"Strategic planning really saved us. It allows us to keep the eyes on the prize and focus our board activities."

Dr. Missy Olive, BCBA-D
Executive Director
Florida Association for Behavior Analysis

"I watched your presentation at MAC and I thought it was fantastic. I hope to see you present again in the future."

Taylor VanSpronsen, BCBA
Clinical Supervisor
Great Lakes Center for Autism Treatment and Research - Intensive Residential

"The strategic plan has really helped us to focus on where we want to go. It’s been a great tool for us for these past three years."

Myra S. Dutton, JD, Chief Executive Officer
HGA Support Services

"Thank you so much for all that you have done for Melmark. We so appreciate your leadership throughout the strategic planning process, your visits to both divisions and your presentation at our Expert Speaker Series. It has been wonderful to benefit from your knowledge and guidance."

Rita M. Gardner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Melmark, Inc.

"Compared to other strategic planning processes I was involved in, yours stood out as being extremely efficient and effective!”

Dr. Peter Kurczynski, Chief Scientist
NASA, Cosmic Origins Program Advisory Group

"You are a laser-focused "facilitator!"

Emily Greenman Wright, Vice President
Community Homeworks

"I have found your strategic planning process to be engaging, educational, and even inspiring!"

Dr. Carla M. Koretsky, Dean
College of Arts and Sciences, Western Michigan University

"Peter took a process that’s inherently very complex and made it easy to follow."

Laura Zervic, Executive Director
The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre

"The strategic plan helped us strengthen our financial position so that we could move from being in the red to the black. It also enabled us to build a stronger leadership culture."

Eric L. Wimbley, Executive Director
Pretty Lake Camp - Adventure Centre - Farm

"The BALC has been actively working on the Rapid Recovery Plan. Thank you for your help and guidance! Your process and templates were very useful – especially the 'virtual flipcharts' and the goals-and-strategies templates.”

Dr. Solandy Forte, BCBA-D, President
Behavior Analyst Leadership Council

"I was revisiting the comments by the National Park Service on the Michigan Historic Preservation Plan.  I thought you would be interested in this comment by the NPS reviewer" "This is great.  It really speaks to how Michigan wants their historic preservation effort to be seen. KUDOS!"

Hats off to you for helping us come up with such a concise statement!  I remember we were all surprised that it came together so quickly on that conference call. Rare for SHPO!"

Amy L. Arnold
State Historic Preservation Office

 "Peter did an excellent job of bringing together people in our organization during a difficult time (COVID) to have difficult discussions. During our meetings, Peter guided us to a better understanding of what needed to change. The Recovery Roadmap consisted of results-focused action steps with clear deadlines and responsibilities. It helps staff and board see where the organization wishes to go so they can move forward with purpose and direction. Our strategic planning committee was very pleased with the course to recovery. We hope to use him again for more in-depth strategic planning in the near future."

Colleen Semler, President of the Board
Community Healing Center of Kalamazoo

"Peter Dams was exceptionally skilled at focusing us to arrive at our long term goals and the strategies to get there. While our organization still has much to accomplish, we are excited about the direction Alpine Learning Group is heading after gaining clarity from our work with Peter."

Dr. Bridget A. Taylor, Cofounder and Executive Director
Alpine Learning Group, Inc.

"The purpose of your work was to help the vice presidents craft strategic plans for their divisions and I believe this has been achieved superbly. You were very skillful in encouraging the VPs to develop their plans with a discipline that resulted in a very cohesive set of plans. The core value map is an especially helpful and innovative tool. I had not seen this organized in a similar fashion before, and it is an excellent approach, one I have already used to demonstrate progress on our strategic plan. It has been a pleasure to work with you and the outcomes exceed my expectations. Thank you for guiding and coordinating these efforts so skillfully."

Dr. David L. Eisler, President
Ferris State University

Peter was instrumental in helping us build our roadmap to recovery. Our company had the pleasure of working with Peter Dams during the COVID-19 pandemic to formulate a road map to recovery. Peter was extremely organized and skilled during the entire project. He first aided us in developing our "recovery vision" - our overall goal. Once this goal was developed, Peter strategically guided us through a contemplative plan for action. While he facilitated our group towards an action plan, he was also adept at ensuring that our team developed a plan that would be effective. As a result, we have benefitted by his expertise."

Glenroy Patterson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Trading Spaces ABA

“I first met Peter about six years ago when he facilitated the strategic plan development for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). I have participated in, and even facilitated a great many strategic planning processes over the years, but this was absolutely the best organized and most productive planning process I have ever experienced. In the years since, I have asked Peter to share his expertise as a speaker for many conferences and other professional development activities.

This past April, Peter was kind enough to present for the Behavior Analyst Leadership Council’s Virtual Leadership Forum. His topic was how to create a Rapid Covid-19 Recovery Roadmap. We were barely 10 minutes into his presentation, when I emailed him to ask him to work with Milestones Behavioral Services to generate a recovery plan for our organization.

With Peter’s guidance, we were able to quickly create a comprehensive plan that our entire leadership team is now utilizing to systematically re-open our various programs. I later showed a copy of the Milestone’s recovery plan to the Behavior Analyst Leadership Council’s Board of Directors, who are now in the process of working with Peter to create a Rapid Covid-19 Recovery Plan for this trade association. Even though we are working with the same facilitator and utilizing the same process, it is very clear to me that the resulting documents are entirely unique and pinpoint the strengths, challenges, and opportunities specific to each organization. Peter has an uncommon ability to get people stay focused on the critical elements necessary to the planning process - in no small measure because he is fundamentally a good listener and whip smart.

If we ever experience another significant challenge that disrupts our ability to conduct our day-to-day business, Peter will be the first and most important call I will make.”

Suzanne Letso, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Milestones Behavioral Services

“The strategic planning process that Peter provided was nothing short of unique. He has a rare ability to focus the conversation, take opinions from multiple leaders and combine those into meaningful outputs. We accomplished so much during the two days of strategic planning with Peter and left invigorated and excited to tackle new initiatives for the upcoming year!”

Sara Gershfeld Litvak, Chief Executive Officer
Behavioral Health Center of Excellence

"Thank you so much for your outstanding work on our strategic plan. I had my doubts about the utility of the process when our Board first raised the issue. However, after going through the planning process with you, I am confident that the plan you helped us create will be very useful for the organization and the discipline."

Dr. Jim Carr, CEO
Behavior Analyst Certification Board

“Thank you, Peter, for helping us clarify our thoughts so can begin making progress toward our vision for every aspect of the organization. Your expertise and wisdom were priceless.”

Cathy Stoner, Executive Director
Alternatives Care Center

“It was a fascinating experience to observe your way of capturing large and visionary ideas and develop a plan of action that accounts for granular items within larger themes. And you did it so well with a diverse group that is dedicated to the mission of APBA. A job well done!”

Rebecca Womack, Board of Directors
Association of Professional Behavior Analysts

"I have participated in many strategic planning processes. What sets apart Dams & Associates’ approach to strategic planning is the ease and efficiency of the overall process. In particular, working out the details of the final plan involved a smaller planning team consisting of a few board members and leadership staff, rather than the entire board and leadership team. This made the process very efficient and engaging for everyone and resulted in a thorough strategic plan and support documents."

Guy G. Golomb, Board Chair
Gryphon Place

"Peter Dams is one of the very few people who could have written a book about the Total Performance System - and one of the very best professionals in our field."

Dr. Dale M. Brethower, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University

"Thank you for the wonderful strategic planning sessions. I have been involved with a number of sessions, and these have by far been my most enjoyable."

Eric L. Wimbley, Executive Director
Pretty Lake - Camp | Adventure Centre | Farm

"Thank you for your facilitation of our strategic planning process. You are a talented and effective facilitator. I enjoyed the exercises and organization you brought which unlocked our ideas and creative thinking. I was pleased to observe that you created a safe environment for all members of our team to feel comfortable and engage. It certainly enhanced our working together as a team."

Dr. Gale S. Hackworth, Director of Services
Riverwood Center - A Division of the Berrien Mental Health Authority

"I’ve been in many, many strategic planning sessions in the past 30 years. Peter is easily the best facilitator I have ever experienced. Several board members also said this was the best strategic planning process they’d ever been involved in. Peter helped us understand all the elements of a good strategic plan as well as how they fit together. He came very well prepared and guided us through the process. The product of our effort is invaluable to our organization."

Dr. Theresa Lynn, Executive Director
Wings of Hope Hospice

"I can’t begin to thank you for everything you did for us. Without your guidance we simply would not have made it to the point of being able to present a plan to our funders. Having such a strong Sustainability Plan was critical to gaining the support of new supporters as well as those who have been there for us repeatedly."

Becky Chadwell, Board President
West Michigan Glass Art Center (now Glass Art Kalamazoo)

"We all greatly appreciated your leadership and guidance as we worked through the strategic planning process. Working with six business units got complicated at times, especially since we facilitated three of them internally using your process. Your steady leadership and organization kept us moving in the right direction!"

Scott Schrum, CEO
Residential Opportunities Inc.

"Peter - your approach and insights were instrumental in helping us solidify our vision and mission. I learned a great deal from you and will be forever grateful for your gentle guidance."

Jay Zylstra, President
Gordon Food Service Store

"We recently completed a Moody's Investor Service credit rating for the university. Having our strategic plan in place was a valuable asset in explaining where we are going as a university and how we are getting there. The strategic plan completion comes at an opportune time - with the successful bond submission, recent state mandates, and an accreditation review in 2018, we needed a robust plan to support these demands."

Dr. Rick Kurtz, President
Shawnee State University

"Our strategic planning process was beyond my expectations. Once again you made the process easy for us; just as you did in 2011!"

Jessica Gilbert, Executive Director
Humane Society of South Central Michigan

"Peter is one of those very special and talented facilitators that can bring a leadership team to the table and help them address complex strategic issues and bring it all together into a clear and straightforward foundation for successful implementation. It is a joy to watch the plans unfold. Peter helped us make our strategic planning experience what it should be – fun, efficient and effective."

George Todd, Chairman & CEO
Kalsec, Inc.

"Thank you for your leadership through this interesting, complex, thought provoking & worthwhile process. You were always prepared to make sure we stayed focused on our work. Thank you!"

Dr. Ronald E. Reid, Supervisor
Kalamazoo Charter Township

"Peter's consulting work with us at Pfizer resulted in a complete process redesign of one of our key manufacturing processes. He is an excellent facilitator and engaged the entire team in modifying the process by creating an environment where everyone was comfortable participating."

Dr. Kevin Munson, Director/Team Leader, Learning and Development
Pfizer Global Manufacturing

"I have no doubt in my mind that this project would not be in it's current position without your involvement. I truly believe the success of our strategic planning project has to do with your expertise and ability to keep us focused."

Dr. Kristine Gibson, FAAP, Coordinator
Kalamazoo County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Prevention and Treatment Project

"When WMU's Business and Finance division needed to formulate its first formal strategic plan, we turned to Dams & Associates for help. Peter guided our numerous and diverse departments through a logical and structured process that all found easy to use and participate in. We have utilized Peter's guidance to not only develop our strategic plan, but also to help establish budget priorities and iron out departmental process challenges. I would strongly recommend Peter's services to organizations that need a skillful hand to guide them through these kinds of processes.”

Lowell P. Rinker, Vice President for Business and Finance & CFO
Western Michigan University

"Thank you for helping us make the CFP Strategic Planning Summit a success! Your attention to detail and facilitation skills made for a smooth, well-timed event. We always appreciate the insight you bring, and look forward to the next steps in the strategic planning process!”

Teri Clark, Director
Community Family Partnership

"You helped us enormously to get from a nebulous plan to much clearer goals and strategies. Your participation gave us credibility, and your facilitation skills helped give us just the outcome we hoped for!”

Tobi Hanna-Davies, ISAAC Housing Task Force Co-Chair & ISAAC VP for Communications
Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community

"Peter has amazing organizational skills. I wondered how he would be able to make sense of all the different information and opinions tossed at him. He helped us create structured, practical, and helpful materials that enabled us to move forward. Peter formed our simply beautiful logic model, which is so easy to understand - a task that seemed almost impossible."

Renée Huff, Technical Assistance and Public Education & Social Marketing Coordinator
Kalamazoo Wraps

"As our organization has struggled with supporting systems change, Peter has provided a thoughtful steady presence. It has been a great comfort to me to know that he is there, keeping us on track, ensuring that no person or detail gets lost in the process. I have worked with many other consultants, and Peter is far & away the clearest, nicest, and most effective!"

Elizabeth Oppewal, Supports Coordination Supervisor
Allegan County Community Mental Health Services

"Peter Dams is a true Performance Consultant. He has the outstanding ability to focus on what the overall goals are, and how to align those goals to the organization. We were working within a very short timeframe so he quickly connected to what our needs were, and offered options and solutions in addressing those needs. We had a program that was ad hoc at best; and through some quick analysis, Peter was able to take what we had, fine tune it, and present it to our team in a very thorough, comprehensive, and professional manner. Thank you, Peter!"

Doris J. Miller, Director, Organizational Development
MPI Research

“Through his keen understanding of organizational systems and his interpersonal skills, Dr. Dams earned the professional respect and personal appreciation of both my office colleagues and myself. Peter is an excellent communicator who has a remarkable ability to take a complicated subject matter and distill it to an understandable and useable form."

Jeffrey R. Fink, Prosecuting Attorney
Kalamazoo County

"We just went through our CARF accreditation process. When the accreditation team looked at our strategic plan they were extremely impressed. During our exit conference we were told we were receiving an exemplary status for our strategic plan. These are very rare and only given when the accreditation team sees something that is the best in the field. Without your help we would not have achieved this status.

The plan implementation is going very well. All of our staff were in-serviced and we received just a fantastic response from everyone. I really understood the importance of the strategic plan when I did these in-services because I really felt like our whole team is now on the same page. Thank you for that!"

Chris Zeigler, President
MRC Industries, Inc.

"Peter has been used at MPI Research as an independent resource by various groups. He has a strong reputation of being the perfect independent middle-man. I engaged him to be the project manager/facilitator in a very complicated company reorganization with a multi-disciplinary team. The project entailed the creation of a new company division, a complete cultural change in approach for that new division from the 'rest' of the company, developing dependency and interaction charts to/from the indirect support groups, and other business elements. This was an expansion of the original scope of a 'best fit' space planning program that grew to entail a roadmap for a broader program.

Peter did a superlative job of organizing, facilitating, learning and 'refereeing' the process. The end result was a terrific roadmap process and document that can be used by Architects, Finance and Scientist alike. I highly recommend Peter, and I will definitely use his services again. He will exceed your expectations - he did for me."

Liam Hickey, Director of Facilities
MPI Research

"When we submitted our grant application to a major funder, we referred to the Environmental Scan and Strategic Plan you have helped us with. Your work, Peter, is not sitting on our shelf!"

Dale Boyer, Executive Director
CityLinC Ministries

"The City of Portage visioning project was an enormous undertaking. We wanted an inclusive approach with over a hundred citizens. We had to be respectful of their time so the process had to be well organized and efficient. Dr. Dams delivered a product that exceeded our expectations. He worked well with our City Administration and project steering committee. He is a true professional in every sense."

Peter J. Strazdas, Mayor
City of Portage

"Thanks so much for the effort put forth on the Strategic Framework report. The results were excellent, and I was very happy with the Board's reception. It is a great product and gives Administration an excellent tool to enhance communication with the Board as we proceed through a host of issues."

John M. Faul, Deputy County Administrator
Kalamazoo County Government

"Dr. Dams was extremely helpful in guiding the process for Advocacy Services for Kids, and I received praise on his behalf from every staff member and board member involved in the process. Dr. Dams was professional, insightful, clever, and efficient. He kept people on track, ensuring a timely product, and provided a path toward clarity that I believe we would not have achieved without him.

I wholeheartedly recommend Dams & Associates, Inc. to other organizations undergoing change. It is sometimes difficult to see the path to take when you are involved in the process. Having someone from outside provide steady guidance from experience can prevent you from running down dead-ends and going in circles. Peter Dams did this for us at A.S.K.”

Sandy Roethler, Executive Director
Advocacy Services for Kids

"Peter Dams was a phenomenal resource to the Information Sharing and Integration Committee (ISIC) of the Criminal Justice Collaborative Council. Peter had prior experience with a similar project and we brought him in to guide and facilitate the Systems Integration effort in the Public Safety and Justice arena. Peter guided the committee to create its Integration Action plan. He also created a resource guide which has been very helpful to the technology team in moving forward with the project. Peter’s meetings always had the highest attendance. His knowledge and experience were of tremendous value to us. We will definitely recruit Peter’s consulting services again."

Uma Harithsa, Manager, Applied Technology
Washtenaw County Government

“From our very first conversation Dr. Dams was focused on making the strategic planning process useful, and wanted to ensure that the end product was something that the Poverty Reduction Initiative would use and would not sit on a shelf. Throughout the process, Dr. Dams demonstrated great skill in facilitation and listening to our Steering Committee members. He was able to help Steering Committee members transfer complex and sometimes abstract information into a tangible plan. As a result of working with Dr. Dams, our organization has gone through a restructuring process and we have become more focused in our shared vision. Our strategic plan truly guides all aspects of our work.”

Kimberly Crider, Director
Poverty Reduction Initiative

“It is always a pleasure to work with you. Your professional probing and evenhanded approach is very effective."

Hon. J. Richardson Johnson, Chief Circuit Judge, Chair
Kalamazoo County Office of Community Corrections Advisory Board

"I was very pleased with the input and involvement of the group, especially late on Friday after a long day and with a nice day waiting outside. It is a great testament to your skills as a facilitator to keep them all involved with those competing factors."

Doug Slade, Administrator
Ninth Judicial Circuit Court