HEADQUARTERS: BILLABLE CONSULTANTS: CLIENT INDUSTRIES SERVED:
Propeller
Amy Weeden, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Propeller,
says the firm being recognized as a Best Small Firm to Work
For shows that “we truly are building something great here
at Propeller.” That “something great” is based on hiring the
right people, building an amazing culture and doing excep-
tional work for clients, she says. For employees, the recogni-
tion affirms what employees already know—Propeller is an
exceptional and unique place to work.
As a relatively new firm founded
just four years ago, Propeller made
its debut as a Best Small Firm to
Work For last year. Ask Weeden
what’s unique about the firm and
she’ll point to a consulting ap-
proach that strives to make the
complex simple. “Only when our
clients understand exactly where
they need to go and how to get
there can real progress get made,”
Weeden says. “Many management
consulting firms propose the solu-
tion and leave the client to execute
it, but Propeller walks with clients
all the way to the finish line.”
In addition, the firm is “solution
agnostic” and has a very rigorous
hiring process, with fewer than 2
percent of all applicants making it
through a very selective recruiting
process. With this type of talent,
it’s no surprise that Propeller in-
vests in it. To support employee
growth and development, “we
have a robust on-boarding process,
we match consultants with client
opportunities that build on their
strengths and foster their talents,”
Weeden says. “We tailor educa-
tional and coaching opportunities
to the individual consultant.”
It stands to reason that Propeller
would excel in the area of Career
Development on the survey. The
firm also scored well in the Work/
Life Balance category. “Our con-
sultants live in the same city that
they work,” she says. “This allows
them to get to build a strong con-
sulting career but also to be home
for dinner at night. We also have
unlimited paid time off which al-
lows our consultants to manage
their own time.”
All of these advantages lead to
extremely high morale at the firm.
“We founded Propeller based on the
shared understanding that finding
and nurturing the right people is
the key to a highly effective con-
sulting firm,” Weeden says. “We
guide Propeller with a single belief:
Always do the right thing.”
And the commitment to people
extends to Propeller’s clients, she
says. “Many of our clients are
in dynamic industries that have
a ton of business opportunities;
yet are also threatened by disrup-
tion from the digital economy,”
Weeden says.
WHAT’S YOUR TOP
PRIORITY OVER THE
NEXT 12 MONTHS?
WEEDEN: “As a firm, we are focused on growth over the next
12 months. Growth at Propeller is multi-faceted. We plan on
continuing our pace in headcount and revenue growth,
which has resulted in a 60-plus
person firm in four years. We
are also looking to expand geographically outside of Portland
into San Francisco, where we
recently launched a local office.
Growth also means expanding
our scope and the value that we
bring to our clients. We are being
asked to tackle bigger and more
strategic business problems and
our firm is rising to the occasion
to deliver for our clients.”
