The 2021 Best Small Firms to Work For: Crankfrog

Client Industries Served: Healthcare

Consulting Service Lines: Strategy and IT

GMAG: How would you say you've managed to stay among the industry's Best Small Firms to Work For amid these unprecedented times?

Crankfrog has 3 key assets that have allowed us to be successful, even when faced with the challenges of the past 18 months—our people, our culture, and the good fortune of being aligned to an industry with a deep commitment to innovation. We have been extremely selective in building our team, and once we welcome a new frog, we immediately ask them to contribute to the special culture we have built. Given this expectation—that everyone is involved in both producing both high-quality client deliverables and creating a great firm to work for—we have been able to adapt to new challenges while continuing to provide expert strategic guidance to the organizations we serve.

CMAG: Were there any specific programs or initiatives (internal or external) that contributed to you being a Best Small Firm to Work For?

We recognized quickly that the lack of in-person team collaboration would be detrimental to our culture. So, we set out to create a series of inter-related initiatives that would promote connectedness. For our frogs, we instituted a series of virtual happy hours and contests aimed at getting to know fellow frogs on a more personal level. We also funded a work-from-home stipend, allowing team members to purchase items that would make their remote work more efficient and comfortable. Finally, we encouraged continued community service work, both as small teams (where possible) and individually. For our clients, we launched an initiative to collect and employ best practices on how to be successful client service stewards in a virtual environment.

CMAG: What is unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

Crankfrog has a set of corporate values that helps to explain what is unique about our firm. We are enterprising, rolling up our sleeves and getting the job done. We are committed, tackling our client's challenges as if they are our own and holding ourselves to a standard of excellence. We are versatile, leveraging the range of skills and talents of our team. We are insightful, searching out the right answer, not the easy answer. And we are caring, believing in the power of bettering ourselves and our communities. Crankfrog is ultimately a team of generalists, working together on the healthcare industry's most interesting challenges and opportunities.

CMAG: What's the top priority over the next 6 to 12 months?

Our top priority is to continue to balance focusing on growth–both in type of project and size of team–with an ability to maintain our cultural identity. We will also continue to prioritize our relationships with our clients, knowing that the best path to this growth is a positive recommendation of our work. We aim to be a firm that is constantly learning and will focus on fine-tuning our generalist model to include experts in both new business/content areas as well as functional skillsets.

CMAG: When you look at the remainder of this year and 2022, what excites you? What opportunities do you see in your markets?

The most exciting opportunities in healthcare revolve around new technologies and business models developed and implemented across the last several years. There has been a massive industry overhaul due to cost pressures and changing priorities revealed by the pandemic. But there has concurrently been a ton of investment in the sector as well, which is creating the ability for healthcare companies to innovate. Crankfrog is excited to be well-positioned to help these organizations determine their strategies in both the short and long term.

CMAG: What impact do you think being a Best Small Firm to Work For has on the firm? Employees? Clients?

It has been very rewarding to be recognized for the amazing team and the strong culture we have built. We pride ourselves in this team that we've assembled and it's a priority for us to ensure they have the resources they need to be successful. This award reflects that. We feel especially lucky that this recognition coincides with our Tenth anniversary, a milestone that marks both longevity and flexibility. We look forward to continuing to grow and serve the healthcare industry for many years to come.