top of page

ABOUT US

Strategic Solutions

Gillum Strategy Partners is a boutique strategic consulting firm providing services to top tier clients in a broad base of industries, including manufacturing, services and technology. GSP's areas of expertise include go-to-market strategies, marketing effectiveness, channel and alliance management, growth strategies, sales productivity and operational improvement. We emphasize pragmatic solutions with measurable results and often work with our clients through implementation. Gillum Strategy Partners was founded in 2001.

What we believe:

  • Strategy must be executable

  • Success is through implementation

  • Success must be quantifiable

  • Change must last

 

How we work:

  • Lean, senior-weighted teams

  • Rapid results

  • Fact-based recommendations

  • Highly collaborative

 

Depth of experience:

  • All GSP Partners have operating experience

  • GSP has supported hundreds of high impact projects since its founding

 

In addition to helping our clients solve critical business challenges, GSP is also committed to helping the community. We make contributions of time, effort and financial resources to the following organizations:

  • Better Government Association

  • Chicago JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge

  • Children's Tumor Foundation

  • Evans Scholars Foundation

  • Grosse Pointe Academy

  • Himalayan Children's Charities

  • Inspiration Cafe

  • Menomonee Club for Boys and Girls

  • Motor City Open

  • Nairobi Children's Home

  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society

  • Native American Boys & Girls Club of America

  • Rainbows International

  • St. Chrysostoms Day School

  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure

  • Tsunami Relief Efforts

  • Trinity Mental Health Shelter

MANAGEMENT TEAM

We distinguish ourselves through our practical strategies, driven by principals who "have walked in your shoes." Our operational experience drives us to constantly ask ourselves - "would we sign up to execute this strategy?" Our consulting experience brings the perspective our clients expect from outside advisors as well as the ability to deliver results within an aggressive time frame. And our academic experience enables the rigor we apply to our business research and recommendations.

BG photo.jpg

Brad Gillum

Managing Partner

Mr. Gillum, Managing Partner of Gillum Strategy Partners, helps clients create value and solve complex problems. He brings deep consulting and operational experience with a focus on developing strategies that drive results. Mr. Gillum has led client engagements for top tier manufacturing and service companies, including product strategy, growth initiatives, marketing program development, channel strategy, sales force productivity, pricing optimization, implementation of strategic planning processes and production network optimization. Mr. Gillum has served over 100 clients ranging from Fortune 200 companies to private equity backed firms. 

Prior to Gillum Strategy Partners, Mr. Gillum served on the executive team of Participate Systems where he led solution deployment and management engagements – with P&L and leadership responsibility for the 60 person professional services group. He formulated and implemented many elements of Participate System's strategy and methodology, managed key partner relationships, conducted infrastructure build-out, hiring, staff training and development. 

Prior to Participate Systems, Mr. Gillum was with Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he worked with clients in the financial services, consumer goods, beverages, manufacturing, automotive, trucking and aerospace industries to increase revenue, profitability and operational efficiency. While at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Mr. Gillum led engagements ranging from acquisition analysis to business process redesign to reconfiguration of distribution systems. 

Prior to Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Mr. Gillum was with The Quaker Oats Company in Corporate Planning and the Beverages group. In these roles, Mr. Gillum helped to develop and implement operating and strategic plans as well as evaluate major investments. Mr. Gillum conducted a number of studies leading to refinement of acquisition, promotion and pricing strategies. 

Mr. Gillum started his career with Andersen Consulting, now Accenture, where he designed, built and implemented distribution systems for The Quaker Oats Company and Sears. Mr. Gillum holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. 

Mr. Gillum and his wife live with their two daughters in the Chicago area.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

We believe that impactful strategy is developed through a straightforward process based on teamwork, fact based analysis and creative thinking. We work with our clients to develop strategies which drive step function improvements in their businesses. We are practical strategists - trying to avoid over-complicating problems, and instead focusing on strategies that drive the greatest results with the least execution difficulty.

​

We are known for our ability to work well with client teams, leveraging their domain expertise while bringing new ideas and analytics. Together we creatively develop solutions to very challenging opportunities.

​

We use the scientific approach in our projects. This begins with developing a keen understanding of the underlying value drivers of a business and industry dynamics. This then leads to robust hypothesis generation on what we believe could be the best strategies to pursue. We then test these hypotheses using gathered data to prove or disprove the alternatives - and isolate the strategies with the most promise. We then place considerable importance on designing an implementation plan with our client team that ensures the strategy will get executed, and establishing metrics that will confirm that the strategy is working as planned.

​

We strive to perform outstanding work for our clients, and believe that if we serve our clients well, the rest will take care of itself.

bottom of page