iSpring is rapidly defining themselves as a leader in providing sustainability expertise to the private sector. Read about their recently completed sustainability project with Kraft Foods below, in addition to their numerous other successful projects.
Case Stories
Alternative Energy at Kraft Foods
iSpring, in collaboration with Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center, worked with Kraft Foods’ Lehigh Valley facility to analyze alternative energy options that might be implemented at their facility. The three-month project included research into solar, wind, and biofuel technologies. Under iSpring’s guidance, project personnel analyzed the technical feasibility of the various options as well as the financial implications of their adoption. The project culminated in the creation of two decision support tools, one for wind and one for solar. The tools provided the Kraft Foods Lehigh plant personnel with the capability to make preliminary decisions on the feasibility of wind or solar energy for their site. The project also laid the groundwork for investigation into the use of a geothermal system for energy generation.
Where Do We Grow Next?
An early stage company patented an innovative product for a niche industry. They were very successful in their initial product launch and made a significant impact on their industry. When the opportunity presented itself to integrate their invention into a completely different product, the entrepreneurs realized that what they had was not so much a successful industry-specific product as a platform technology which might have much broader applications.
The company’s experienced business consultant brought in iSpring to work with the entrepreneurs to identify potential markets. Samantha and Andrea met with the entrepreneurs to get a better understanding of the product’s features and functionality, along with their desire to sell into an OEM situation, not on the retail level. The combination of Samantha’s technical expertise with Andrea’s market savvy fueled the search that utilized a variety of resources, both on-line and real world, such as websites, white papers, personal contacts, and industry groups. iSpring identified thirteen broad industry applications that might develop into potential markets in either the near- or long-term. Some of these markets represented natural product extensions while others represented entirely new industry applications. From those thirteen, four opportunities were chosen as the most attractive possibilities for future expansion.
The company now has four identified directions for growth that they can pursue as appropriate. Rather than waiting until circumstances forced them to move in a new direction, these entrepreneurs have taken active steps to plot growth opportunities that make the most sense for them.
Planning for Growth
MADCAP Music Camps had been operating successfully for eleven years. The camps’ director believed that the local market offered significant room for growth in number, size and profitability. Specifically, the goal was to quadruple the bottom line. But the camps were a one-person operation. The challenge was: Can the camps grow as the director envisioned and, if so, what kind of changes would be necessary?
iSpring began with information-gathering from all of the camp stakeholders, including individual interviews with the director, teachers and parents as well as survey input from camp students. An internet-based competitive market analysis supplemented the research. This information formed the basis for a SWOT analysis of the current camp operation - marketing, finance, administration, and infrastructure. Combining the SWOT analysis with an understanding of the director’s financial objectives, iSpring developed appropriate financial metrics based on historical data and constructed a multi-year financial projection that identified the components necessary to reach the financial objectives. From this projection and the market research that had been conducted, iSpring could then construct marketing and infrastructure development plans necessary to support the vision.
As a result of iSpring’s work, the camp director has a clear basis for the belief that the desired growth is possible and a detailed blueprint for how to accomplish that growth. iSpring provided a multi-year financial pro forma, a marketing plan with specific marketing program and design recommendations and an accompanying marketing calendar, recommendations for infrastructure growth including software and staffing suggestions, administrative templates, and facilities and collaboration options. In addition, iSpring completed the initial collateral re-design for the camp brochures.
Ready. Set. Go.
An engineer identified an opportunity to spin a new company off from a state-sponsored university program. The company would provide consulting as well as software development services to large-scale product development organizations. However, the engineer had no experience in new company start-up or development. Andrea worked closely with the engineer to identify and develop all the internal processes necessary to get the new company started at the lowest cost possible. In fact, this company boot-strapped its entire start-up operation. The infrastructure that she designed and implemented served to support the development of the corporation as it acquired venture capital funding and expanded to three U.S. and one foreign location with over 180 employees.
When the time came for the corporation to acquire another through merger, Andrea managed the combining of the two, dissimilar corporate cultures. Her skill and innovation in accomplishing this difficult task earned her the following praise from the president of the acquired corporation, “Bringing two corporate cultures together has been hard, and will continue to be (I expect). I want you to know that you make it easier…You get stuff done…I want to say it…‘THANKS’”.
Knowing Your Market
A mid-size financial services firm was developing a new wealth management offering. Recognizing that a new generation of individuals wanting more control and input into how their wealth was managed was becoming a large portion of the market, the company wanted to develop a set of decision-support tools to enhance their offering. Through interviews and meetings with members of this new target demographic, Samantha developed a series of offline tools to help individuals run different scenarios and make more informed decisions about managing their assets. These tools were designed to integrate seamlessly with a proprietary online application that allowed users to see their full financial picture and share information with their closest advisors. The new offering was designed to allow the company to differentiate itself from the sea of financial services firms entering the wealth management arena.
Partnering to Repair a Riparian Environment
A company whose property bordered a trophy trout stream wanted to reclaim the creekside from the flocks of Canada geese that had denuded the landscape and left behind a slimy, muddy mess. Working on the company’s behalf, Andrea set up a partnership with the local conservancy network. Together, they created a project to acquire matching state funding, educate and involve neighboring property owners, enlist volunteers including company employees and a local Boy Scout troop, and solicit in-kind donations of labor and materials from contractors. The successful project resulted in a repaired millrace and a restored riparian environment that continues to this day to shade the trout stream and, by means of natural habitat, discourage the return of the Canada geese to the area.
Art-Powered Alliances for Better Results
Seeking an unusual vehicle to do fund-raising in a significant anniversary year, an acclaimed professional chamber orchestra worked with Andrea and Samantha to execute the Painted Violins project. While the basic concept had been utilized by orchestras in other cities, the project framework needed to be honed and refined for the specifics of the situation. A process was created to acquire defunct violins at little or no cost. New alliances and networks were developed to identify artists willing to donate their services to paint the violins and museums and universities willing to exhibit the finished works. An integrated website provided the broader public with access to the bidding process. New and expanded marketing channels were identified and employed to maximize the size of the bidding audience. A highly successful live auction of the violins, coupled with an upscale food-tasting event and silent auction, delivered significant additional revenue to the orchestra.
Papers
Creation of eLearning Materials Based on Real-World Content