2023 Top Consultants: Dave Rosevelt

Dave Rosevelt is the founding CEO of Centric Consulting. Dave has been a pivotal leader in building our company's foundation, culture and longevity for nearly 25 years.

Dave started his consulting career with Accenture in 1989, working on client projects across geographies and industries. In 1999, Dave started Practical Solutions, Inc. (PSI), a consulting company focused on the energy and utilities industry. As PSI grew, Dave felt the company needed to diversify and teamed up with his partners to create Centric Consulting.

Dave knew the value of local teams understanding our clients' people, companies and communities. So he built Centric with a localized service model, enabling us to bring the best highly skilled experts from across the country to local markets. Today under Dave's leadership, Centric has grown to approximately 1500 employees with 13 established business units in the U.S. and abroad, with an office in India.

Dave focuses on unmatched experiences for our employees and clients. As a result, Centric has longstanding, trusted relationships with clients, many of whom have been with us for over 20 years. Under Dave's leadership, Centric saw an average of 10% growth year-over-year, a statistic that is sure to continue.

What has motivated you to excel over the course of your career?

Early in my career, I had always been driven by delivering and executing successful client projects. However, after starting Centric that singular focus shifted. I recall hiring our first employees and being very excited about getting the company off the ground. Our consultants started working on Centric's first project, which we expected to last for a year or more. As in the past, I was very focused on successfully executing the project for the first few weeks. Then I had a moment of clarity involving a sleepless night. It hit me that my purpose was no longer just to deliver client projects but to ensure our new employees could stay gainfully employed at Centric for as long as they wanted to.

Many of our early employees left good jobs at major firms to join Centric. It was my responsibility to ensure they had made a great choice for their families. Growing Centric meant keeping them gainfully employed, supporting their families, and providing better career opportunities than before. Our people continue to be the primary motivator in my career.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

The foundation for how we treat our employees and their commitment to creating unmatched experiences has undoubtedly been a big factor in Centric's success and, therefore, my success.

It may sound trite, but we expect our employees to be kind to each other. Our new hires always say, "during the recruiting process, everyone was so nice, and it seemed too good to be true. Now that I've been here for a few months, I am amazed because it is true." They marvel at how supportive and kind we are to each other, no matter where in the company we work. I have worked with many companies over the years, and I know this is not always the case elsewhere. It's a big reason we have been so successful and have excellent retention.

The other factor that stands out is our loyalty to our employees. We've never had a mass layoff. Our employees feel that loyalty, which is rare these days. I believe this fosters their commitment to Centric. I've always believed that you get what you give, and my experience at Centric has only reinforced my commitment to that belief.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

One of the things I enjoy most about my career in consulting is that it provides the opportunity to be a problem solver. It's very rewarding to help individuals or companies overcome complex issues in tangible ways. As Centric grows, I get to work with clients far less. Instead, I focus on building a company that can provide tailored solutions to help clients solve their most challenging problems.

Secondly, I appreciate the personal relationships I've built through my consulting career. My partners and colleagues at Centric have become lifelong friends. I also have longstanding, trusted relationships with clients, many of whom have been with Centric for over 20 years. These relationships are the intangible things you take with you when you finish your career.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

One of my proudest achievements is helping establish and develop Centric's DEI program, Centric Together. In early June 2020, when the national conversation about race, equity and inclusion started to heat up, it was a wake-up call for me. We had always prided ourselves on creating a great culture for our employees, but we really started to examine ourselves and our practices and ask the tough questions.

Within a week of George Floyd's murder, a small group of employees created Centric Together, an initiative aimed at deliberately becoming more diverse and more inclusive. Within a month, what started as fewer than five of us quickly grew to more than 100, nearly 25% of our US-based employees.

The program is going strong today and helping us diversify our teams, nurture our people, create DEI learning opportunities and connect with our communities. This program has been pivotal for me because it reframed how we bring "unmatched experience" to all corners of Centric. It provides a way for us to purposefully and creatively broaden our diversity, acceptance, empathy and belonging.