13. Cask
Headquarters: San Diego Number of Billable Consultants: 150 Client Industries Served: Energy & Resources, Technology, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Retail, Public Sector (Fed/SLED) Consulting Service Lines: Strategy, Operations, HR and IT
The fact that Cask focuses on consultants that are high-density, "artesian-engineers"—those individuals that have expertise that spans both domain-specific / technical and consulting disciplines and consultants can draw on those skills and knowledge to solve complex problems and create sustaining solutions, sets it apart from the crowd, says Director Katie Ehrle.
"Our hybrid approach allows us to help our clients resolve issues with smaller teams of high performing individuals in a more intimate and tailorable way," she says.
A key component of the firm's success has always been investing in the development and growth of its people—even if that means the best long-term option for certain employees is not at Cask—and treating everyone as a consummate professional, focused on the positive behaviors and actions of the professional, as opposed to intense oversight or micromanagement, Ehrle says.
That approach has led to high employee morale at Cask. "Cask is a growing small firm that provides everyone the opportunity to both work in the business and on the business," Ehrle says. "We have long dispelled the need to grow simply for the sake of growing and instead are focused on growing to help follow our vision of being the best, which fosters its self-sustaining growth."
The continued opportunities around business transformation, customer service, HR automation, cloud computing, and cyber security are keys to the firms continued success. "We see customers making major investments in the way they consume and analyze data, request services, and transform their operating models to gain efficiencies all while decreasing costs," she says. "Being a Best Small Firm to Work For has and continues to positively impact the firm across all areas of the organization."
From a hiring standpoint, being a Best Small Firm to Work For dramatically helps with the ability to attract, recruit, and to hire the most capable and best-fit employees, she says. "From a management standpoint, it provides a baseline from which we are constantly trying to improve the experience and opportunities—and reminds everyone that you have to work at being different and work towards your goals," Ehrle says. "For our staff, it illustrates our continued commitment to them and provides reinforcement that Cask is different in our dedication to operate by our Values, which center around making Cask great for them so they can deliver services that are great for our clients. For our clients, it both illustrates that type of partner Cask is to its staff and provides reassurance that we can recruit and retain great resources."
On the survey, the firm excelled in the areas of Career Development and Client Engagement. Why do you think that is?
Ehrle: Cask invests in the development of our staff—not only in technical competencies, but especially in consultative areas like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and presenting. We strive to help individuals be complete and well-rounded professionals—not just experts in one thing. Cask's key to success is our unwavering client focus and commitment. We seek to be trusted advisors with our clients—to understand their challenges and goals, and help shape a path for success. Through experience, we can build a customer-centric approach to our services offers and deliver them in a manner that meets expectations.
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