South End Charlotte – Croixstone

Croixstone Consulting Celebrates 7th Business Anniversary

“On our lucky number 7 business anniversary, I offer the deepest thanks to our consultants, search professionals, clients, leadership team, business partners, friends and family to whom we owe the ongoing success of our unique firm.”

– Patti Weber, CEO

Where it began: 7 years ago this month, our founders Patti Weber (a former leader with Accenture and public school educator) and Mark Weber (a serial entrepreneur, consulting industry veteran, and former staffing industry executive) launched Croixstone Consulting in a former photography studio loft in Charlotte’s vibrant South End neighborhood.

The inspiration: The conventional consulting industry is notorious for recycling PowerPoint decks and burning out its consultants. These practices, along with other systemic issues in the consulting industry, contribute to the delivery of subpar services to clients. The Webers believed there was an opportunity to build a high-performing, boutique firm around consulting industry mavericks (known as constructive noncomformists) who could deliver their expertise and passions in a better way, while concurrently fueling innovation and solving problems for clients.

The name: Rivers are an indispensable part of our lives, and they are wonderful gifts from nature that have the power to teach us. The inspiration for Croixstone’s name is the St. Croix River (French: Holy Cross), a tributary of the Mississippi River that forms a border between the states of Wisconsin (the home state of the Webers) and Minnesota (where the firm’s founders each began their careers).

The right way to say our name: “kroy-stone.”

Our achievements: We’ve packed a lot into our 7 years in business. As a small but mighty firm, we not only survived, but thrived, amidst the global pandemic. We owe a huge thank you to all those who believed in our ability to deliver a differentiated business model for our consultants, clients and internal leadership team. Here are some of our key achievements over the past 7 years:

• 2016 – Croixstone was launched in Loft 309 of the former Lance Crackers building on South Boulevard in Charlotte’s trendy South End neighborhood.

• 2017 – Inspired by a future of work conference that Mark Weber attended in NYC, Croixstone relocated to the One South tower in Uptown Charlotte and is a founding member of the Industrious coworking community.

• 2019 – Croixstone launched the firm’s human capital and executive search practices.

• 2020 – Croixstone received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Greater Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Additionally, Patti Weber was accepted a part of a competitive application process into FORTUNE magazine’s “Rebuild Program.”

• 2021 – Patti Weber was selected as one of only 25 women in the USA to participate in the “Accelerated Growth Program” sponsored by Wells Fargo and hosted by the National Association of Women Business Owners. Additionally, Patti was also named to The Charlotte Ledger’s 2021 “Forty Over 40” list in recognition for her contributions in making Charlotte a better place to live, work and play.

• 2022 – Croixstone landed on the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Fast 50” list as the Charlotte region’s second fastest-growing private company.

• 2023 – Croixstone was ranked #11 on Inc. magazine’s fourth annual “Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic” list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Learn more: Checkout Croixstone’s Linktree to learn more about unique firm.

Flashback to 2016 / 2017 – Croixstone’s First Year in Business

Remembering Our First Year with Gratitude

As we shared in last week’s issue of #FreshStart, Croixstone Consulting celebrates its fifth business anniversary this month. The first year of operations in any start-up is only made possible through the extraordinary efforts of many partners, friends and supporters. We are delighted to recognize several partners whose contributions were particularly impactful during the first year of Croixstone’s start-up journey back in 2016 and 2017.

Brand Identity: We owe a HUGE thanks to Wendy Accetta of W. Accetta Design for bringing life to our brand vision. W. Accetta Design is a boutique design studio that helps clients achieve their goals through smart design.

Start-Up Home: Day #1 of operations for Croixstone began in The Lofts at Factory South in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. Thank you to Tommy McCart for allowing us to call Loft 309 our home during our first year in business.

Photos: Any new business requires fresh leadership headshots and website photos. Many thanks to Charlotte-based photographer Jeff Cravotta of Cravotta Photography for working your magic behind the lens.

Legal Incorporation: We still remember the thrill of being formally and legally incorporated as a North Carolina business. Thank you Jameson (Jamie) Wells for your legal assistance in welcoming Croixstone to the world.

Croixstone Consulting Turns “5”

We are celebrating! Founded by Patti Weber and Mark Weber in 2016, Croixstone Consulting celebrates its fifth business anniversary this month. Launched in a loft in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood with the aspiration to provide a highly-differentiated business model in management consulting, Croixstone has grown rapidly thanks to the deep expertise, talents and support of our consulting team, internal staff and partners/supporters.

As all entrepreneurs understand, the art of the start-up is filled with times of both great exhilaration and sleepless nights (hello global pandemic)! We are fortunate in that our five-year ride at Croixstone has been one of tremendous positivity.

Here are some of our favorite special moments over the past 5 years.

Launch: Croixstone began operations in June 2016 in Loft 309 in the former Lance Crackers building on South Boulevard in Charlotte’s booming South End neighborhood.

Hello Uptown: Croixstone relocated from the start-up loft to the new Industrious Charlotte Uptown co-working community in the Bank of America Plaza tower at Trade & Tryon in December 2017.

TABL: Croixstone introduced TABL, the firm’s unique culinary team building experience, with a playful social media launch in January 2018.

New Practice Area: Croixstone announced the launch of its new human capital solutions practice and a new executive search offering in June 2019.

FORTUNE Magazine: Croixstone announced in May 2020 that Patti Weber (CEO) had been accepted as part of a competitive application process into FORTUNE magazine’s Rebuild Program that was inspired in response to the global pandemic.

Hello NoDa: Croixstone relocated into larger offices in the newly-opened Industrious Charlotte NoDa co-working community in June 2020.

Supplier Diversity Certification: Croixstone received national certification in July 2020 as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Greater Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Accelerated Growth: Croixstone announced in January 2021 that Patti Weber (CEO) was one of 25 women across the USA accepted in the NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Accelerated Growth Program sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Forty Over 40: Croixstone’s CEO Patti Weber was named as a “Forty Over 40” award recipient by The Charlotte Ledger in May 2021.

Uniquely Charlotte Gift Ideas

With Christmas less than 2 weeks away and Hanukkah in progress, we know you may be scrambling to find that perfect gift. Why not try out some uniquely Charlotte treasures?

Uniquely Charlotte Gifts

In November 2017, Architectural Digest named The Ivey’s Hotel as the most beautiful hotel in North Carolina. Why not plan a get-away at the The Ivey’s Hotel in Uptown Charlotte and explore what the city has to offer? Read more about The Ivey’s Hotel and take a glimpse at the inside here.

Need a beautiful piece of jewelry for someone special in your life? Fashion and Compassion is a non-profit boutique located in South End that specializes in fashionable fair trade jewelry made by women overcoming poverty & injustice around the world.

Check out 43 local gift ideas for 2017 in Charlotte Magazine’s Gift Guide.

Looking for a unique leather gift from a local company? Check out Anchor Leather Co. The Croixstone team first became familiar with Ethan Martin’s company at a Vintage Charlotte Pop-Up event two years ago, and we absolutely love their hard-wearing, fine leather goods. You can also find their goods sold on Etsy.

Does someone on your list need a new professional head-shot? Consider giving Jim McGuire Photography and Video a call. Located in Studio1212 off of 10th Street, Jim recently captured pictures for the Croixstone team. Stay tuned for an unveiling in 2018.

Give the gift of an experience. Here are 101 Fun Things to Do in Charlotte.