"These guys have been great. They developed a protocol for conducting benchmarking that can be re-used and has been applied across the West Coast utilities. Linda is capable of working with large organizations or smaller work groups. And let me tell you, she is considered and recognized as a national leader in benchmarking. She has a national reputation and is known as one of the best people in the country for this kind of work."

Scott Haskins, Lead Western Regional Water Utility Benchmarking Group

"One of their great strengths was the data mining. It allowed us to manage by fact and showed us what was possible. They were very good with the subject matter experts and people at the working level. In my estimation, it was a great partnership between a client and a consultant."

Rick Krochalis, former Director, City of Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use

"I've been in sessions where Linda was speaking, with leaders participating from around the country. They'd get up and say the usual stuff you hear. But when Linda talked…well, she's very creative, but she has a way. When she speaks, everyone listens. You don't want to miss one word, because they're powerful. And she's very efficient with her words. What you hear from her is not what you hear from any of the others. And the words turn out to be so powerful because of the ideas behind them. And for those of us involved in organizational learning and process, what you get from Linda turns out to be, truly, best practices-not just in the United States. I mean, this is worldwide stuff. Her concepts, even if they haven't become implemented practices yet, are best practice level."

Scott Haskins, Former Deputy Director, Operations, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle, WA

 

"We were able to reduce our costs of manufacturing by about 20%. Things now are more simple and streamlined. We eliminated redundancies. ... we were... better prepared to upgrade our technology system when the time came. We knew what it needed to facilitate and what the full compliment of applications were... We wouldn't have known that if we hadn't gone through the process we had with Linda's group. ...we [also]... ended up with a greater sense of camaraderie. Our people became better at problem solving for themselves. The... positive relationships between people went up significantly."

Rick Fairbanks, WR White Company, Ogden, UT

"They were great at facilitating employee involvement. They have extreme expertise. We knew we wanted to work with Linda. She is a great teacher. She builds relationships very quickly."

Mary Robinson, Puget Sound Energy

"One of the great things about Linda and her group is that they are both technical and also able to see the vision, the big picture. She is very tenacious and sometimes driven. Which is great and what is needed. One of the biggest results, best benefits... was... mapping the processes. It was incredibly helpful to be able to actually look at the maze. And then, being able to see it clearly, we were able to figure out how to change how we did our reviews, to simplify, and save a lot of time. We went from an average of a week or two to process a permit, to 3 days. What makes Linda especially effective is that she has a very humble spirit. She engenders consensus among people, just from the spirit of her interactions. I think that the fact that she really cares is transmitted."

Sharon White, Deputy Director, Customer Service, Seattle Public Utilities

"Demarche is good at process redesign. Be prepared to have organizational weaknesses exposed, including weaknesses in organizational leadership. Often changes in organization and staffing are required to effectively implement redesign. The consultants cannot "own" the redesign process - this is the job of the organizational leadership itself. The consultants can point out the way, but it is the organization who travels down the path of reinventing itself - this process takes time and can be painful in the process, but is worth it in the end."

Roberta Baker, Manager, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA

"Demarche is a strong business process engineering firm with wide-ranging and diverse skill sets. They were adaptable and flexible. One of their strongest assets is the ability to tailor the work to the organization."

Craig Ladiser, Director, Planning and Development Services, Snohomish County, WA, formerly Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA

"Of the consulting firms I've worked with over the past 20 years this is the only one who truly LISTENED and guided our efforts. Their style of communication and use of tools to help us to understand how we need to focus our efforts and attention were extremely valuable. Dr. Paralez has the ability to bring complex concepts into focus and demystify the systems approach to problem solving. My experience with Demarche taught me more in a rather brief period of time than I learned in all the seminars and courses taken on the same subjects over the past several years. Their hands on approach and willingness to challenge conventional thought and perceptions leads you to a better organization. I highly recommend this firm."

Pam Miller, Manager, Planning and Development Services, Snohomish County, WA

"This was a challenging project scope, with multiple complexities. Demarche managed the entire project with great leadership, focus and outcomes. The project went far above our expectations, met all the political, financial and schedule challenges far ahead of expectations. We would seek Demarche Consulting again for any future project."

Nancy Locke, Purchasing Manager, City of Lynnwood, Snohomish County, Lynnwood, WA