TESTIMONIALS
Working with companies to accelerate growth
Win Roney, Vice President & Principal, HGA Architects and Engineers
“We have hired Ann on a variety of assignments/projects for HGA over the past 2+ years and have found her to be an excellent thinker and resource. She has helped us to redefine our business development processes and develop actionable plans across many of our offices and regions. Her strategic abilities coupled with her ability to read and connect with people at all levels of our organization has been tremendously fruitful!”
Scott Baker, President, RELM
“Ann was amazing. Her amenable nature comfortably brought everyone to the table to define, ‘the RELM way,’ in a spirit that was introspective, collaborative, and useful. Ann introduced our studio to the concept of energy units, asking us to define time to value ratios. We streamlined several rote tasks to ensure we could spend more time conceptualizing, creating moments of wonder. We are RELM…a proud studio approaching three years old that is unified. That is the greatest gift of our work with Ann. It was both qualitative and quantitative. If you allow Ann to work across all levels within your organization, you will find outcomes that lead to empowerment, efficiencies, and enthusiasm. RELM cannot recommend her expertise more highly.”
Kurt Spiering, Vice President, HGA Architects and Engineers
“Ann’s skills are wide ranging; first as a partner and collaborator during the conceptualization and synthesis of on idea, and then as a polite, but assertive facilitator during discussions with our large team of firm-wide leaders driving us to implementable solutions and actions.”
D Rocky Rockefeller, AIA, Senior Partner, Rockefeller Kempel Architects
“Ann believes in getting to the bottom of things and her outstanding guidance has helped our team far surpass our goals. I value her insights and respect her unwavering honesty. Thanks Ann, I look forward to us working together for many more years….”
Julie Luers, Former VP and Director of Marketing, HGA Architects & Engineers
“Ann’s insight and her ability to drive for results in HGA’s strategic planning sessions has greatly increased the value of our meetings. Our leadership team leaves energized with clearly defined, actionable outcomes to move us forward.”
Kim Lum, CEO and President, Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd.
“Imagining a firm’s potential is both critical and personal. Ann interviewed us, learned about us and advocated for our entire team in the development of our new vision statement. Her guidance allowed us the ability for exploration while at the same time pushed us forward when we got lost. With Ann’s leadership, our passion and vision came to life motivating our entire organization.”
Zak Zakalik, Principal, Summit Engineering Inc.
“Ann has a true understanding of our business, the architecture/engineering industry, how the players play, and what firm’s need from their leaders. It was important for me to gain some needed tools and skills to improve how I was interacting with my team members. It has been a great experience having Ann as an executive coach.”
Lori Guidry, Former Chairman, ACE Mentor Los Angeles Board
“Through Ann’s efforts, chairing our Strategic Planning Committee, we have developed a vision for growth along with a road map of goals that we need to achieve in order to get there. As a result, we have already more than doubled our fundraising efforts over the last 5 years, which enables us to help more students interested in the AEC industry.”
Dave Hollister, AIA, Principal, House & Robertson
“With all the changes happening in our industry, we know it is essential to understand not just the economic challenges but the new realities for our clients’ businesses. With Ann’s help and leadership we developed a program of interviews in which Ann talked to our clients across several different markets and industries to find out how we could increase our value to them. She brought back a wealth of information, ideas and significant industry challenges to feed into our strategic planning efforts. Ann’s constant energy and focus has helped our team develop a wealth of ideas and solutions as well as reinvigorate our mission to be a real partner to our clients.”
Brett Shwery, AECOM, Senior Vice President
“Given the volatile economic climate, Ann’s ability to quickly wade through the murky business waters and provide clarity through research and discovery has enabled our practice to better understand our business markets and the clients we serve. This discovery and understanding has led to Ann’s team approach of recommendations to operationalize ideas into a strategy for success. Ann is the consummate strategist. Her ability to rapidly assess a situation, bring a fresh and creative perspective to our thinking, and place realistic solutions in front of us is indicative of her personal approach. Companies that have been in business for many years or starting out new will see the importance of Ann’s approach and the ensuing results.“
Dave Seastrom, DPR Construction
“We knew we had strong leaders but we also saw the opportunity to increase our edge in this economy by being the highest performing team possible. That is why we brought Ann in. Her focused energy, quick observations and insights into people have helped each of us leverage our individual skills to strengthen our collective leadership. The results are evident by the way we collaborate in meetings, deal with conflict and make our decisions. Ann has the ability to pinpoint areas of need with laser accuracy in a short period. She has proven her ability to invigorate and focus our management team to constantly up the bar to higher performance.”
David W. Cocke, SE, Structural Focus, Founder & President
“While chatting over lunch one day, I mentioned the concept of a new service offering that we were playing with – Ann jumped all over it and helped us put it all together! Ann did not do what I originally thought I wanted. Instead, she started asking more and more questions until she finally helped me to see the bigger picture. She then helped our leadership team identify our market distinction and map out a plan for our firm’s long term. We needed some discipline, some organization, some guidance…and Ann provided all of that with enthusiasm and smarts, and made it fun the whole time!”
Dan McNary, President, Constructiv
“Ann’s help leading our strategic planning has ensured that we can continue our strong growth, while improving the delivery of services to our clients. She is an essential partner to Constructiv. Leadership, creativity, business savvy and market leadership is what Bright Operations brings to Constructiv’s executive team.”
Gary Brennen, PE, Syska Hennessy Group, Co-CEO
“Ann is an advocate for change, not simply for change’s sake, but to keep the organizations she serves at the forefront. She has done this within our company as well as many of the industry boards and non-profits she has assisted over the years. Her energy seems limitless and, perhaps more importantly, is contagious. She not only helps clear the way for blue sky thinking but will dig deep into the research and grassroot tactics that need to occur for real change and excellence to take hold. She may be one of the best”planners” I have seen where steps are mapped out – first over a multi-year program and then drilled down further into months and days of actions needed to move ever forward.”