Consulting Magazine - December 2015

REVENUE GROWTH:

J.J. KELLER
& ASSOCIATES, INC. 45

Since its beginning as a one-man consulting firm in 1953, J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. has become one of the most respected names in safety and regulatory compliance, according to Steve Murray, Sr. Director of Consulting Services with the firm. Now over 1,400 associates strong, J.J. Keller serves over 420,000 customers— including 90 percent of the Fortune 1000. The company’s expertise spans nearly 1,500 topics. “Professionals in the areas of transportation, workplace safety, environmental, hazmat, construction, and human resources rely on J.J. Keller to reduce risk and improve compliance,” says Murray. With 45 percent growth, J.J. Keller & Associates is ranked at No. 45 on Consulting’s list of Fastest Growing Firms. Consulting caught up with Murray to discuss the firm’s performance.

Consulting: What were the
main factors that contributed
to you exceptional growth?
Murray: There are a couple of pri-
mary factors. One, we made the stra-
tegic decision back in 2012 to change
our business model to one built
around ongoing client programs that
enable us to work side-by-side with
our clients over many months and
even years. This model has been re-
ceived extremely well by our clients.
With over 100 clients supported by
our Consulting group on a monthly
basis, we are achieving very strong
growth rates year-over-year.

Consulting: How is 2015 shaping up for your firm? Murray: Well, 2015 will be the greatest year in the 62-year history of J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. Not only do we have more clients than we’ve ever had, we are growing significantly in all aspects of our consulting practice including our Transportation, Workplace Safety, Environmental, and Human Resources consulting services.

Consulting: How would you describe your firm’s outlook for 2016? Where do you see the most opportunities?

Murray: We are extremely optimis-
tic about our outlook in 2016. We
are experiencing a historic increase
in regulatory changes by federal and
state agencies. As a result we are
growing our staff and capabilities to
provide even more services to our
diverse client base. We continue to
see huge growth opportunities in the
transportation, safety, environmen-
tal and human resources consulting
areas of our business.

Consulting: What do you see as the biggest challenges for your firm in 2016?

Murray: Any firm that is seeing significant growth experiences growth pains along the way. One of our biggest challenges will be finding and hiring the best and brightest consultants and industry experts in the U.S. Our diverse client base, coupled with our elevated hiring standards, require that our consultants come with the best qualifications and a significant amount of relevant experience.

Consulting: What does being named one of Consulting’s Fastest Growing Firms mean to your firm, your employees and your clients? Murray: We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the Fastest Growing Firms. This award provides validation to our leadership and staff that the strategic decisions and changes we have made are paying dividends. This award also represents a thank you to each and every one of our clients who has invested their trust in J.J. Keller & Associates to help them improve their safety and regulatory compliance operations.