Spinnaker employees 'rewriting' script on management consulting

Employees are strategists as well as doers, according to the management consulting firm’s nomination to the Richmond area Top Workplaces.

“Oftentimes, we go beyond the traditional management consulting model — becoming embedded within client organizations as both architect and execution specialists,” the nomination states. “We are collaborators. We are your trusted advisors.”

The Henrico County-based company — ranked No. 3 in the small-company category — says it exists to make a positive difference in the lives of people and organizations that it serves.

The consulting group is made up of career banking and finance professionals who specialize in helping financial service organizations get the most out of their processes through business analytics, data management, risk management, regulatory compliance and operations management.

They begin their engagements with companies as active listeners, so they can deliver pragmatic solutions with measurable results, the nomination states. “With a people-first mindset, we’re rewriting the script on financial services consultants.”

Spinnaker CEO and founder Shawn Sweeney, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, is an avid sailor, which underscores the company brand. A spinnaker is a large, three-cornered sail set forward of a yacht’s main sail and used when running before the wind.

The brand extends to an advanced date analytics sister company, Flying Phase, whose name draws from the America’s Cup racing, where innovative designs led to a hydrofoil technology that lifts crafts out of water, so they can travel faster than the wind.

The firm has landed twice on the Inc. 5000, an annual list published by Inc. magazine of the 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held businesses in the U.S. as measured by revenue growth.

Spinnaker’s benefits package include professional learning and development with each consultant expected to complete 40 hours in specialty training, graduate college coursework and conference participation.

Employees receive medical, life and disability insurance options, paid time off and a retirement savings plan with a company match. Remote work schedules align with client needs and expectations during the pandemic.