How To Spin Off A New Consulting Firm

Speaker: Mike Walters, PE, LEED AP, Principal, Confluenc Inc., Madison, Wis.

August 16, 2012

Mike Walters, PE, LEED AP, Principal, Confluenc Inc., Madison, Wis.

Track: Corporate Development

Presentation: How To Spin Off A New Consulting Firm

Time: Oct. 18, 11 a.m.

In this presentation, Mike Walters will explore the opportunities well-established engineering firms have to spin off new firms, or to launch subsidiary firms focusing on a particular engineering specialty. As a previous Principal of a $90 million engineering firm, Mike Walters saw an opportunity his firm was missing out on and-with their blessing and financial support-developed a new firm, Confluenc Inc., that now focuses on institutional strategic energy planning.

Mike Walters launched in April 2012 a consulting firm that focuses on institutional energy planning. Confluenc Inc. aims to facilitate complex decision-making through the use of unique processes and proprietary analytical tools. Mike Walters has provided leadership in the planning and design of sustainable and energy-efficient public, private, and government projects worldwide, including climate action plans for Cornell University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Case Western Reserve; the development of Ohio State University’s Energy and Infrastructure Plan; and the 5 million sq ft LEED Platinum King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. A popular SCUP, Greenbuild, and Labs21 speaker, Mike Walters has been a featured lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and is a frequent lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, where he developed the sustainable building design and LEED course for the College of Engineering. Mike Walters was a 2009 40 Under 40 winner, and is a member of the Consulting-Specifying Engineer editorial advisory board.

Learning objectives:
1. The audience will learn to evaluate the areas in which your firm excels, and which of these has potential value in the market.
2. Audience members will understand how various factors – including internal leadership transition, generational perspectives/motivations, and emerging technology – influence emerging market opportunities.
3. Audience members will obtain and understanding of how to define and craft a basic business plan to present to investors and/or current supervisors.
4. Attendees will understand the value of a large firm breaking into smaller pieces to directly target market needs.
5. The audience will learn how to manage client relationships as these relationships morph into new ones at the new firm.