Growth strategy built for action

Focused growth strategy for businesses ready to move forward.

Many small and mid-sized businesses have strong products, good people, and solid operations - but lack a focused plan for growth. We help you identify the right markets and customers, then turn market insight into practical go-to-market action.

• Start with a Growth Opportunity Review →
• See what we do

⸻   What we do

From market insight to practical action.

We help turn market insight, customer focus, and growth ambition into a practical plan the business can act on.

⸻   How we work

A practical process, from planning to action.

Designed to identify the issues, focus the opportunity, and move from planning to action.

⸻   Case studies

Transformative strategies that drove remarkable growth.

Explore the marketing and business work behind some of the brands and turnarounds we've helped lead.

⸻   Experience

Built on practical experience.

Senior, hands-on experience helping businesses strengthen market position, improve commercial focus, and turn growth strategy into action.

• Retail and franchise systems
• Dealer networks and distribution
• B2B services and manufacturing
• Brand and digital growth
• Commercial decision-making
• Home improvement and products

Background

Home Hardware, the largest independently owned home improvement company in Canada with over 1,000 stores, recognized a unique branding opportunity through research and customer-centric efforts. Consumers perceived independent store owners as providing better service than big-box competitors such as Home Depot, but did not associate Home Hardware as being independently owned.

Strategy

A new positioning was developed to align the homeowner customer with the Home Hardware store owner, focusing on service and ownership. The rebranding included new taglines and visuals across all communication channels, including website, social media, television, digital platforms, and in-store collateral.

Implementation

The complete rebranding initiative aimed to highlight the personal service and dedication of Home Hardware store owners. This comprehensive effort involved:

Outcome

Despite simultaneous new positioning launches by three significant competitors (Home Depot, Canadian Tire, and Rona) with higher media spending, Home Hardware's rebrand stood out and resonated with Canadian consumers.The comprehensive and integrated approach across all communication channels ensured the brand message was clear and consistent, significantly improving brand recognition, consumer preference, and social media engagement.

⸻   Results

• 75% of Canadians correctly identified the new positioning line vs. 15% for competitors
• 25% increase in overall unaided brand awareness
• Double-digit increases in 'First Choice' and 'Last Shopped' metrics
• #1 Retail Brand on Facebook (Canadian Business)
• Named in Canada's Top Social Brands by Strategy Magazine
• Recognized among Canada's Most Valued Brands and Top 25 Brands

Background

As part of Cornerstone Building Brands, Ply Gem Canada was a neglected brand with minimal marketing and strategic support, operating at break-even. Awareness, consideration, and reputation were significantly low.

Strategy

Under new senior leadership, we reengineered the business unit and meticulously crafted strategic plans for Ply Gem's future. We introduced formal marketing communication plans, a new value proposition, ideal customer profiles, and a Voice of the Customer program designed to steer us toward success.

Implementation

We successfully revitalized the Ply Gem brand to appeal to builders and architects, positioning it as synonymous with quality, design, and service. We executed full communication channel planning, including digital and social channels, and redeveloped the website and sales materials to support the new positioning.The newly developed value proposition, crafted through extensive market research and customer feedback, helped guide service, product development, sales, operations and marketing communications.The implementation of Ideal Customer Profiles — built around customer lifetime value and growth potential — combined with the Voice of the Customer program, helped ensure we stayed close to our customers during the rebuild and targeted the most impactful, profitable accounts.

⸻   Results

• Became a North American case study for Cornerstone Building Brands
• Moved from 6th to 2nd place in market share
• Contributed to 165% revenue growth
• Drove an 840 basis point increase in EBITDA

Background

A project was launched for a division of our US business with the clear goals of simplifying the customer experience, enhancing profitability, and optimizing the business. Due to acquisitions, multiple ERP systems had made relevant costs and customer data hard to access.

Strategy

We forged a successful partnership with EY-Parthenon, leveraging their expertise to develop a data cube and critical dashboards. This collaboration was instrumental in bridging data availability and decision-making capability gaps.

Implementation

As the corporate sponsor on the project team, we meticulously collected and cleaned data from various sources, ensuring the highest quality for our comprehensive roadmap. This roadmap was then duplicated across business units, and we created an SKU Scorecard to assess profitability, rationalize SKU counts, and enhance margins and cash flow.A data cube was built to consolidate and aggregate the data — allowing us to drill down and identify specific attributes from different angles. This data cube, the process, and the dashboards it powered would prove invaluable to the leadership team.

⸻   Results

• $5–$7MM in immediate margin and cash flow improvements
• $30MM+ in additional opportunities identified for the future
• Single source of truth across previously siloed ERP systems
• SKU Scorecard adopted across business units

Background

Cornerstone Building Brands Canada was siloed and lacked a structured marketing department, digital or social media channels, corporate marketing functions, or customer feedback mechanisms.

Strategy

Pioneering an integrated, cross-functional strategic plan, we created extensive marketing plans for four banners. These plans identified ideal customer profiles, channel opportunities, value propositions, and launch plans — setting a new standard for marketing strategies inside the business.

Implementation

Embracing a customer-centric approach, we crafted value propositions deeply rooted in customer realities. Product and brand messaging was tailored to specific audiences for each business unit, making them feel heard and understood.We introduced digital and social media channels, new brand identification, and sales support. To capture customer feedback, we introduced customer panels, interviews, and a Net Promoter Score program. Market studies identified geographic, product, and customer opportunities.

⸻   Results

• 800+ basis point revenue improvement over four years
• 30% increase in awareness
• Highest Net Promoter Scores in five years
• Canadian division became a North American growth case study