Working and Serving Together

Working and Serving Together

October 06, 2017

Dear Clients and Friends,

As we enter the final months of 2017, I have witnessed many changes across our industry, our practice areas, and the firm itself, most recently the unveiling of our new Stout brand! But one thing that has remained consistent is our firm’s great people and client service. Year in and year out, my colleagues show how they are some of the hardest-working folks around, giving their all for any engagement as well as any company-specific need. This collective effort is reflected in how we do business, as we strive to be the best people, practitioners, and leaders in our industry.

Building on Leadership and Expertise

We constantly work to develop strong leaders, providing tools and training for teammates of all levels to broaden their horizons. We are busy attracting a lot of new talent to the firm, as well. Joining the Stout family this summer were 20 recent college graduates and 33 interns. We also have welcomed a number of senior leaders in the past few months.

With a broad number of speaking engagements, seminars, and detailed reports, Stout leaders continue to showcase their expertise and advance their knowledge. Many of our people are honing their practice area skill-sets, as demonstrated by Stout’s commitment to the Certified in Entity and Intangible Valuations (CEIV) credential and the Mandatory Performance Framework for fair value measurements. I invite you to read more about the CEIV’s importance to valuation professionals here.

Our colleagues have a lot of valuable information to provide, not just to clients but anyone in our industry. For this reason, and also keeping with our commitment to service, we have been greatly expanding our thought leadership. We recently published the third annual edition of our groundbreaking Automotive Warranty & Recall Report as well as the first Trends in Trade Secret Litigation Report. These in-depth reports feature our extensive research and commentary on trends and regulations for professionals involved in auto recall processes and trade secret litigation, respectively. These reports are a sampling of some of the outstanding materials we have produced this year. This content, such as articles, white papers, and industry reports, all can be found on our new website: stoutadvisory.com. Officially launched in May, our new site delivers a high-quality, user-friendly experience. It also features a consistent look and feel of our new Stout brand, which debuted in April.

While the website improves our digital presence, we are also improving our geographic presence. Throughout our offices, we are updating our workplaces with optimal designs and technologies to encourage a collaborative work environment and drive business performance. We also have entered into new strategic affiliations with several organizations in Europe and Asia, leveraging our Investment Banking know-how with practitioners in these regions. We are excited about these opportunities and look forward to providing quality service alongside our international affiliates in the years to come.

A Culture of Service

During 2017, our commitment to service, both internally and externally, has continued to shine outward. Client satisfaction remains at all-time highs, as evidenced by our monthly client surveys; our net promoter score (i.e., how much a client would recommend Stout’s services, on a scale of -100 to +100) is in the +90s. While we are busy establishing new relationships, we also maintain our commitment to longstanding clients who have served as exceptional business partners over the years. Featured in this issue of The Journal is our conversation with Fiskars Global Functional President Paul Tonnesen, who provides valuable insights on his company’s history, brand portfolio, and business strategy.

We also are actively involved in numerous philanthropic activities, offering a helping hand to those in need. Our Pro Bono practice continues to gain national recognition – most notably with our assistance in historic legislation passed in New York City, providing low-income housing tenants access to legal representation. In addition, a number of Stout employees traveled to Haiti for our annual service trip to assist a village with infrastructure and agricultural projects, and we exceeded our firmwide fundraising goal (and then some!) well before our deadline for the trip. Furthermore, we have been hard at work in the relief efforts in Texas and Florida following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, both with donations and on-site volunteering. For many years, we have assisted people and companies following catastrophic events, helping them recover and get back on their feet, whether through our business advisory capabilities or volunteering efforts. Something I’m proud to say is embedded in our firm’s culture.

As you read this issue of The Journal, I hope you gain some insight into our hard work, service, and expertise that have defined our company.

 

Craige Stout