Jim Roth
CEO
Huron Consulting
Q: Where is the firm today?
A: Huron has continued to perform well in 2013. The markets in which we compete remain vibrant, which came as no surprise to us. Huron Healthcare led the way throughout the year and our other businesses were largely in line with our expectations. We are well positioned to assist our clients as their businesses and industries go through substantial change.
Q: How would you describe your firm's outlook for 2014?
A: We remain optimistic about the opportunities in all of our markets. We focus on only a few things at Huron, but we do those things very well. The markets we serve—which include healthcare, legal, education, life sciences, and financial—have needs that are likely to continue to require consulting assistance well into the future.
Q: What signs are you seeing that suggest an increase in demand?
A: Each of our segments has different factors driving their growth, but each is solidly focused on its own unique opportunities. As an example, our largest segment—Huron Healthcare—saw its revenues increase 21 percent year to date through the third quarter 2013, all on an organic basis. Ongoing competitive market forces, including well-publicized changes in healthcare and education, continue to drive our business.
Q: How do you see the consulting profession evolving?
A: Successful consulting firms anticipate and adapt to changes in their clients' businesses, and that imperative will continue to drive the evolution of the profession in 2014 and beyond. One industry trend, which is being driven by clients' evolving business needs, is the addition of new competencies to firms' portfolios of services. Huron, for example, added Blue Stone International, a provider of Oracle professional services supporting enterprise performance management, information management and business intelligence solutions.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges in 2014?
A: One of the ongoing challenges is finding and retaining great people. We believe that Huron's culture, collaborative workplace environment, competitive salaries, and excellent benefits continue to set us apart from others. The fact that we have been able to continue to grow our team and have among the lowest turnover within our peer group is a testament to how employees feel about working at Huron.
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