
Our inspiration was New York. For us, New York City was the perfect example of how a city providing services to millions of diverse people could operate efficiently at scale. It’s a city that runs on complexity. Millions of people, all of them different, each one requiring public services that work for them. That's the scale of the problem. That's also the inspiration.
Lapedra is a veteran with a service-connected disability. She gets some of her care through the VA and uses the website to manage her benefits. The problems aren't theoretical for her. When something doesn't work, she feels it too.
We believe good manners are developed in-house. At Friends, we maintain an internal culture of consideration and mutual respect. We bring kindness to every client interaction.
We encourage people to share what they know and then be a light to others.
We have a learning culture at Friends. We prioritize professional growth, which increases confidence and provides added value for our clients.
The word “no” means closed doors and missed opportunities. At Friends, we seek the potential in every situation. We lead with “yes” as often as we can.
We gain new insights when we approach every interaction with an open mind. Being open to other points of view creates empathy and helps us see the world with fresh eyes.
We operate in the open. Being transparent eliminates confusion and ambiguity, saves time, and strengthens trust.
We welcome everyone at Friends From The City. We’ve cultivated an environment where everyone is encouraged to show up as their authentic selves.