Case Studies

Accordent Technologies Strategic Thinking Session

Accordent CEO Mike Newman had the dream executive team and a successful business plan, but the addition of a new strategic VP to the mix uncovered a critical need. Throughout the company’s stellar history, Mike and his co-founders relied on their personal vision and instincts to guide them. Now it was time for the broader executive team to carry more responsibility for strategic planning and execution.  So Mike asked  The Stimson Group to help clarify and facilitate these management-level goals.  After several discussions between Tom and Mike, Tom discerned that the true goal was getting the founders’ vision into a format that could be shared easily,  and that the appropriate format for doing so was a Strategic Thinking Session. Over two days, Tom led the team through a process that revealed Accordent’s mission and vision, which led to a productive discussion of Accordent strategy.

“Looking back, the Accordent strategy session was a tremendous success because Tom came into the session very prepared.  He had used interviews and his experience to structure a productive format for the session and, once initiated, he moderated in a way very tailored to Accordent, its goals and the people on the management team.  Once we had agreed on a goal and how we would define a successful session, Tom kept conversation moving and debate extremely civil and productive, and ultimately ensured that we were always moving forward toward our goal.  Tom combines an endearing style that welcomes conversation, a charisma that keeps the clock moving, and a firmness that prevents deviation.  Quite simply, he is very good at what he does.”

- Mike Newman CEO, Accordent, Inc.

Live! Technologies ‘Under the Hood’ Analysis

Rusty Ranney, the founder and CEO of Live! Technologies, Inc., has a very successful track record of growing his profitable company. However, after a recent reorganization in the Systems Integration Division, he felt it was time for some fresh perspective on the team’s sales and operational processes. The division’s new director, Dave Curtis, had identified several traditional practices he suspected were problematic, but the company needed some outside validation on his findings. Because Rusty had hired Tom Stimson the previous year for the Live Events Division, he was confident that The Stimson Group’s Under the Hood evaluation process would not only provide objective analysis, but would quickly identify the next steps Dave needed to consider. Since the engagement, Dave has made steady progress by systematically restructuring operational processes, freeing up time that allowed the sales team to pursue more projects.

“In August of 2009, Tom Stimson came back to Live Technologies for a two-day “review and recommend” session with the Systems Integration Division. He reviewed our current work processes and interviewed all members of the SI team, one department at a time. After his interviewing and evaluation process, Tom prepared his findings and recommendations and met with the management team to discuss. We came away with a new departmental structure and a workflow we felt was very solid.

“Utilizing Tom’s recommendations, Live has been more efficient in its execution of the entire installation process, which has allowed more time for the sales associates to focus on sales. This was one of the reasons SI set a record for most revenue posted in the first quarter. Jobs are now prepared more accurately and require less lead time.  Even a change in terminology from “hand-off” to “trigger point” has proven to produce more detailed and accurate information being prepared for the project management team. “

– Dave Curtis, Director, Systems Integration, Live Technologies, LLC

Advanced Staging ‘Under the Hood’ Analysis

Finishing up the best year in the company’s history was cause for celebration at Advanced Staging Productions. But for its president, Steve Wildemann, getting his team ready for the next stage of growth was a high priority. How to evolve sales and operations processes to handle larger volumes of business had become a key discussion point between Steve and General Manager Greg Gardner. Steve asked Tom Stimson to share his experiences and best practices to help Advanced avoid the pitfalls of unchecked growth.

Steve comments, “With very little turnover at Advanced Staging over the past five years, we were comfortable with what we were doing. However, we knew that if we wanted to continue growing, we would need to make some fundamental changes in our operation.”

Greg was convinced that Tom’s credibility in the industry would get the attention of their veteran team.

“Normally our staff would be hesitant to work with outsiders, but what separates Tom from most consultants and trainers is his actual experience in our field,” explained Greg. “Because he has “been there and done that,” the team was receptive to his insights and ideas. The buy-in was almost immediate.”

Tom spent several days in Advanced’s offices and interviewed every employee to understand how they operate and interact. Tom’s Under the Hood process followed a sales order through the system to see what procedures, tools and interactions were needed to keep Advanced’s projects on track. Even though profitability was not a major concern, Tom identified some simple adjustments that would shorten the time needed to assemble an order. He also provided techniques to improve staff utilization.

Steve: “Tom was able to bring us a fresh perspective to our operation and sales structure that has allowed us to operate more efficiently and to put our lead technicians on more jobs generating more billable hours. Even a company in good shape can benefit from Tom’s expertise. We have noticed a measurable increase in productivity and a tighter system that limits mistakes in our day-to-day activities.”