About Us
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”
Socrates
About Creative partnerships, Inc.
The small business leader's "GO TO" back-up team
We equip business leaders to turn people, processes, and operations problems into profits by providing best practices to minimize waste, missed opportunities, and costly missteps.
About Creative partnerships, Inc.
Our story
In 1980, Julie Kowalski, founder of Creative Partnerships, was waiting tables when the owner of the restaurant where she worked asked if she wanted to help open a new property. She said “yes”, the gig went great, and her desire to enter the world of business came to life.
Unbeknownst to Julie, Mr. Muer, who had in short time become her mentor was a pretty big deal. He had developed a nationwide reputation opening new properties that delivered a first-day customer experience that was no different from any other day of operation. He accomplished this by his uncompromising allegiance to a few key principles:
The customer experience must be built into every part of the business. Every goal. Every decision. Every nuance.
Excellence is the result of an unrelenting commitment to accepting nothing less.
Though others may believe “it can’t be done”, it’s always worthwhile to pursue what’s possible.
Excellence is the result of an unrelenting commitment to accepting nothing less.
Though others may believe “it can’t be done”, it’s always worthwhile to pursue what’s possible.
- The customer experience must be built into every part of the business. Every goal. Every decision. Every nuance.
- Excellence is the result of an unrelenting commitment to accepting nothing less.
- Though others may believe “it can’t be done”, it’s always worthwhile to pursue what’s possible.
It was that experience that, just a few years later, inspired Julie to launch Creative Partnerships based on Mr. Muer’s timeless principles. In 2021, our small but mighty business celebrated 35 years of success. Over that time, we’ve become known for building better mousetraps, tackling the “impossible”, and always leaving things better than we found them.
Please check out our client testimonials here and our success stories here to learn more about our work and client delight.”
How we roll
Please take a moment to review our core values to make sure we’re the kind of people you’d feel great about working with.
Discovery is our “thing”. We pursue untapped opportunity through open minds, challenging paradigms, and tapping into potential. We’re diligent stone turners and unstoppable possibility thinkers.
Building on mutually shared ideas and opinions is the absolute best way to demonstrate that no matter where we are, we can find a mutually beneficial path forward together.
We respectfully “dig deeper” to confirm understanding, uncover the unspoken, and cause people to think in new and inspired ways.
Productive progress is made outside the limitations of either/or, right/wrong, and yes/no binary options. We uncover our best solutions through both/and thinking that exposes truths and limitations of all sides.
We believe all voices should be heard without prejudice or pressure to conform. We promote respectful dialog, tolerance for different perspectives, and keeping our offense triggers in check.
Each person’s journey is a sacred experience we deeply respect. We’re huge believers in second chances and human potential. It’s our job to support and inspire without judgment or hidden agendas.
THE VALUES THAT GROUND OUR WORK
Please take a moment to review our core values to make sure we’re the kind of people you’d feel great about working with.
Discovery is our “thing”. We pursue untapped opportunity through open minds, challenging paradigms, and tapping into potential. We’re diligent stone turners and unstoppable possibility thinkers.
Building on mutually shared ideas and opinions is the absolute best way to demonstrate that no matter where we are, we can find a mutually beneficial path forward together.
We respectfully “dig deeper” to confirm understanding, uncover the unspoken, and cause people to think in new and inspired ways.
Productive progress is made outside the limitations of either/or, right/wrong, and yes/no binary options. We uncover our best solutions through both/and thinking that exposes truths and limitations of all sides.
We believe all voices should be heard without prejudice or pressure to conform. We promote respectful dialog, tolerance for different perspectives, and keeping our offense triggers in check.
Each person’s journey is a sacred experience we deeply respect. We’re huge believers in second chances and human potential. It’s our job to support and inspire without judgment or hidden agendas.
Let’s make this our litmus test.
Anyone who’s heard a few online dating stories knows that it doesn’t matter how hot the photo or clever the profile, nothing beats aligned values when it comes to matchmaking.
Like you, we’ve seen countless lists of values on plaques, pins, and posters. Far too many skew toward what others want to hear rather than what truly lives and breathes inside the organization. We call that playing it safe.
We’re not concerned about playing it safe (something you probably noticed by now). We’re looking to align with clients who appreciate who we are without the photoshopping.
We hope you agree.
Pursuing Possibility
We believe “what is” never defines what’s possible. We’re diligent stone turners who ferociously reject the notion of “it can’t be done“.
Common
Ground
Building on mutually shared ideas and opinions is the absolute best way to demonstrate that no matter where we are, we can find a mutually beneficial path forward together.
Conscious Curiosity
We respectfully “dig deeper” to confirm understanding, uncover the unspoken, and cause people to think in new and inspired ways.
Both/and Thinking
We believe productive progress is made outside the limitations of binary options. We fiercely explore the truths and limitations of all sides to uncover optimal solutions.
Authentic Discourse
We believe all voices should be heard without prejudice or pressure to conform. We promote respectful dialog, tolerance for different perspectives, and keeping our offense triggers in check.
No
Agendas
Each person’s journey is a sacred experience requiring deep respect. We believe in second chances and human potential. It’s our job to support and inspire without judgment or hidden agendas.
Possibility Thinkings
Discovery is our “thing”. We pursue untapped opportunity through open minds, challenging paradigms, and tapping into potential. We’re diligent stone turners and unstoppable possibility thinkers.
Common
Ground
Building on mutually shared ideas and opinions is the absolute best way to demonstrate that no matter where we are, we can find a mutually beneficial path forward together.
Conscious Curiosity
We respectfully “dig deeper” to confirm understanding, uncover the unspoken, and cause people to think in new and inspired ways.
Full-Spectrum Thinking
Productive progress is made outside the limitations of either/or, right/wrong, and yes/no binary options. We uncover our best solutions through both/and thinking that exposes truths and limitations of all sides.
Authentic Discourse
We believe all voices should be heard without prejudice or pressure to conform. We promote respectful dialog, tolerance for different perspectives, and keeping our offense triggers in check.
No
Agendas
Each person’s journey is a sacred experience we deeply respect. We’re huge believers in second chances and human potential. It’s our job to support and inspire without judgment or hidden agendas.
Our Core Team
We provide the best possible solutions to our clients
For thirty years, Creative Partnerships set the standard for using collaboration across disciplines to provide the best possible solutions to our clients.
The individuals below represent the Creative Partnerships’ core team. Each has achieved remarkable success as an individual practitioner. Together, our collection of talents, experience, strategic partnerships, and tools present a formidable foe against your people, process, and operations problems.
Our Core Team
How we make things happen
Creative Partnerships brings its story to life through an eclectic team of passionate collaborators who love making things better. Not better as in “less wrong”; better as in moving from good to great. Each of us has a unique sweet spot and knowledge that can only be learned by having spent time in the trenches.
Though our disciplines differ, we’re aligned around the belief that amazing things are always possible. We share a resolute refusal to believe the barriers are too great or the odds too long.
- Over 150 years of combined experience playing in performance improvement sandboxes around the world.
- Contributed to the success of over 5,500 companies, from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs (some say size matters, but we loved them all the same).
- Added over $135M to our clients’ balance sheets.
- Created nearly a thousand proprietary assets.
- Supported businesses representing all but a handful of industries.
Our bragging rights
You may be wondering what our team of inspired, make-it-happen mavericks has to show for three decades of working together to make things better wherever we go. Well, wonder no more. Together, we have:
- Gained over 150 years of combined experience playing in performance improvement sandboxes around the world.
- Contributed to the success of over 15,000 companies, from entrepreneurs to the Fortune 100
- Added over $135+ M to our clients’ balance sheets.
- Created nearly a thousand proprietary assets.
- Supported businesses representing all but a handful of industries.
Talented professionals
