The 2023 Best Small Firms to Work For: The Gunter Group

Client Industries Served: Retail, Education, Insurance (Health and Other), Public Sector, Manufacturing

Consulting Service Lines: Strategy, Execution, Technology Services, People and Organizational Change Management

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

Our vision is a world where our clients, consultants and communities achieve excellence, realize their full potential, and thrive. This vision is what drives us, and we focus on listening to our team and our clients in order to figure out how to achieve it. We frequently engage our team in conversations about how to make our organization better and how to operate as a company that our team members want to be part of building. We focus on developing deep, long-term relationships with our clients that allows us to serve them in a way that helps them achieve their goals.

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

We started the firm with an unquestioning commitment to employee engagement and our engagement program is a central driving feature of our culture. We're committed to keeping our finger on the pulse of our employees' alignment to our overall team's goals, and understanding what it takes to be a firm with a deeply engaged team, committed to the organization's future. Our internal engagement work is an essential part of maintaining our culture of excellence. Some other specific initiatives include an annual all company off-site for team members and their families, a permanent home office stipend, weekly stand up meetings and social connection times, competitive compensation and a suite of benefits, and an ambassador program for building relationships with colleagues. While some of these can be specifically measured and analyzed, others reflected our non-quantitative commitment to broader cultural and organizational health and values.

CMAG: What's unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

We look at every business decision, large or small, through the lens of our six Non-Negotiables. The Non-Negotiables drive how we work, how we interact with each other, our clients and our communities and our commitment to excellence. Our Non-Negotiables are the bedrock of our organization and more than words on a page. They were developed not as an aspirational list of values, but rather by assessing what makes people successful at TGG. They are Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity, Emotional Intelligence, Ability to Thrive in Ambiguity, Grounded Confidence and Collaboration.

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

We are a growing firm and continue to expand into additional geographic markets and services. We view growth as oxygen for our company; we don't grow for growth's sake, we grow to continue offering new opportunities for our team members as they progress in their professional careers. Our focus is on ensuring that we can retain our high level of employee engagement, the things we value about our culture, and focus on excellence while we continue growing as a team.

CMAG: When you look at the remainder of this year and 2024, what excites you? What opportunities do you see in your future?

We are laying the foundational groundwork to continue growing while maintaining the elements of our culture that we value. We have hired new leaders in the last year, and expect to continue adding to our ranks. We are excited to be delivering excellent client services to new clients in new geographic markets, and we intend to continue with that expansion. It's an exciting time to be a part of the growing TGG team, and we're excited for what the next few years will bring!

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

For our firm it is another validation of the time, energy, and passion we pour into our culture. We believe that our culture is the most vital part of our organization; we prioritize this focus. For our team it is a celebratory moment, one of affirmation, which reminds us to always put people and culture first. For our clients, it is a testament to the value we bring because highly engaged and highly engageable people are more focused on driving valuable, meaningful results. Focusing on our team and our culture is reflected in how we deliver outstanding client service, and the respect with which we treat our client teams.