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Tri-County Sprinklers Letter

I am very grateful for having Cogent come in and teach me how to truly operate my company. The tools that we received were more than I expected. Bob was the perfect person for me to work with. He doesn’t stop or go on to the next subject until I “have it down” and I really appreciate his patience. He truly makes me feel like he will do anything to see that we succeed. I definitely got lucky to have this company be a part of mine for life.

 

Sincerely,

Adam Lanier

President

The Urban Foresters Letter

In October of 2018 my leadership team and I engaged your firm to perform an profit erosion analysis and subsequent consulting project to correct to correct said findings. I am happy to report that I judge the project results to be a success. I have seen marked improvement in measurement of key performance indicators as well as marked improvement in the KPI themselves. Inspecting what we expect has become a phrase that I will adhere to moving forward as a result of Kai and the Cogent framework. Before we started working with Cogent, we were measuring performance, but the measurements of different departments were happening independent of one another. Meaning that the KPI in sales were not necessarily linking together with KPI in operations.

Operations is the department where we’ve gained the most ground. In the past, sales would deliver a work order to a foreman, but the management in operations had little to no oversight in driving that work to completion. We had crews coming in early and marking maximum hours on their time cards. That practice changed within a few weeks. The daily activity reports serve as a constant reminder to the crews that management is involved and partnered with them In completion of jobs and in effect cuts the distance between the front line worker and management. Reporting of the productivity numbers in to the dashboard has created a vital tool for me to understand where the company as a whole In on any given day.

Sales also saw valuable tool implemented. While our sales process was very clearly defined, we did not have a forward looking sales pipeline (only 7 day look aheads were being discussed.) As of today, the sales team is actively discussing 30 60 and 90 day pipelines and what actions they need to take to hit the desired closing goals . We also identified an underperforming team member and installed a PIP that ultimately help her decide that sales was not the right career for her.

Lastly, my visibility through to key financial metrics has clarified greatly. I was doing a poor job In understanding where our money was going and what could be done to help profitability. With my 12-week cash flow, budget accountability and profit sharing plan, I feel confident to move into the new year profitability.

Thank you for the tools and time that you shared with The Urban Foresters

Grant Crowell – President
The Urban Foresters

Valley Lighting Letter

On behalf of Valley Lighting Lighting’s Shading division, I would like the thank Cogent Analytics and specifically Flo Jackson for a job well done. When we signed on with Cogent, I was a bit skeptical they could perform as promised and was hesitant to let an outsider into our company. Flo arrived and we were immediately impressed with her high energy and enthusiasm. She jumped right in and made the necessary changes needed to get our struggling shading division on a path to success.

During the entire project, Flo was in constant communication with me and the other owners. At the end of each week she provided detailed reports outlining her progress along with open items that she was working to complete. She arrived early and stayed late, always keeping her eye on every aspect of the division. Flo digs into the details and did not hesitate to let me know what was required to get the most out of our business. As the project completed, she provided a detailed manual outlining everything she had accomplished, including job descriptions, policies and KPl’s allowing the division manager and his team the ability to easily monitor their progress.

Although we are still in our Lifecycle phase of our project, we are far better off today than before Cogent walked through our doors. I would highly recommend Cogent Analytics and specifically Flo Jackson as your project manager. Flo is full of energy, understands business and will work with the company until you achieve your desired results.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Deppe
Valley Lighting, LLC
President/CEO

RDG Company Letter

To Whom It May Concern:

As a small business in a highly competitive and fast paced packaging industry, the last thing we have in our daily schedule is time. However, we knew there were some elements of our operation that were incrementally getting more difficult to manage as the years accumulated and the business continued to grow. We needed a partner to assist us in attaining the process flow and management skillset to make a successful transition into our future as efficient as possible without actually knowing what we needed to do in order to accomplish this goal.

Enter the Cogent Analytics team .. . from the moment the initial discovery was done to the final implementation of the of our new production flow processes, this group has been an integral part of our company over these last few months . Matt Baker has been more like a dedicated employee to us and has shown a sincere interest in improving our company position in all of the areas of improvement we requested . His willingness to go above and beyond what was expected was demonstrated time and time again .

It is this type of enthusiasm and wisdom that contributes to the successful Cogent Analytics mindset that made our decision to partner with them an easy decision. We are looking forward to growing our relationship with them as we put our new processes and procedures in practice and utilize them as an additional resource partner for our continued growth.

Sincerely,
December 21, 2018
Robert D Green
Owner

Scenic City Glass Letter

To whom it may concern,
Before the arrival of Roy and Henrique, we had numerous issues in three locations. Merlin’s evaluation of the companies showed quite a bit of low hanging fruit. When that information was given to Roy, they took off and began hammering out issues on each company. It would have made their jobs a lot easier if we went in and started chopping heads off. This was not their style. They took the time to get to know everyone and their skill set. The procedures and tools they gave to me made it all seem manageable. There take and direction on finance, operations, and the ability to understand what it is we do was second to none. My companies are back to my passion and not my headaches. The years ahead are looking a lot better thanks to Roy and Henrique. If asked by any of my friends or peers I would not recommend any other company than Cogent.
Sincerely,
John Richardson
President
Scenic City, Clearview, TGW.

Reedy Chemical Foam Letter – 2

To Whom It May Concern,
I’m excited to have the opportunity to share with the reader my experience with Cogent. Myself and my brother inherited a 30-year-old family business. It had gone through a few iterations over the years, but as our mother retired, it called for me to take over as the Chief Operations Officer as well as the Chief Financial Officer. It was a daunting task. Although I am very comfortable in the role of Operations, the Financial aspect had me concerned.

By thorough, and sometimes painful, analysis of our organization, Cogent’s team was able to break things down to the most manageable and understandable terms for me. They helped me get a handle on all of the business processes and how they apply to each employee and expense. Their meticulous approach to time management and organization kept us on track and on schedule. Yet, they were flexible enough that when an issue would arise, or a critical point would be uncovered, we would be able to change direction, apply what we’ve learned, and come out with a new understanding of our business processes.

Judd Andres, our Project Director, was the best part of the experience. He was knowledgeable, professional and focused but very friendly and approachable. He and our Business Analyst, Arion Albert, did a great job of understanding our unique business, including all the ins and outs of it being family-run. Judd has become part of our family and played a crucial role in helping my brother and I learn to communicate well, work efficiently and be a strong team. He was able to analyze our personality strengths and weaknesses, recognized our different ways of processing information and helped us work together seamlessly.

I now have complete confidence in my ability to manage this company going forward. I have the tools and the understanding I lacked before engaging with Cogent. It was the best thing we could have done for ourselves, our employees and our family. I would highly recommend Cogent to anyone who wants a better understanding of their business and wants to make their business better.

Sincerely,
Elena Miller, COO & CFO
Reedy Chemical Foam & Specialty Additives

Reedy Chemical Foam Letter – 1

To Whom it May Concern:
Reedy Chemical Foam began working with Cogent Analytics 7 weeks ago. We are pleased with the service we received, and we are very excited to put what we have learned into practice. Judd Andres, Consulting Project Director, was a pleasure to work with. Judd helped us to define our pain points and began implementing business improvements practices like a new inventory management system and cash flow system. We together worked on short-term fixes with a long-term view.

I appreciate the focus Judd helped us to cultivate and the patience with which he carried out his actions. We needed help implementing analytical tools and populating those tools with correct information. We accomplished that action and have already born fruits from what we have learned. I am confident that our company is stronger now than we were before working with Cogent Analytics.

Respectfully yours,
Peter K. Schroeck
President & CEO
Reedy Chemical Foam & Specialty Additives.

K&D Factory Services Letter

Signing on with Cogent Analytsics, has been one of the best decisions made by our company’s CFO/CEO.

From day one, Adam Wedrychowicz, was a thrill to have as a part of our team. He understood and believed in our company’s values and morals, and made sure to keep those in min~ with each and every transition put into place. He lived our lives and knew every aspect of our company, good and bad.

During the times we were struggling to see the future he was describing, and of our staff struggled to accept the changes being implement, somehow Adam keep a positive outlook every day and with every interaction.

Sometimes it is hard to believe he was only here four-months, because our company made so many improvements during our time with Adam. However, if anyone were to ask, “would we do this again, would we make the same choice and sign with Cogent?” The answer would be 1 million times over, “Yes!”

Courtney Dibeler
VP of Operations

Daniel Dibeler
CFO/CEO

Clyde McHenry, Inc. Letter

To Whom It May Concern:

Prior to engaging Cogent, we were using an overhead rate for project estimating that was too low. Although, we knew it was incorrect, we were having a difficult time honing in on what the rate should be. We calculated it in-house and asked our CPA to help us out. However, things were still not right. Kevin reviewed our numbers, assessed how things were working in our business and developed a spreadsheet that will help us calculate the overhead rate and stay on top of it as it changes. He emphasized that it is crucial that we are aware of the Company’s overhead factor and recommended that we calculate breakeven by projects.

Cogent helped us see the value in revising our organizational structure and putting more accountability measures in place. By the end of our time with Kevin, we had a new organizational structure as well as thorough job descriptions which included measures of performance. Cogent also advised us against using annual Christmas bonuses as a motivational tool. Instead, Kevin recommended that any additional compensation be based on annual performance reviews.

Cogent has recommended that we run our business using a management accounting approach. He helped us make changes to our chart of accounts that will provide better information for us when we do our monthly financial review. This approach will allow us to make better business decisions.

Cogent’ s approach has worked well for us. Management was permitted to focus on its daily duties as Kevin assessed our issues and worked on solving them. He, then, helped us implement the solutions, providing training to our staff which will enable us to maintain positive results. Finally, Cogent developed key metrics with us. Therefore, the data will inform us if things begin to go off track and we can take steps to right the ship again. Clyde McHenry, Inc. will be moving forward with Cogent’s Lifecycle Management Program to help us maintain the process and progress made to date.

Gina M. Williams
President

Bryton Corporation Letter

It has been a pleasure to work closely with Mr. Vogl for the past 3 months while we revamped many of our business processes. Jerry has a great sense of humor and a unique way of calmly staying focused on the end results. He has been very effective in helping us make the changes we needed to make, much better than we could ever have done.

He quickly grasped our challenges & a knowledge of the personalities involved and was able to offer real life experience to our needs.

One of Jerry’s slogans is “don’t let perfect get in the way of better”. No doubt our business is immeasurably better today than it was at the start of this process and will continue to get better.

For us, it was a big deal to bring in an outside firm to tell where we needed help in our business but from start to finish we have been very impressed with Mr. Vogl and the whole Cogent process.

Many thanks to you and the team at Cogent.

Sincerely,
Jim Samuels
General Manager

Window Specialists, Inc. Letter

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend an outstanding business consulting service to you. The Cogent Analytics team recently completed a consulting job at Window Specialists Inc. and the changes implemented have streamlined our processes and improved our business. With the knowledge and expertise gained from years of analyzing businesses, Cogent Analytics educated my staff and me about best practices, organizational changes and development of new strategies.

The Cogent Analytics team was able to help my staff and I understand ways to more effectively perform our daily work tasks. Even older staff members who have been with the company since the beginning were receptive to Cogent’s ideas. We were coached and got the best from each and every one of the Cogent Team members in terms of review, analysis, and counsel. The reevaluation of our processes and changes made significantly improved the work flow in our office and in our field.

Demonstrating skill and knowledge in every aspect of business operations, Cogent was able to make improvement in our cash management system which has contributed to being able to manage our business effectively and address financial issues before they “land on our doorstep”. Cogent’s research and information gathering skills are surpassed only by their compelling presentation of findings and recommendations for improvements. The Cogent team not only made suggestions for changes, but were able to educate my staff and myself and explain the reasons for the changes and convince my staff to enthusiastically get on board.

If you are seeking a consulting service to help you effect changes that will have a positive impact on your company, I believe Cogent Analytics can make a difference with your company.

Sincerely,

Jennie Brossman, VP, GM

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