Zaaz

Grabbing a shot from the Jägermeister machine in the Z Bar, showing off their karaoke chops, getting uber-comfy in the Nightlight room--no, people aren't visiting Belltown's newest hot spot. It's Zaaz, a 150-person Web design, analytics and optimization firm that is the winner of our "Coolest office space" category this year. Founded in Seattle in 1998, with newer offices around the world, including New York, London, Beijing and Helsinki, the company works with local and international clients like Microsoft, BECU, Tom's of Maine, Ford and Sony to help them create a polished presence on the Web. Zaaz's headquarters in the Westlake-area Times Square Building, a Flatiron-style building on the National Register of Historic Places, is a space that one employee tells us "exudes creativity and hipness." There aren't any walls or closed offices, not even for the top brass. Even the dogs who come to work with their owners are hip . "At Zaaz," one employee tells us, "my little [Yorkie] Chopper likes to ride a skateboard."

Other top finalists*

• 24 Seven
• Animal Surgical Clinic of Seattle
• Artitudes Design
• Creature
• ExtraHop Networks
• Groundspeak
• One Eighty
• Projectline Services
• Thinkspace

*Listed in alphabetical order