OUR WORK
Better Strategy. Better Outcomes.
Our clients like strategy, like being strategic, and know that better strategy gives them competitive advantage. As they get clear, get focused, and get aligned, they get it done.
Companies seeking faster growth typically have many options. But what’s the best path forward? We help our clients figure that out – and they take it from there.
The NativeSeed Group is a leading grower and supplier of native and specialty grass and forage seeds for land restoration, conservation, cover cropping, and home gardening. Grown mostly through acquisitions, the new CEO and PE owners asked Shepherd to help forge a single strategic vision and growth plan to unite disparate business units and build new synergies across markets.
We did this.
Revenue growth exceeded plan and the team then successfully integrated a subsequent large new acquisition.
"Shepherd emboldnened us to challenge our long-standing operating assumptions, assess every strategic aspect of our business, and forge ahead with a new unified mission and plan. We are focused, lean, operating as one team, and totally committed to achieving that plan."
ROB WENDALL, CEO
"Shepherd Advisors helped The Amlon Group undergo a remarkable transformation."
MARK WAYNE, CEO
The Amlon Group reclaims chemical, medical, and water waste streams. Initially reliant on a few waste streams, Shepherd's strategic guidance enabled the Amlon team to look differently at itself and subsequently transform the company into a robust waste management enterprise.
High Bar Brands (HBB) delivers specialty aftermarket solutions for the trucking industry. After a PE acquisition of the founding business, Shepherd’s initial strategy engagement helped the team break out of a its tribal ‘we’ve always done it that way’ mindset and shift from relying on its core distributor model to also directly engaging high-value end-users.
A year later, following a major acquisition, Shepherd helped HBB integrate two distinctly different strategic, operational, and cultural companies into one unified team. Disciplined by a common bond, crystal-clear strategic priorities, and relentless execution, HBB has consistently exceeded its revenue and EBITDA growth targets, and recently executed a very successful exit to a larger PE fund.
"Shepherd Advisors helped us align around one vision, one strategy, one team, and one execution. Our pace took off and we continue to accelerate."
CHRISTOPHER THORPE, CEO/CTO
"After Shepherd’s process asked our team to shift our thinking from incremental to strategic, and our focus to fundamental growth opportunities, the game changed around here and we’ve not looked back.”
STEVE MATTSON, CEO
Great Lakes Sound & Vibration designs and manufactures specialty solutions that minimize equipment sound and vibration challenges. At a crossroads, GLSV’s leadership listened to the voice-of-customer insights, product opportunity prioritizing and go-to-market planning Shepherd facilitated. With a more solid strategic foundation, GLSV switched into a higher growth gear. Revenues increased by 5x within 5 years.
BOLL FILTER CORP. supplies and services German-made liquid and gas filtration systems for industrial water, gas & oil, and renewable energy companies. When tasked to significantly accelerate growth, BOLL FILTER CORP’s leadership knew they had to be more strategic and effective. Leveraging customer insights and market research, Shepherd and management developed a focused growth strategy and action plan.
With a clear growth direction and roadmap, BOLL FILTER CORP. shifted towards a sharper focus and more proactive mindset. BOLL FILTER CORP. adjusted its team, secured more resources, increased our presence in various regions of the country, and developed new services. Today US market sales are at the highest ever and we are on our path for continued growth.
"With a clear growth picture, visualizing our goals for everybody to see on a daily basis, and having open-minded discussions – the team responded very positively. We became focused, made needed changes, and have elevated our performance to another level."
MICHELE LA TORRE, PRESIDENT
"Though the going was rough, Shepherd prepared us for better days. Better days arrived and we were ready. Now we’re in a whole different league."
WALT ZIMMERMAN, CEO
Climate Technologies Corporation provides value-add HVAC equipment with engineering and design solutions and services for industrial advanced temperature/humidity control challenges. During a hard time, Shepherd helped leadership focus on fundamentals: vision, strategic planning, market prioritization, sales discipline, and team building. Powered by a clear direction, CTC reframed itself as a business and then took off as new market opportunities emerged. Revenues have since grown 5x as CTC today provides industrial advanced temperature and humidity solutions to dozens of Fortunes 1000 companies.
As a leading automated tarp-system manufacturer, Roll-Rite used Shepherd’s market analysis and Voice of Customer insights to reposition its go-to-market strategy for the agricultural sector. It worked, and agriculture quickly became a major market for the company.
Over two strategic planning cycles, the Roll-Rite team then developed and successfully executed a national game plan that doubled growth in five years.
"This project gave us confidence to take some bold moves, which we had talked about but never acted upon."
BRAD TEMPLEMEN, FORMER CEO
"The Shepherd team helped us strategize, secure resources, and find new customers."
TIM COLONNESSE, CEO
KTM Industries is a specialty bio-packaging company that struggled with flat growth for many years, trying to sell to many customers that were enthusiastic but did not cut purchase orders.
Shepherd’s market analysis, voice of customer insights and strategic positioning support was critical to KTM’s pivot from a material technology company selling to many large markets, to an integrated green packing company focused on the smaller and rapidly growing high-end/organic food/wine market. Since this pivot, revenues have grown more than 5x and KTM now has a second production facility on the West Coast.
Right Opportunity
Stewart Industries provided sub-assembly and quality control services for the automotive industry and wanted to diversify into adjacent markets to increase revenues and to better leverage the core business. Shepherd’s market research and go-to-market business plan launched STEWART Industries into its next phase of growth.
It had orders immediately and the business has grown steadily. Just as importantly, the new offering added new value to the core business, and helped to create a more dynamic and entrepreneurial culture.
Shortly thereafter, STEWART Industries was successfully acquired by a strategic investor.
"Stewart Industries has come to utilize Shepherd Advisors as a resource to be a catalyst for strategic growth cycles."
ERICK STEWART, FORMER PRESIDENT
"It is the kind of roadmap that we needed in going forward."
JIM FREY, CEO
Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) is a national consulting firm that wished to double revenues, primarily through improving its ability to "harvest" new opportunities. They wanted to better understand how RRS acquired customers and how to increase conversion rates, closing rates, and average customer sales.
With Shepherd Advisors' research and strategic recommendations, RRS revamped how they target and engage clients, and is now doubling sales ahead of projections. Shepherd Advisors provided RRS with critical insights and frameworks they then used adjust marketing and sales priorities and processes. They wanted to significantly improve the “seller” side of their seller-doer culture – and they did.
A specialty anodizer of anodized aluminum coils and sheet, Lorin Industries sells into a variety of industries. Constantly looking for new market opportunities to diversify and grow, Lorin has leveraged Shepherd’s strategy, voice of customer and market research offerings to become much clearer about market opportunities that do - and that do not – make sense.
In the process, Lorin doubled down on the architectural/building sector, built up share in other industries, and shifted its overall market focus from distribution centric to end market centric. As a result, Lorin is more profitable, more resilient, and enjoys strong customer engagement and loyalty.
“Shepherd Advisors does a very thorough job understanding the organization they are working with to enable the right focus. I was very pleased with Shepherd’s flexibility and willingness to listen and adjust.”
Park Kersman, CEO
“The Shepherd team makes a real difference in enabling us to define and optimize our marketing strategy and programs. They deliver key insights and critical thinking essential to driving sales and marketing efficacy.”
Director, Corporate Marketing
Right Moves
A publicly traded international environmental services firm that provides a wide range of hazardous waste disposal, management and reduction services has utilized our full spectrum of strategy, voice of customer and market research services to accelerate growth of key service lines.
As we examined multiple opportunities, the company chose to drop some and invest more in others. The resulting go-to-market strategies improved competitive positioning, marketing, and sales success, and reinforced leaderships' strategic acumen.