John Cacich of SheridanStowe meets with administrative staff members at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall) Owners: Anne Weyandt and John Cacich
Type of business: Consulting practice
Number of employees: Two
Locations: St. Paul and Oakdale
Contact Information: 612-812-5759; sheridanstowe.com
Tell us what your business does. SheridanStowe LLC offers innovative consulting and capacity-building services for educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. We offer technical assistance, coaching, grant writing and board development, and project design and management services for a variety of clients. Our particular focus is on building organizational capacity to meet the needs of learners of all ages and stages, with a specific goal to assist institutions in their efforts to increase the number of students who earn a postsecondary degree, certificate or diploma.
Why are you launching it now? We founders - Anne Weyandt and John Cacich - spent more than 25 years each in higher education in Minnesota, in leadership roles where we developed a deep understanding of the need for strategies that lead to expanded degree opportunities for students. We decided to launch SheridanStowe to share this expertise more broadly and intentionally pursue an educational reform agenda that focuses on strategy development from the "outside in," accelerating innovation that overcomes many of the organizational barriers that impede creativity and change within organizations. Addressing
the persistent achievement gap while increasing production of well-prepared and highly skilled postsecondary credential holders is an urgent challenge that our firm is eager to address.Where did you get the idea for your business? After leaving leadership roles at Anoka Technical College in 2010 (Weyandt was the ATC president for 10 years and Cacich served as vice president for academic and student affairs), we decided to launch SheridanStowe to continue our work to expand opportunities for adult learners and to begin building a network to expand the successful K-14 educational model, STEP (the Secondary Technical Education Program), that we launched and led at the technical college. Our experience confirmed a gap in the consulting marketplace that could be addressed by a firm with expertise in both the K-12 and higher education sectors, with experience in nonprofit and governmental settings, as well as a specific focus on individual, work force and community development. SheridanStowe was launched in March 2011.
The firm is named after the elementary schools we attended - Sheridan on the east side of St. Paul (Weyandt) and Stowe in Gary-New Duluth (Cacich). We chose this name to represent the foundation and significance
Anne Weyandt is co-owner of SheridanStowe. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall) of accessible, quality education to us personally and professionally, as well as our firm's commitment to educational opportunity as the core of the economic and social fabric within communities. How did you develop your business plan? The online resources offered by SCORE were a tremendous source for business planning information. We also used materials provided on the Hill Reference Library website. Kristin Pardue from Reve Consulting in Minneapolis generously provided in-kind consulting support and coaching as we wrote our business plan.
How are you financing your business? Initial start-up expenses were minimal so we were able to use personal resources. Networking with other new firms led us to exceptional freelance designers who created our marketing materials and website at a reasonable cost. We are able to finance our operating costs directly through revenues from ongoing consulting activity.
How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? The economic uncertainty and sluggish pace of recovery makes it challenging for many educational and nonprofit organizations to invest scarce resources in capacity-building activities. Nevertheless, reductions in essential personnel are prompting increased reliance on external consultants for project design and management services. We are building the practice by demonstrating return on investment inherent in clients' creative re-engineering of existing programs and services, as well as the obvious market opportunity presented by the growing adult learner segment across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. In addition, given the uncertainty presented by current economic conditions, many organizations are looking to external experts to design and implement a variety of project-based initiatives as a way to get work done while minimizing fixed costs for salary and benefits. We have been able to offer high-quality, short-term project design and management and evaluation services for our clients, allowing them to address essential priorities while maintaining budgetary and staffing flexibility.
What makes your business unique? SheridanStowe's unique niche is directly related to our experience and expertise. We have connections and expertise across a broad spectrum of activity: K-12 and higher education; workforce and community development; charter schools; nonprofit design and development; community outreach and public affairs; and research, technical assistance and evaluation. This breadth, matched with a passionate commitment to expanded opportunity for students of all ages and stages of experience, positions our firm as a multipurpose creative consulting firm with unparalleled experience and expertise in the educational sector.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to get this business going? Making the transition from full-time, on-site public employment to a less predictable consulting practice was challenging for us. Learning to promote and employ a more flexible work style was a priority, and, admittedly, it took some time to accomplish a new sense of balance.
How did you overcome the obstacle? We recognized the advantage inherent in the firm's flexibility and adaptability. Both of us were able to work on site with clients, providing services directly and cost-effectively at the client's location, as opposed to a more formal office location for the firm. Understanding the ebbs and flows of the school year also allows us to flexibly align services with optimal delivery times for academic clients, adjusting work schedules to meet institutional needs. By continuously focusing on flexible delivery, we were able to overcome the initial uncertainty presented by owning a small business and developing a multifaceted consulting practice.
What will tell you the business is successful? SheridanStowe will achieve success when the state of Minnesota begins to see a steady increase in the number of adults who obtain a postsecondary credential. Economists and experts tell us that number needs to increase by 30 percent in the next six years. Our firm's goal is to help our clients build the capacity to positively impact this credentials gap through new programming; re-engineered delivery systems; new partnerships between K-12, higher education and the business/industry sector; and expanded public awareness of the need for a better-prepared work force. Minnesota's long-term economic vitality depends on work of this type and SheridanStowe is excited to be a part of it.
On a personal note, we both expect SheridanStowe to generate work and income sufficient to support ongoing self-employment in areas of continuing personal and professional interest where overcoming the policy and practice challenges faced by potential clients represents significant progress toward increasing educational success for more and more Minnesotans.
Interested in taking part in Open for Business? If your business is less than one year old, email us at businessnews@pioneerpress.com.
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