How it Began
Celia Dietrich founded Dietrich Partners in 2014 after identifying a gap in the consulting industry – believing there was a better way to deliver services to clients by developing true partnerships rooted in listening and holding a deep understanding of client needs. As an alternative to the limited one-size-fits-all business model that many consulting firms practice, Dietrich Partners works alongside clients to lead and support M&A transactions, deliver complex programs, and optimize a company’s performance to maximize its ultimate value. Dietrich is a nationally recognized management consulting firm with a client roster encompassing public and privately held companies, private equity, and the public sector; ranging in size from middle market to Fortune 100. While agnostic, Dietrich serves clients across an extensive range of industries including healthcare, financial services, utilities, manufacturing, government, hospitality, construction, and agriculture.
Specifically in the middle market and private equity space, Dietrich saw a unique opportunity to provide quality services to companies who have historically not received operational counsel to ensure their infrastructures were efficient and scalable. Local and regional accounting firms work with this client base to provide accounting and tax services, but rarely have these companies benefited from guidance on how to integrate an acquisition, or improve systems and efficiency through process adjustments, all of which achieve greater value when it is time to sell the business.
Born to Stand Out
Dietrich Partners has a broad base of competitors, competing against the Big 4 consulting firms as well as niche industry vendors and boutique consulting companies. Many of these larger consulting firms have primarily focused on heavily funded, venture-backed start-ups or major corporations enabling Dietrich to more broadly serve the middle market where they believed value was often left on the table.
Since inception, Dietrich has built a strong reputation for delivering valuable services that consider the science and best practices of established processes equally with the creativity and autonomy to deliver personalized results. Each Dietrich team members brings both consulting and operating experience, relative context, and an unparalleled passion for clients’ success – making Dietrich Partners truly unique in their industry. Dietrich clients have come to expect the quality and expertise of a larger firm, with an ease of engagement and partnership of a boutique firm. The volume of repeat and referral clients demonstrates Dietrich’s success in delivering a unique consulting experience.
Live to Give Back
Dietrich is able to “hire, live, and retire by its core values” by utilizing an intentional and thorough hiring approach. This process ensures the hiring of top-tier talent who align with the firm’s values and enhance corporate culture. By prioritizing people and purpose, Dietrich has built a culture that values strong relationships within their own team, with clients, and the community and has established a foundation that enables this culture to thrive.
To strengthen their bond, the team regularly comes together for events such as virtual dinners, happy hours, volunteer activities, annual golf tournaments, and other celebratory events. In addition to internal connection, Dietrich reinforces the strong team dynamic by supporting the community through quarterly volunteer activities. Throughout these efforts, the team has prepared PowerSack meals with Food for Thought, raised funds for Goodwill Industries of Denver’s career development programs, and volunteered hundreds of hours with Mile High United Way. These frequent connections support a vibrant and diverse workplace, , honest and ethical behavior, celebration of personal growth, flexibility and accountability, and most importantly, a culture of genuine respect and admiration for one another.
In 2020, Dietrich earned a Great Places to Work certification for the third consecutive year, scoring 100% in five areas of the survey, including the question “Would you consider Dietrich Partners a great place to work?” During a year when maintaining culture and connection was universally challenging, this result is a true testament to Dietrich’s successful company culture.
The Road to Resiliency
Like most companies, Dietrich’s path to success has not been a straight line. In 2018, the company experienced significant losses and internal challenges that were severe enough to put Dietrich’s existence in jeopardy. Following two senior leaders failing to live by Dietrich’s core values, the company faced a deteriorating culture and client base. In response, Celia successfully transformed the company by relying on her intuition and elevating those she trusted around her. Now, the team operates efficiently, with transparency, and follows the same approaches and habits internally as it has always applied to its work with clients. As recognition of these efforts, Celia earned the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business award in 2019.
Less than a year after Dietrich successfully achieved its own turnaround, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like many companies, Dietrich navigated the impacts of the pandemic with various personnel absent due to personal experiences with the virus. The resilience and strength of the team as well as the services they delivered were put to the test. Fortunately, Dietrich was able to maintain every single client and employee, and even saw growth in their headcount and client base. Although discretionary dollars were being cut by clients across the board, Dietrich teams were asked to remain engaged. Emerging from the pandemic, Dietrich continues to see demand for its services, as the markets and clients supported are focused on hiring, acquisitions, expansion of product offerings, completing partial integrations, and kicking-off significant transformational efforts. The ability to remain relevant and successful during this time serves as a testament to the value the Dietrich team delivers.
Building a culture of resilience is something that Celia considers one of the driving forces for success. Some of the core principles that have been key to Dietrich Partners’ prosperity include being firm, focused, and uncompromising when it comes to upholding values and standards for integrity, finding purpose in every corner of profit, and avoiding overthinking with a foreground of action over analysis. Learn more about these theories in Celia’s article with the Colorado Sun on how to build a culture of resilience and overcome adversity. Colorado Sun Resilience Article
