When I meet with a business for the first time, it’s usually clear within a few minutes what they need to do to fix their problems or constraints (and unleash their full potential), why they haven’t yet done so, and how to overcome that. This is what I provide for my clients, and it’s extremely enjoyable for me to help them solve their puzzles.
When I’m not doing that, you’ll often find me enjoying the great outdoors (hiking, canoeing, and the like) or traveling (including favorites Spain and Costa Rica).
The Path to Today
After obtaining a degree in economics from the University of Maryland (College Park), I went to work for a computer graphics hardware manufacturing company in Columbia, Maryland (GTCO/CalComp), eventually spending eight years there. Working for an entrepreneurial and aggressive owner, and starting off in the financial department, I eventually became involved in managing and improving every part of the business (and also led the $6M construction of its new headquarters), and then took over as President for two years (company revenue $15M), before making the decision to move on to explore other, new opportunities and gain more diversified experience.
After that, I led entertainment start-up ventures in cable television (New Culture Network) and motion simulation (Ridetime Films), and also worked directly for companies in publishing (Philips Publishing) and vocational education (Technical Education Center), before deciding to focus on consulting full-time. As a consultant, I’ve advised as well as actively managed a wide variety of companies in different industries and sectors (manufacturing, wholesale, service, professional), and of different sizes.
More recently, in addition to working with smaller clients, I joined the Board of Directors of Ironclad Performance Wear (in 2013), a publicly traded, $26M leading manufacturer of high-performance industrial work gloves and apparel, where I remained through its successful sale in 2017. Also in 2013, I became President of one of my client companies, Contractors State License Schools (21 locations throughout California, 150 employees), the leading test preparation company for construction contractors in the state, a position I continue to hold as of this writing.
In Summary
The unique breadth and diversity of my experiences in improving and growing businesses of all types, each with its own different set of strategic and operating challenges as well as a wide variety of personalities in ownership and management, has enabled me to rapidly identify and solve weaknesses and problems throughout an enterprise, to energize a company’s workforce, and to quickly optimize growth and profitability. I greatly enjoy working with companies to quickly get them on the right track, or to help them further improve already-strong performance.
Contact me whenever you need business management assistance or counsel.
Let's talk.
Available as needed; no retainer or minimums.
LOS ANGELES
+1 310 403-9808
cg@chasgiffen.com