"There is something uniquely fulfilling about owning your own business, particularly a career development firm such as ours, where you have the opportunity to strategize with organizations as they adapt themselves to meet uncertain and turbulent market conditions. Your counsel is sought by highly successful business people who recognize the value you add as you partner with individuals to optimize their talents, skills, and abilities." Clyde C. Lowstuter, President and CEO

Robertson Lowstuter International-A Unique Franchise Company Robertson Lowstuter International (RLI) recently awarded a new Robertson Lowstuter franchise in Iowa. It is the Quad Cities office, owned by Dan DePuydt and Scott White. It has been Clyde's long-term dream in the making. The growth of Robertson Lowstuter since 1981 has been deliberate and strategic. Using the Deerfield office as a model, Robertson Lowstuter expanded its offices in 1990 to Grand Rapids, MI, under the leadership of Scott Anderson and in 1995 to Des Moines, IA, under the direction of Tom Keating. In 1996, they expanded the Des Moines territory to Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, IA, under the management of Denise Accola. Tom Keating most recently opened a Sioux City franchise office, which is being managed and serviced by Linda Bowden and Robert Coacher. Clyde's strategic plan has been to create a franchise system to grow the RL trademark and services to better meet the national and international needs of our client companies. Each new office will provide the full range of customized RL consulting services, including Change Management, Career Assessment, Career Enhancement, and Career Transition/Outplacement. Within the broad venue of Change Management consulting is executive coaching, high-performance team building, and the group workshop "Thriving in Rapid Organizational Change," to name a few. Franchising is the most rapidly-growing business model in the world today. It represents an opportunity to be in business for yourself, while not being by yourself. RLI is using franchising as a business forum methodology for entrepreneurs to establish an RL business utilizing our successful track record, product knowledge, technical support, and solid marketplace reputation. RLI is deeply committed to maintaining the highest quality standards and support to the franchisees. Helping franchise owners launch, manage, and grow their RL businesses means being satisfied only when the franchisee is fully grounded in the nuances of RLI's programs, has achieved counseling competencies, and is producing consistently high levels of sales. Currently, there are more than 540,000 franchise businesses today, accounting for one-third of all retail sales, with annual revenues exceeding $760 billion. Mike Powers, in How to Open a Franchise Business, estimated that franchises will represent 50% of the total retail sales of all products by the year 2000.   An Interview with RL Quad Cities Franchise Owners, Dan DePuydt and Scott White Why did you decide to start up an RL franchise? Dan: "The RL mission and values seemed very consistent with our own philosophies and standards. Having been personally downsized from a VP HR role at a major organization, I have seen firsthand the substantive impact reengineering has had on business. I am excited about being able to partner with clients in these demanding business environments to help rechannel their energies through the proactive win-win programs of Change Management, Career Development, and Career Enhancement that Robertson Lowstuter has developed. Having gone through the RL outplacement process myself, I can attest to the depth and tremendous quality that candidates receive. Both Scott and I were truly interested in being able to connect to a business where we could use our talents and skill sets to make a difference." Scott, have you ever been affected by job loss or career transition? Scott: "As my most recent organization went from being a homebuilder to a real estate developer, I helped consolidate the job duties throughout my company. As we redesigned and reengineered the company, I had to redefine my role and transition from being an executive to the role of a consultant. I was called upon to build a base of additional business and market myself and our company to others. This experience will prove, I'm sure, to be of great value to our new RL business." How did you and Scott meet to partner up in this venture? Dan: "We were friends in Denver where we were both involved as officers of a non-profit organization which provided material resources and support to eastern bloc countries. In looking at the RL business, we felt that our skill sets complemented each other. Scott, with a BA in psychology from DePauw University and an MBA from the University of Denver, as well as a CPA, has the management components necessary for the sound development of a new business. My background, on the other hand, has been in diverse businesses in Fortune 500 companies as a senior HR executive, building and leading effective teams and business units, as an attorney, dealing with labor and industrial relations, and in consulting, sales, marketing, and engineering. My undergraduate work was done at the University of Detroit in mechanical engineering with a JD from the Detroit College of Law. I have been able to help companies move forward profitably in the midst of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, and restructurings." What are some of the challenges facing you in your start-up? Scott: "Our immediate challenge is getting our office space built out and open. We are excited about our premier, easily-accessed location with 3100 square feet of upscale offices in a tranquil, park-like setting. We are pleased with our potential new business clients and are anxious to see a solid base of business, built in a relational and methodical manner, become a reality. Whatever we do, we will do right. We are blessed by the support of our wives, Suzy and Lin, of 25 and 27 years of marriage, and by our families who help keep us grounded in this process. As an RL franchise, our consulting firm is independently owned and operated. We have selected Triumph Consulting as our name, and we plan to be victorious and make a difference in helping our client companies and their employees achieve optimal performance."