Croixstone Ranks #11 on Inc. Magazine’s List of the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Fastest Growing Private Companies

Inc. magazine today revealed that Croixstone Consulting is No. 11 on the publication’s fourth annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Mid-Atlantic private companies based in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

“We launched Croixstone in 2016 with the knowledge that middle market companies are seeking alternatives to the traditional consulting industry model,” said Patti Weber, Croixstone’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our fast growth is fueled by our team’s ability to drive business transformation and outcomes for our middle market clients in a pragmatic, efficient, and cost-effective manner.”

All about growth: The companies on Inc. magazine’s list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Mid-Atlantic region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 142 private companies have a median growth rate of 149 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,439 jobs and $3.9 billion to the Mid-Atlantic region’s economy.

“This year’s Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America’s off-the-charts growth companies. They’re disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you’ll be hearing about for years to come,” said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Learn more about the Inc. 5000 Regionals: The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/mid-atlantic.

Read our press release: Click here.


Here Comes the 60-Year Career

Having focused our firm’s business plan on providing career opportunities for highly experienced “portfolio professionals”, the Croixstone Consulting team applauds The Wall Street Journal for publishing last week’s business article entitled “Here Comes the 60-Year Career.”

Here’s our recap of the insightful and on-point career article.

The big picture: Because they are likely to live healthily into their 90s or longer, millennials and the generations behind them must learn to navigate 60-year careers instead of the traditional 40-year span.

“Over the course of 60-year careers, we’ll need to work and pace our careers differently.” – Laura Carstensen, Founding Director – Stanford Center on Longevity Read More


Croixstone Promotes Grace Lynch to Director, Business Operations

Croixstone is excited to announce today the promotion of Grace Lynch to the role of Director, Business Operations. Grace joined Croixstone in March 2021 in the role of Senior Manager, Business Operations.

In her role as Director, Business Operations, Grace will continue to apply her background in operational and process excellence to sustain and scale Croixstone’s internal business operations function.

“Grace has played a vital role in delivering high-impact operational services and results since she joined the firm nearly two years ago,” said Patti Weber, Croixstone’s Chief Executive Officer. “Croixstone’s success in executing a national expansion strategy amidst the global pandemic, while concurrently achieving record revenues and profits, is a testament to Grace’s skills and expertise in leading our internal operations.”

Grace’s professional background includes nearly two decades at Wells Fargo during the bank’s growth spree where she provided leadership focused on problem resolution and process optimization in the Office of the President. During her time at the bank, Grace also performed due diligence and integration activities for mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, Grace served as a leader in the bank’s credit risk area where she was responsible for evaluating credit processes, policies, and regulatory requirements for all consumer lines of business, including mortgage originations, student lending, credit card, non-real estate lending, collections, and repo and asset disposal.

As a social innovator, Grace is one of three co-founders of the Charlotte Pancreatic Cancer Alliance, a community group that fuels collaboration and amplifies the voices of the Charlotte region’s pancreatic cancer community.

Learn more about Grace here.


ChatGPT Fast Facts

It is nearly impossible to scan the business news over the past few months without seeing “ChatGPT” in the headlines.

Here are some fast facts to help you get to know what ChatGPT is all about.

The big picture: Many experts believe that new chatbots like ChatGPT are poised to massively disrupt technology to the same degree like Apple’s iPhone, Google’s search engine, and Netscape’s web browser proved disruptive.

“Anybody who doesn’t use this will shortly be at a severe disadvantage. Like, shortly. Like, very soon.”
– Jeff Maggioncalda – CEO, Coursera

So what is it?: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence tool that allows a user to generate original text. It can serve up information in clear, simple sentences, rather than just a list of internet links. Furthermore, the AI tool can explain concepts in ways humans can easily understand.

ChatGPT automatically generates text based on written prompts in a manner that is much more advanced and creative than earlier chatbots. The software debuted in late November 2021, and it has generated extreme buzz.

Here’s the backstory: ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, a San Francisco-based company that was founded in December 2015. Open AI’s founders include well known technology gurus including: Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Wojciech Zaremba, Elon Musk, and John Schulman.

OpenAI’s mission: The company conducts research in the field of AI with the stated goal of promoting and developing friendly AI in a way that benefits humanity as a whole.

Yes, but: AI chatbots are anything but perfect. They learn their skills by analyzing huge amounts of data posted to the internet, and they therefore can blend fiction with fact. They can deliver information that is biased along with toxic language (including hate speech).

The money train: OpenAI’s founders pledged $1B to launch the company. The company received a $1B investment from Microsoft in 2019, another significant investment in 2021, and a rumored $10B investment in January 2023. Microsoft said the renewed partnership will accelerate breakthroughs in AI, and help both companies commercialize advanced technologies.

Learn more:
OpenAI
ChatGTP

Our Sources: CNN Business, Axios, The New York Times, Microsoft, Gizmodo, Wikipedia


Croixstone Welcomes Lisa Cahill as Senior Talent Leader

Croixstone is excited to announce today that Lisa Cahill has joined the organization in a newly-created role as Senior Talent Leader. Cahill will design and execute recruiting strategies to attract experienced professionals for the firm’s consulting and executive search practices.

“Having known Lisa for over a decade, I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the Croixstone team,” said Patti Weber, Croixstone’s Chief Executive Officer. “In her new role with the firm, Lisa will apply her advanced relationship-building skills to meet both our business and people objectives as Croixstone continues its national expansion.”

Cahill is an extraordinary connector who builds and nurtures long-lasting relationships that make a positive difference in the lives of people, organizations, and communities. In the early 1990s, she was among a few female pioneers recruited to join global pharmaceutical leader GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in a male-dominated sales organization. During her more than 15 years with GSK, Cahill excelled in building relationships with primary care and specialty physicians, and she served as a sales leader and district sales trainer for several divisions of the company including a new start-up division. Her success at GSK led to additional career opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry at both Abbott Laboratories and Avion Pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, Cahill spent nearly a decade in the specialty healthcare profession as a Physician Liaison for organizations including Southeast Pain and Spine Care, Carolinas Pain Institute, and Fyzical Therapy and Balance Center.

Read our Press Release here.


Croixstone Welcomes Brian McLaughlin as Director, Organizational Effectiveness

We are excited to announce today that Brian McLaughlin, MBA has joined Croixstone Consulting in a newly-created role as Director, Organizational Effectiveness. In this new role at the firm, Brian will deliver high impact programs and initiatives that support the firm’s corporate strategy and operational goals.

“I am thrilled to welcome Brian as an internal consulting resource to our senior leaders and teams at Croixstone,” said Patti Weber, Croixstone’s Chief Executive Officer. “In his new role with the firm, Brian will offer guidance and support with major short and long-term initiatives, especially those related to organizational design, leadership behaviors, team performance and change management.”

Brian brings to Croixstone over 30 years of experience in business transformation, process reengineering, change management, human resources leadership, and consulting. Prior to launching his consulting career in 2019, McLaughlin served for over 4 years in a variety of senior human resources leadership roles with The Chemours Company.

Additionally, Brian served more than three decades in a variety of corporate and site leadership roles with EI DuPont de Nemours including Global Human Resource Manager for 3 global business units with $4.3 billion in annual revenue and 37 manufacturing sites.

Read our Press Release here.


The Charlotte Business Journal Interviews Croixstone’s CEO

To many outside the industry, terms such as “consulting” and “transformation” can be vague. Croixstone Consulting’s CEO Patti Weber is known for her pragmatic approach in helping others to understand the firm’s business model.

Laura Williams-Tracy (Contributing Writer) of the Charlotte Business Journal recently interviewed Patti to learn how Croixstone fills a niche for middle market companies across the USA.

Read (or listen to) the December 2022 interview here.


Croixstone Ranks #2 on Fast 50 List

Croixstone Consulting announced today that it landed on the Charlotte Business Journal’s Fast 50 list as the Charlotte, NC region’s second fastest-growing private company. The ranking, which is based on the average revenue growth over a three-year period, was revealed at the Charlotte Business Journal’s annual Fast 50 Awards Dinner on December 1.

Read our latest Press Release to learn more.


Croixstone is Growing at Fast 50 Speed

The Croixstone team is in celebration mode this week!

Our hometown hometown business periodical, the Charlotte Business Journal, announced on Monday, November 14, that Croixstone has been named as one of the Charlotte region’s 50 fastest growing private companies. Our ranking, which is based on the average percentage of revenue growth over a three-year period, will be revealed at the Charlotte Business Journal’s upcoming 2022 Fast 50 Awards Dinner on December 1.

It takes a village to fuel a small business, and Croixstone thanks our consultants, clients, internal leaders and business partners for your incredible contributions in fueling Croixstone’s growth.

Review the 2022 “Fast 50” list here.
(paid subscription may be required)


November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month? This month is exceptionally important to Croixstone Consulting as three of our senior leaders have families who have been impacted by this challenging disease.

Croixstone’s CEO and co-founder Patti Weber lost her father to pancreatic cancer, our Managing Partner and co-founder Mark Weber lost his mother to the disease, and our Senior Manager of Business Operations Grace Lynch lost her niece to the disease.

Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the USA and is the nation’s third leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite these facts, the typical American knows very little about the disease.

To honor the loved ones they’ve lost to pancreatic cancer. Patti, Mark and Grace are determined to educate Americans about the disease. In 2020, the trio launched a non-profit community organization (The Charlotte Pancreatic Cancer Alliance) to increase awareness of the disease with a hyper local focus on the fast-growing Charlotte, North Carolina region.

Charlotte Pancreatic Cancer Alliance is a member of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition (WPCC) which is a global consortium of pancreatic cancer advocacy organizations. In October 2021, WPCC profiled Charlotte Pancreatic Cancer Alliance along with Patti, Mark and Grace in its monthly newsletter.

Read the profile here.
Learn more about the symptoms and risks of pancreatic cancer here.