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Take a peek inside Advance Consulting! Learn who we are, what we've done, and where we want to go. The Company Advance Consulting's mission, philosophy, and history Our People Greg Baker and the Advance Consulting team The Company About Advance Consulting Our Mission Since its founding, Advance Consulting has been in the business of transforming professional experts into consultants and business partners helping advance the way people and organizations work. To be successful in today's business environment, managers and employees across your organization must be seen as consultants and business partners--not just as experts in their job or field. We deliver the ideas and tools managers and employees need to broaden their skills and develop a consultative approach to working internally and externally with clients. Advance Consulting's mission is to provide innovative, practical, top-quality products and services that improve performance--as measured by revenue goals, efficiency measures, relationships, and, most importantly, by our customers and their clients. We believe that our first responsibility is to the people who use our services and take our workshops - to be sure that they see the value and that what they have learned makes a difference in their overall performance. Our Philosophy In our daily business, we strive to: Partner with our customers to ensure that we are exceeding their expectations and adding value to their business Live the values of common goals, common values, open and complete communication, trust, commitment, and creating a sense that "it works" with employees, associates, and clients Build a partnering and team-oriented culture Create a climate of professional and personal growth, a fun and creative place to work, and an open and trusting environment Company History Suzanne Saxe, Ed.D. and Virginia LaGrossa founded Advance Consulting in 1990, with the goal of helping businesses improve the performance and productivity of their people. Since then, the company has successfully grown to include dedicated, experienced core staff and network of consultants, facilitators, project managers, and instructional designers. Over the past 10 years, a variety of sweeping changes have affected the way businesses function, including: Mergers and acquisitions Reengineering Reevaluation of core businesses and job functions The growing field of professional services Increased outsourcing The virtual workforce trend New employee-employer contract Building of Relationships and Partnerships versus transactions Organizations have been continually refocusing, redefining, and recreating themselves to adapt to the changing business environment. Until recently, the changes focused almost entirely on the organizations themselves--not the people within those organizations. The changes created a new world of work, one that requires a new way of working both internally and with clients. To be effective and meet productivity and revenue targets employees and managers needed to develop new skills and a new focus - on partnering and consultation. When it was first introduced in 1993, Advance Consulting's flagship product, workshop, was ahead of its time. Since then, many companies--in particular, organizations looking to enhance their professional service capabilities--have recognized the need to provide partnering and consultative skills development to their workforce. Thousands of professionals, from such fields as financial services, high tech, utilities, education, health care, manufacturing, and retail have attended Advance Consulting's workshops. Our People Greg Baker President and CEO As CEO of Advance Consulting, Greg Baker manages company operations and leads the development of new business strategies and offerings.  In addition, Mr. Baker consults with organizations and individuals on business transformation and growth strategies.  Mr. Baker has over 20 years of experience in building and transforming businesses across a number of industries including publishing, healthcare, technology, government, and professional services.  His background includes corporate management in domestic and international markets.  He has held positions in operations, management consulting, marketing, technology, program management, research and development, sales, and product development.  Mr. Baker was formerly an executive with CTB/McGraw-Hill, where he was Vice President of Programs and Business Transformation.  Prior to CTB/McGraw-Hill he was a Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation.  Mr. Baker's experience and expertise have enabled him to assist organizations in achieving their business goals while enhancing their operations and people. Greg holds an MBA from San Diego State University and a BA in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Suzanne Saxe, Ed.D Founder and Senior Consultant Suzanne Saxe is the Founder of Advance Consulting and is a key advisor and Senior Consultant.   Dr.  Saxe consults to organizations on building business partnerships and integrating organizational strategies with individual performance. Saxe has led the company in its growth over the past 10 years, bringing with her over 20 years of experience as an internal and external consultant, facilitator, speaker, business owner, and educator.  Saxe has a doctorate from the University of San Francisco and has published articles on adult learning and instructional design as well as being co-author of the best selling book, : Partnering for Results!, published in March of 1998 by Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Advance Consulting team Advance Consulting consists of a core staff based in the San Francisco Bay area and a network of senior professional consultants and facilitators across the US and in Europe. This virtual network approach allows Advance Consulting to scale its services to meet its clients needs in the US and internationally.