Company Info

About Gray Matter:

Gray Matter combines years of experience in the following areas - finance, sales and marketing, strategy, mergers and acquisitions, technology consulting, business process engineering, operations/execution and innovation.

We bring the ability to analyze the strategy, operations and execution dynamics of a business along with evaluating both the business processes and the people processes.

If your teams are not generating the results that were aimed for and agreed upon, then we can establish the accountability systems and metrics that you are currently missing.

Case Studies:

Federal Agency, Space & Aeronautics.  A Federal Agency needed to reinvigorate the progress being made on the pilot implementation of a large IT collaborative platform, which had stalled.  Gray Matter made this happen and also took on the most critical aspects of project management until a dedicated project manager could be assigned to the team.  In addition, Gray Matter took on understanding all aspects of governance of this platform and how it would most likely apply to the Client - whether at a single location or across the entire Agency.

Federal Agency, Space & Aeronautics.  A Federal Agency needed to harness entrepreneurial leadership experience in order to inject direction and focus to an experimental team that was working with social media and virtual worlds in an effort to better engage the general public of America.  Gray Matter identified metrics and focused the team on initial internal consulting engagements.  A significant part of the remit was to educate Missions, Directorates, Projects and entrepreneurial individuals across the many Agency locations about the benefits of social media and the various methods and tools that are commonly available.  Two years later the Agency is widely cited as being the most effective user of social media, for engaging the public, within the US government.

Consumer Product Design and Manufacturing Firm.  Advised the founders of a Bay Area start-up committed to bringing a revolutionary new outdoor exercise product to market.  Initially provided them with their business plan and go to market strategies, and helped to refine their strategic positioning and branding.  Gray Matter also performed market research and developed their financial model based on this information.  Additionally, Gray Matter helped them with identifying, approaching and presenting the business to Angel investors, Angel Groups, Private Equity and Venture Capital firms.  Furthermore, Gray Matter helped the firm with key discussions over marketing and distribution partners and also the decision to move mass production overseas.  Once the product was ready for mass production in Asia, Gray Matter took on restructuring the business with the input of financial, insurance and legal advisors - fulfilling the roles of General Business Manager and Chief Financial Officer until the business reached its first $Million in sales.

Consumer Product Design and Manufacturing Firm.  Advised owners of a consumer product design and manufacturing firm in the Midwest on changes to their product positioning and branding.  Aided them in finding a partner for automating their online sales and marketing presence and order processing.  Gray Matter also identified the market opportunity for, and designed, their second generation product line (patent pending) which has been crucial in accelerating adoption amongst both retailers and consumers in their market.  Additionally, Gray Matter helped the firm with key discussions about marketing and distribution partners and also the decision to move mass production overseas.

Retail Technology Start-up.  Conducted research into the feasibility of creating a shelf edge technology platform for retailers and brand management or manufacturing companies to aid consumers in getting information about new products before making a purchase. Designed, at a conceptual level, the platform and its form factor.  Identified potential suppliers for both the design and manufacturing stages, performed an initial selection process and developed a short list.  Created a business model and business plan based on all of this.

Consumer Product Marketing Firm.  Advised leaders of a Midwest start up firm intent on bringing a new medical device product to the commercial markets.  Focused on their business model and go to market strategies, strategic positioning and branding.

Design and Manufacturing Firm.  Advised owners of a start up product design and manufacturing firm on their business plan, strategic positioning and branding.  Aided them in identifying their priorities and then taking the critical next steps required to bring their product to market and secure an injection of new capital.

Technology Consulting Firm.  Effected the turnaround of an IT consulting business.  The owners of the firm were not happy with the performance of the business, its growth had stalled and quality problems had become a significant hindrance to Client retention.

Gray Matter performed a complete overhaul of the internal financial processes, legal protection and the sales processes.  New technology services, revenue opportunities and profit centers were identified and created.  New Human Resource and hiring processes were designed and implemented.  Within the first 12 months the business quadrupled revenues and returned the business to profitability.

From there a new market strategy was designed and implemented to create a brand in the local market.  A reputation was built amongst both partners and peers as well as amongst Customers.  The Client launched several new services, which rapidly grew as a percentage of overall sales.  Soon the company was transformed from a business model based on billable hours to one that was based almost totally on monthly fixed price contracts with Customers that lasted from one to five years.  The company became a valuable and saleable asset for the owners.

Medical Assistant Training School.  The owners of an expanding, medical assistant training school with multiple locations needed to define their next steps and goals for the future.  As part of this they needed to identify what the organization would need in terms of culture, goals, and milestones.  Gray Matter provided rigorous planning and facilitation sessions with the owners and their core leadership team.  The result was an in depth look at what was possible, along with accountability measures (starting with the top and then rolling it down from there) that needed to be created, followed and fully utilized.  The Client has continued to grow their business.

Re-Start Up of a Communications and Marketing Firm.  The owner needed to establish a branded look and also to win and execute on their first contracts.   Small office IT systems had to be identified and implemented,  Along with marketing collateral and identity.

Technology Consulting Firm.  Advised the managers in structuring and negotiating the buy-out of an Information Technology business from its parent company (which was in a different industry).