In Northern Liberties, there’s a church at 1028 N. 3rd St. that is unlike any other.
It was built in 1850, and sunlight still shines through the stained-glass images of saints on the building’s enormous windows, but the light no longer falls on the images of those lost in prayer.
Instead, it illuminates pews lined up before a simple podium set up for business meetings, and the light provides ambiance for those in a nearby conference room.
Downstairs, the soft tick-tack of fingers slapping computer keyboards fills a building where hymns must have once been sung.
Welcome to the “Search Church,” the home of the quickly growing search-engine optimization company, SEER Interactive.
After about four years of growth in the local community, the company — which employs more than 40 people — moved into the long-abandoned church last September.
“This place was dilapidated when we first looked at it,” said Adam Melson, a 29-year-old associate with SEER Interactive.“Animals and people had been using it as a bathroom.”
The company, which works with other companies throughout the world to improve their clients’ online presence, transformed the building into an office.
The rehabbed church is now complete with murals inspired by iconic Philadelphia images — the steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the city’s skyline, for example — that hang in conference rooms, which themselves are named for the city’s neighborhoods.
“A lot of us have a lot of pride in Philadelphia,” said Melson, who attributes that pride to SEER’s focus on charitable works. He said that Wil Reynolds, founder of SEER (who was traveling and unavailable for an interview last week), was always dedicated to providing any help the company could give to the local community and non-profit organizations throughout the area.
Melson, a New Jersey resident who also rents a home in Fishtown, said that, in the past, SEER has worked with many charities, such as the Ronald McDonald House, and also the School District of Philadelphia. The school district has even urged students to visit the company for an inside look at the field.
Last year, Melson said, SEER employees took community cleanup efforts into their own hands and rented a box truck that was driven around the community to collect discarded tires. The company knew that illegal tire-dumping had long been a problem in the riverwards, he explained.
“We had a lot of fun with that,” said Melson. “We rented a box truck and went out. We were throwing tires around all day.”
SEER did more charitable work on Friday, April 20, when the company held a Monte Carlo Night fund-raiser for the Covenant House, a local non-profit that supports homeless people.
In fact, according to Aileen Callahan, special-events manager for the Covenant House, the event raised more than $14,000. The non-profit provides housing and other services to homeless youth across the city.
“They really do a lot for us,” she said of SEER employees.
Last week’s event attracted more than 100 people and brought in funds that will be used for the general operations of Covenant House’s shelters and street outreach programs.
In the past, Melson said, SEER employees also helped repair playgrounds at Philadelphia schools.
“Everybody here has a charity that they work with,” said Melson, noting that even the company’s job-offer letters to new employees ask them to select a charity they would like to support.
“We really want to make SEER a Philly name,” said Melson.
SEER even sets aside a certain percentage of its monthly income to aid area non-profits.
“It’s not much, but if it helps, that’s what we want,” he said. “We really want to help as broad an amount of charities as we can, and we are excited about it . . . it’s something that’s in the heart of the people here.”
The employees were preparing to take part in the April 26 fund-raiser called Life Without Limits 5K Walk — an event to combat cerebral palsy — at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“Everybody here is very thankful for the jobs we have,” said Melson. “And I think the best part about it is that we are making a difference for dozens of charities.” ••
Reporter Hayden Mitman can be reached at 215–354–3124 or [email protected].
