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The Claro Group
LEGACY MEANS A LOT TO THE founding partners at The
Claro Group—the roots of which stemmed from working together
at Arthur Andersen Consulting. When the company went bust in
2002, the future founders went on to other consulting firms, but
longed to get back to what they liked about Andersen. So they created The Claro Group in 2005, where the goal was to create an environment where a group ran and owned the company and its team
could eventually take their places as the owners of the business.
“We wanted to create a firm where we could control our own
destiny and focus on things that mattered to us the most—the
clients and the people,” says managing director George Hansen.
“We’re one hundred percent owner operated, meaning that the senior partners are the only owners of the firm—there are no third-party financial interests. If you’re public or have third-party
investors that’s just another entity that has the power, and they are
the ones who should matter the least in a consulting firm.” As a result, the firm is flexible in dealing with clients in terms of adopting fee structures and other customizable options.
Clients also can expect a wealth of experience from Claro,
“We wanted to create a firm where
we could control our own destiny and
focus on things that mattered to us the
most—the clients and the people. George Hansen, managing director of The Claro Group”
which provides financial and management consulting services in
three core areas: Insurance claims, healthcare revenue cycle consulting, and strategic sourcing and supply chain consulting as most
of the team has years of experience to parcel out. And while you’re
not going to find a CEO, there’s no lack of leadership: The managing directors run the show as a group, with two senior members
assigned to almost every client engagement to supply the best experience to each situation.
“We really understand our clients. With insurance, we understand how to work with insurance companies to get the insured
what they are entitled to whether it’s the largest [Hurricane] Katrina claim or large asbestos claims,” says managing director Venanzio Arquilla. “We take the knowledge we have in each of the
three core areas to make an impact which is really powerful.” It’s
that kind of benchmarking that helped an international benefits
consulting firm reduce its employee healthcare costs by 15 to 20
percent by working with Claro.
Claro’s business model also helps it attract and retain top employees by linking compensation to performance and providing
time and work solutions to accommodate people’s lifestyles.
Managing directors Venanzio Arquilla (left) and George Hensen
“We’re very much focused on our people having a good, flexible place to work,” says managing director Mark Hargis. “We
want them to get the work done and have it be high quality—
how they do it or where [they do it] is less important. They need
to be part of a community, but if they have things they need to
get done in their personal life, we accommodate and work
around that. Then we link and reward their performance based
on how they do and how the firm does.”
The strategy works as it brought Claro 56 percent growth last
year to $25 million in revenue. And while all growth is good, the
firm’s leaders don’t want to grow just for the sake of it. “We want
to continue looking for ways to take our skills and apply them to
client situations, which helps clients solve problems and make
money or save money—ultimately leading to more business,”
Hargis says.
Headquarters: Chicago
Offices: 3
Billable Consultants 2007: 65
Revenue 2006: $16 million
Revenue 2007: $25 million
Projected revenue for 2008: $30 million
Claro is in
Chicago, Houston and Los
Angeles now,
and Hensen
and Arquilla
say they plan to
expand further
by launching in
New York this
year, as well as adding 20 more consultants.
But even looking forward, the firm’s founders don’t forget
their roots. “We were fortunate to work together prior and we all
felt strongly that there were good attributes at Andersen,” Hargis
says. “That gave us a common bond to build off of. We wouldn’t
have gotten to where we are without it.” —Christine Galea
