Selected client engagements and Outcomes

Inquiring Systems, Inc. has provided senior management services to an average of 30 organizations per month for the past 35 years. The following very brief descriptions of a selected, but not atypical, set of commitments and achievements that occurred over a period of four years from 2000-05 should help to provide some perspective for managing a diverse set of business operations. All of these activities were undertaken and accomplished during the same period of time..

  • CEO for Senior Outreach Services (20 hrs/wk for 4 years, a nonprofit $1.25 million/year senior social service company initially serving 4800 low-income, disabled and homebound seniors in Contra Costa County with such programs as Meals On Wheels, Home Services, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Care Management, Senior Companion Program and many others. At the time of my hiring, there were 32 staff and 1,400 volunteers and the company, had a total of $685,000 in debt and also lacked sufficient cash flow required to meet the current payroll. I initially and immediately terminated the five top senior management people in the company, thereby saving approximately $250,000. I then assumed the roles, responsibilities, tasks and authority for all 5 FTE positions. After 4 years, during which I was responsible for raising a minimum of $1.25 million per year, most of which was obtained from contracts and grants (that rarely exceeded an average of $10k) combined with individual and corporate donations that did not exceed an average from any one source of $10k in any one year. At the end of my four year commitment, I had retired the entire debt of $685,000, I left $760,000 in equity in the company, I increased the number of low-income, homebound and disabled seniors served to over 5600 (a nearly 20% increase). I was also able to increase the staff to 35 and increased the number of volunteers to 1,650 (a 12% increase), while also raising the salaries and benefits of all staff by an average of 10%. I expanded and trained the Board and then assisted the Board of Directors in hiring the new CEO and related staff.
  • Business Manager and Interim General Manager of Tri-CED Community Recycling (20 hrs/wk for 1 year) Tri-CED provides curbside recycling to the cities of Union City and Hayward, CA along with a Recycled Waste Processing operation and a Buyback Center. At the time of hiring, ISI was providing Business Management Services to the company but circumstances were such that we had to terminate the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer due to malfeasance. Dr. Cole assumed the roles, responsibilities, tasks and authority of both positions. Initially, the company had approximately $5 million in revenue and operated under a contract with Teamsters Local 70 for all drivers and workers a total of 74 employees. ISI guided the restructuring of all company operations and systems, resolved outstanding labor grievances and restored functionality to the labor contracts and relationships. Assisted with the negotiations for all new municipal recycling contracts and helped to develop the company into a $10 million operation with cash reserves in excess of $1.4 million. ISI helped to acquire a $3.5 million bond issue to purchase the land and facilities and restored economic viability and sustainability to the company. ISI lead the negotiations for new municipal contracts that included, for the first time, net income of 5% thereby providing sufficient additional income to develop training and job experience programs for low-income and hard to employ people in the community. Dr. Cole assisted the Board of Directors in rehiring one of the founders of the company as the General Manager going forward.
  • Controller and Business Manager for Frank & Grossman Landscaping (18 hrs/wk for 4 years) of San Francisco, CA. This was a company initially with $1.2 million in sales and 56 employees that has no functional infrastructure or competent operating systems. Dr. Cole reorganized the entire business, established all operation and administrative systems, hired all staff, implemented production, management and installation systems for landscaping services and, four years later Dr. Cole guided the development of this company into a $9 million business with an annual average of 145 employees. Dr. Cole established an ESOP and was the Trustee. He negotiated the separation of the two principal partners (who would not speak to each other) and was able to pay in full the purchase of separating one partner with full compensation of nearly $1.25 million for his shares. Dr. Cole negotiated and established working partnerships with highly regarded Landscape Architects to obtain additional business referrals and contracts. All employees received salary increases of 14% and full health benefits as well as ESOP related stock for a 67% ownership interest in the company. F&G is considered one of the premier landscaping companies in the SF Bay Area. All management and operating systems were created and implemented by Dr. Cole during this period and all staff hired and trained.
  • CEO of Inquiring Systems, Inc. (12 hrs/wk for 3 years) ISI’s management team was composed of Dr. Cole along with two full-time business managers. During this period Dr. Cole was responsible for providing oversight for the business managers along with guiding the management of 28 companies (in addition to the companies referred to in this description) and for generating revenues and services in excess of $1.4 million a year and for over 175 employees. ISI also trained in excess of 3,500 senior executives and board members in our workshops during this 4 year period. Dr. Cole was responsible as the Guarantor for all business operations for each client project and assisted in resolving issues and problems.
  • Business Manager for Total Living Company (8 hrs/wk for 3 years) in Sonoma, CA, a $135,000 per year retail store with two full-time and one part-time staff. ISI was responsible for all business and financial operations, marketing, accounting, accounts payable, payroll and administration of the company. Staff was paid a living wages of $12/hr.
  • Architect, Planner and General Contractor (8 hrs/week for 1 year) Dr. Cole designed and built a 3,500 s.f. active and passive solar home and office with construction starting in 2002 and completion in 2003. Conducted research on and acquired all building materials, appliances and related materials for the house. The house produces 135% of all electrical requirements (a net producer of electricity) and requires a total operating cost per year of $700. Total cost to design, permit and build was $117 per square foot, which is less than 30% of any comparable active and passive solar home costs with similar construction.
All these tasks were simultaneously accomplished under the direction of Dr. Cole in cooperation with the staff of each client company and ISI’s management team.

  • We support, conserve, and sustain the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of indigenous people, especially as it relates to medicinal plants, healing and spiritual practices, cultural and ecological traditions of indigenous people.
  • We support and aid the healers, shamans, and medicine people of indigenous communities as well as our own modern communities in the continuation of medical,cultural, natural medicine, and spiritual traditions.
  • We bring aid in bringing this knowledge to the United States and the greater modern world at large so as to integrate appropriate use of these healing traditions and medicines into Western healthcare as viable, complementary therapies, and in doing so in a way that provides economic benefits to the indigenous people as well.
  • We reciprocate this wisdom sharing by making available Western medical assistance within the indigenous communities, as viable complementary therapies.
  • We act as a bridge for these healing traditions and medicines, as well as ecologically sustainable perspectives, in order to sustain their viability into the future.
  • We act to conserve and preserve the environments where these medicines are found.
  • We support indigenous ownership of our indigenous projects.
  • We promote good medicine” as a medicine that includes reciprocity, interconnectedness, indigenous wisdom, community, nature, ecology, sustainability, activism, conservancy, and healing, health, and wellness for all.
  • We promote Spirited Medicine as a medicine of “right relationship” between people, the earth, and spirit.
  • We promote “reciprocity” as an important aspect in all we do, and these acts of reciprocity also include helping ourselves in the greater modern world as we help those in the indigenous worlds.
  • We promote the “spiriting” of all of actions and all of life.
  • We act in the name of social justice to make this Spirited Medicine more readily available and acceptable within Western healthcare, and to enable the indigenous to benefit from the technological and pharmaceutical benefits of modern Western medicine.
Selected Prior Clients

Alpha One--Portland, Maine
American Friends Service Committee--California
American Indian Center--San Francisco, CA
Asian American Health Consortium--USA
Audubon Nature Training Center--California
Augusta's Restaurant--Berkeley, California
Affordable Housing Project, Fremont, CA
Bay Area Black United Fund--Oakland, California
Bay Area Crisis Nursery--Concord, California
Botswana Biointensive Nutrition Project--Africa
Bridge Counseling Center--Morgan Hill, California
California Child, Youth and Family Services--CA
California State Dept. of Food and Agriculture Center for Independent Living--Berkeley, CA
Citizens for Affordable Housing--California
City of Fremont, Housing--Fremont, California
City of San Jose Youth Services—California
Cleveland Services for Independent Living--Ohio
Contra Costa Health and Recreation Assoc.--CA
Delancy Street--San Francisco, California
East Bay Center For Performing Arts--California
Food Advisory Services--California and Hawaii
Friends Outside--Salinas, California
Global Educators--Oakland, California Greater Nevada Health Systems Agency, Nevada
Huichol Center for Cultural Survival --Mexico
Insituto Familiar de la Raza--California
International Refuge Relief—Falasha rescue Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan
Latin American News Service--El Paso, Texas
Lutheran Social Services--Seattle, Washington
Management Assistance Project--Minnesota
Mississippi Paralysis Association--Baton Rouge
National Endowment for the Arts—Washington
The Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona
Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation--Nepal
Pickle Family Circus--San Francisco, California
Planned Parenthood--USA
Science Interchange -- San Rafael, CA
Self-Employment Development Initiatives, Canada
Senior Outreach Services—Contra Costa County
Spirited Medicine Alliance—Peru, Bolivia & USA
State of California Direct Marketing Program—Farmer’s Market Development—Sacramento, Ca.
Senior Community Services--St. Paul, Minnesota
Sleeptight Films--New York, New York
Snohomish County Senior Center—Washington