My family has a tradition that is probably not all that unique. When one of us has a birthday, the lucky gal/guy is bombarded with phone calls wherein the only sound heard is a terribly out-of-tune rendition of the Happy Birthday song. I always put a bit of a twist on it though, by singing the Spanish version. It’s about all I really learned in three years of Spanish class.

So when Verdis Group turned five on July 20, 2014, I was absolutely in the mood to belt out a really bad and loud version…FELIZ CUMPLEANOUS A TI!!!! But I didn’t. It was a Sunday, and it would have been awkward to call the rest of Team Verdis at 6am, even though such a call would have been in line with a five year-old’s development milestones.

But, alas, we are now celebrating. It’s been pretty crazy to reflect back on what this little experiment called Verdis Group has become, especially given where we started.

On July 20, 2009, we were a team of three. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say we were 2.25; Daniel was full-time at Metropolitan Community College so we skimmed ten hours a week from him. Our unpaid – actually, we were all unpaid – intern, Karissa Bohlen (Pinkerton) and I spent each day at the dark and cold confines of the Halo Institute’s location at 1022 Leavenworth Street.

We had just inked our first deal with Omaha Public Schools and were racing to build our processes and systems so as to deliver. I think it’s safe to say that, while we still frequently hearken back to the OPS Energy Action Plan as a positive example of a high-quality deliverable, we’ve really come a long way since those invigorating startup days.

Team Verdis has grown steadily the past five years. I often refer to it as a nice, Omaha growth curve – one that Warren Buffett would appreciate. In the consulting world, it can be difficult to mitigate the highs and lows of revenue variability, but we’ve managed to do so (and can hopefully continue).

With such a stellar team in place and exceptional clients, I am proud to reflect on the phrase that Daniel and I kept coming back to as we sat at coffee shops, kitchen tables, and park benches working through the business plan: big impact.

Our desire has always been to have a big impact, and when I look at the list of organizations we’re working with and the results we (us + our clients) have been able to achieve, I think it’s fair to assert that we are moving the needle on all facets of the triple bottom line.

The industry is quickly evolving. New technologies are constantly popping up. New regulations are changing business models. Our partners and competitors are innovating. And our clients are setting ever-more aggressive goals. As things change, it’s our focus on a positive big impact that will ensure that we remain successful.

Finally, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to those that have advised us, partnered with us, hired us, pushed us, taught us, worked with us, and helped us in myriad ways. There is no way we could have built this little vessel of goodness without a bit of help from our friends.

As we ramble on and turn the page on a new chapter, we remain dedicated to the effort and will continue busting our humps to deliver high-quality work for all of the organizations with whom we partner. It’s our calling, and we couldn’t be happier.

Until then, I think I’ll do a little singing:

 

   Feliz cumpleaños a ti

   Feliz cumpleaños a ti

   Feliz cumpleaños Verdis Group

   Feliz cumpleaños a ti!

 

 

Onward and upward.