An Introduction to Ascend Strategy Co.
A Career Shaped Across the Industry
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the opportunity to work across many parts of the environmental consulting and sustainability industry. I’ve spent time in technical environments, operations, business development, marketing, and growth leadership, and along the way I’ve had the privilege of working with incredibly talented engineers, scientists, and industry professionals.
Through those experiences, I began noticing the same growth challenges appearing across many firms, regardless of their size or focus.
A Pattern Across High-Performing Firms
Organizations with deep technical expertise were often doing excellent work for their clients, yet still struggling with growth and positioning.
Common challenges I observed include:
Clearly explaining what makes them different
Identifying the right opportunities for expansion
Aligning teams around a shared strategy
Over time, these patterns sparked a deeper interest in how consulting firms grow, how they communicate value, and how leadership teams navigate the decisions that shape their organizations.
Why Ascend Strategy Co. Was Created
Those observations ultimately led me to start Ascend Strategy Co.
Through Ascend, I work with environmental consulting, engineering, and related firms that want to take a step back and think more intentionally about growth. This often includes exploring questions such as how a firm differentiates itself in a crowded market, where its most meaningful opportunities for organic growth may lie, and how teams across the organization can better align around a shared strategy.
I’m particularly interested in the role culture and operations play in making those strategies real, and in the intersection between what organizations aspire to become and how they operate day-to-day.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog is a place where I’ll be sharing some of the patterns I’ve observed across the environmental consulting industry, along with ideas and perspectives on topics such as positioning, growth strategy, acquisitions, leadership, and the evolving landscape of the industry.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a series of reflections on some of the growth challenges I’ve seen across environmental consulting firms and the patterns that often sit behind them.
What We’ll Explore First
The first topic I’ll explore is something I’ve seen across many organizations in the industry: why firms with strong technical expertise sometimes struggle to clearly articulate the value they bring to clients.
