This month we’re giving a warm welcome to Sr. Recruiter Jordan Shaw and Recruiter Lindsay Hornsby - two new members of the RedCloud recruiting team tasked with finding the region’s top talent to help our clients solve their most pressing business challenges!  Jordan joins our team with more than 15 years of experience in Recruiting across varying industries, and Lindsay with 5+ years of experience focused on account and business development. We are honored to have their talents join our recruiting team and we can’t wait to see who they bring to the RedCloud roster in the coming months! Briefly describe your role and how long you've been at RedCloud. JS: I’m a Senior Recruiter and I joined RedCloud in September of 2021 with a focus on finding and connecting with technical consultants in the fields of data analysis, business solutions and intelligence. LH: I’m a recruiter on RedCloud’s corporate team and I also in September of 2021, the same week as Jordan! Initially I’m focusing on uncovering the best talent to serve as project/program managers, marketing experts, and related skills that can apply to a wide range of our client projects.    What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? JS: Onboarding was smooth...everyone on the team has been extremely generous in helping explain the nuances of RedCloud’s approach, tools and technology. LH: The process was efficient! I interviewed with the Managing Partners over a few days, and within a week I had a job. There was an hour with the firm’s head of HR on my first day, plenty of training on the RedCloud processes, and tons of support since! Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud?  JS: RedCloud is a true boutique management consulting firm working primarily locally. I’ve worked for large international consulting firms and local staffing companies masquerading as consulting firms. RedCloud is the real deal and has excellent consultant satisfaction which is huge when selling a new prospective candidate. LH: RedCloud’s professionalism stands out to me - differentiating employee from consultant. So far, I enjoy working collaboratively as opposed to owning a request to completion. On our team, having five recruiters all work on a role gives us a better chance of getting a variety of candidates. We each have different contacts and do different searches so we will get a broader selection of candidates for our clients. What originally drew you to RedCloud? JS: Their great reputation as an industry-leading local boutique consulting firm. LH: Different industries, services, and candidates. It is going to be a challenge, and a huge opportunity for me, as my experience in recruiting has been different from my current focus at RedCloud, but I’m up for the challenge and feel well supported!   Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? JS: I see myself continuing to take on more responsibilities and grow within the team; for example, propose new recruiting tools for sourcing and email campaigns.  LH: In the future of RedCloud we are… Kicking (you know what)!   Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why?  JS: My wireless mouse! Using the touchpad is so slow and cumbersome.  LH: Home heating systems… It’s cold up here in the PNW! What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? JS: More consultant placements and gaining momentum to help our clients succeed! LH: I look forward to getting people on projects and the continued growth of our teams.

Brand New Series Alert! We're thrilled to introduce a fresh, education-centric series on our blog. Leading the way in this exciting initiative are RedCloud experts Benny Swedberg and Yusuf Shariff, who are diving into their preferred techniques for embedded galleries in our inaugural installment. Canvas app galleries are incredibly useful for both displaying data and creating table-like input forms that would typically be found in Excel. Like everything else in Power Apps, it is easy to throw together a gallery and make it work, but it can then turn more into to an art to improve the UI and make it look as if it’s not a Power App at all! Once you’ve mastered the gallery basics, you can take it to the next level by embedding galleries! This is a great way to replicate the ‘Group by’ functionality you might see in a SharePoint list or document library. Here I’d like to share some of my canvas app formatting best practices. Template Padding ​ By default, each gallery has the TemplatePadding property set to 5. If you’re not familiar, this is the space that is forced on each row of the gallery. Below is a screenshot of a gallery with the default TemplatePadding and a text label that is set to take up the entire space of the row (X:0, Y:0, Width:Parent.TemplateWidth, Height: Parent.TemplateHeight). Alternatively, setting the TemplatePadding to 0 results in this: Personally, I prefer to always set the Template Padding to 0. This allows me to format the gallery components more easily and perfectly fit where I want them. This will become more apparent when I discuss gallery height. Gallery.Size vs Self.Height vs Self.TemplateHeight Formatting a component within a gallery to the row height can be very useful. Unfortunately, this becomes a little more complicated in a gallery. First, the Height property of the gallery is the overall height of the gallery. Then, to set the row height of a vertical gallery or the width of a horizontal gallery, you must set the TemplateSize property. However, you cannot reference Template.Size within formulas! Instead: Vertical Gallery: TemplateSize -> TemplateHeight Horizontal Gallery: TemplateSize -> TemplateWidth Therefore, get used to mastering .TemplateHeight and .TemplateWidth when setting dimensions of gallery components. Dynamic Gallery Height Sometimes, it works great to set the gallery to the exact height it needs, therefore removing the pesky scroll bar. This comes down to simply setting the height of the gallery to the product of the TemplateHeight and the number of items in the gallery! Womp, womp… The TemplatePadding got in the way! The quick and easy fix is to set the TemplatePadding to 0. But, if you really want the automatic padding and also have the perfect height, you can adjust! That’s right, with a little bit more math, you can have your cake and eat it too. Height = CountRows(Self.AllItems) * (Self.TemplateHeight + Self.TemplatePadding) + Self.TemplatePadding Remove the Scroll Bar ​There comes a time when you just can’t remove the scroll bar by dynamically adjusting the height of the gallery. Personally, I don’t like the look of the scroll bar because all of a sudden, your padding disappears, or your icon gets partially covered. Instead, I suggest ShowScrollbar = false and ShowNavigation = true. Now your padding is still showing, and users can still be visually queued that there is more to see! Embedded Gallery Basics ​Here it is, the basics of embedding galleries: That’s all it is. Start with a flexible-height gallery. Then, add a text label as the title or header of each repeating gallery. Finally, insert a regular vertical gallery into the flexible-height gallery and use the instructions in the above Dynamic Gallery Height section. ​ Here, you can see the quick results of 10 minutes of formatting. These are only a few best practices that I have found myself using regularly. Let us know what best practices or common techniques you find yourself using!

Back to school? We can’t believe it either! Those three words mark the end of summer and the kickoff to a new season of learning (our favorite!). As we look forward to rounding out the year and starting 2022 with momentum, we continue our dedication to supporting important organizations in our community with ongoing support to Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter & Transitional Housing. As our team learns more about the needs of the children and families at Broadview, we always have our radar on for opportunities to help. Broadview does an amazing job of providing a safe haven to families, mostly mothers, and their children, with a secure home location in Seattle while they experience homelessness or domestic abuse. Broadview is a place to start over, but being there and away from home certainly comes with challenges, even with some of the basics for children that many of us take for granted, like school supplies. To get the new school year off to a good start for the children at Broadview—many of whom haven’t been in person at school for a year and a half due to the pandemic—we were thrilled to partner again with Toys for Kids (TfK) to provide back-to-school backpacks for the Broadview students as part of TfK’s annual campaign. We all remember the feeling of fresh crayons, a new set of folders, a binder of new, crisp writing paper, sharp pencils, and, of course...a backpack with style. That excitement is one that every student deserves, so we jumped at the opportunity to partner with TfK to provide 30 fully stocked bags, all ready to go for the new year ahead. Supplies help each student feel prepared and equal in their classroom and take some of the stress off of attending school during a tumultuous time at home. This is the latest in a series of projects we’ve supported in 2021 - our Year of Broadview, as we like to call it. We started with a donation of new technology to support remote/pandemic learning (Microsoft tablets, Microsoft Office software, and mic headsets) - and we vowed to continue the support all year. In February, we attended a Broadview Lunch and Learn to hear all we could about the shelter and its residents. Throughout the second and third quarters, our recruiting team provided their time and dedication in addition to helpful resources in the form of a Career Day, with the offering to continue the support 1:1 as needed. In May, we surprised the residents with a special Mother’s Day delivery, and this past summer, we hosted a professional photoshoot for families at Broadview and local photographer Toni from Pinto Portrait. But the year is not over yet, so we’re excited to continue the support as 2021 wraps up. We can’t wait to hear about what all of the Broadview kids are learning at school this year!

We’re sharing exciting news on the RedCloud blog today! With our announcement in June that the Puget Sound Business Journal once again listed us on their annual Washington's Best Workplaces , we’re thrilled to have recently learned that we were ranked the #12 best workplace for large companies in the state and the highest among large consulting firms. The publication rounds up the top 100 businesses all based on employee satisfaction, conducting surveys facilitated by the independent research firm Quantum Workplace. Beyond the helpful data points that come from employee surveys, we also love to hear positive feedback from our team, such as: RedCloud walks the talk, is much "higher touch" than other consulting companies, has a healthy set of clients (not just a single large organization), is completely open door, encourages ideas, makes investments in people/ideas, and is taking measures to continue to mature service areas. We know that 2020 and 2021 have continued to throw new challenges our way as a team and as individuals as we serve our clients, so this award means even more to us given the timing. We hold true to our dedication to transparency - even during our busiest and most chaotic seasons of work. Given that the survey results showed overwhelmingly positive results, we’re so grateful to our team. It is because of each of our employees and their dedication to the success of our clients and each other that we’ve landed here today. One of the biggest challenges we have as a constantly growing firm is staying authentic to our roots of Transparency and Integrity—but it’s one aspect we remain most dedicated to. At each step that we take to grow our team, our talented recruiting team scouts out the best of the best to maintain RedCloud’s high level of client service. A big kudos to them on a job well done as recruiting moved virtual!

As you may have already heard, this year, a few of our team members embarked on an exciting community project in partnership with The UW Consulting and Business Development Center (CBDC). CBDC is no stranger to RedCloud, with ongoing support in years past as part of our ongoing Community program. With an exciting opportunity to press on in 2021, we were so excited to serve as mentors for the Business Management Consulting Program - all via Zoom in true remote-work fashion. Throughout the year, we provided a talented team of excited mentors - Marie, Sophia, Mary Anne, and Scott with direction and support from RedCloud Managing Partner - and CBDC board member - Brett Clifton to guide and advise small teams of business school students through real-life client challenges. With a January kick-off and client presentations in March, we wanted to update our community with the final product because we are SO proud of these students and the hard work they put in. The program celebrated with a shout out to all the participants on Instagram. The students gained invaluable professional experience that will stand out on their resumes and increased confidence in their strengths. Want to go behind the scenes on two of the projects? Read on! Client Project A Challenges: A client needed impactful, scalable recommendations to redefine and invigorate their socially conscious public sector consulting practice. Ultimately, seeking new ideas to increase profitability while honoring their holacracy partner model. Recommendations: In reviewing the current state, it was found that heavy usage of niche terms and descriptions created messaging, marketing, and selling challenges to reach prospective customers. Staying focused on public sector clients meant limited growth potential due to low profitability compared to private sector potential. After deep research and consideration, the student group identified the need to develop a more clear product offering and messaging to support growth in target markets. to enhance longer-term growth, it was recommended to develop a hybrid market solution that aligns values with skills with both public and private sector audiences (e.g., HR and CSR). Results: By establishing clear business lines and creating a new business development process, the client was able to pursue a hybrid market strategy. Additionally, messaging clarity enabled the client to develop social media strategies. Client Project B Challenges: For this project, an independent insurance agency offering a wide variety of commercial and personal insurance products was experiencing economic impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak, including a sudden and significant loss of revenue. Recommendations: The company’s online presence was minimal, the sales team was focused on a narrow set of products, and operations had active licenses for redundant and costly software. Through the discovery process, the student consulting team identified the need to increase digital marketing efforts, to have salespeople dedicate more time to cross-selling, and for operations to eliminate any underutilized programs. Results: The efforts by the student groups resulted in some highly tangible deliverables, including: Improved website user interface and design Updated marketing content and strategy for LinkedIn and Facebook company pages Created a planning brochure for marketing to funeral homes Dedicated more time to cross-selling personal insurance products to existing customers Cost savings from the refund of two software programs Congratulations to each of the student groups on their outstanding work. We know you will make a huge impact in the world of business!

As his time with RedCloud flew by in the blink of an eye, we made sure to catch some time with Antoine, our newest intern. A rising junior at the University of Washington, Antoine will graduate in 2023 with his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, focusing on Finance and Information Systems. We could already tell that he was a self-driven and ambitious individual with a bright future ahead - always seeking new knowledge and bringing his hard work ethic to the table. In his free time, he loved rugby, soccer, football, and snowboarding - so he also had plenty of fun stories to share with us, too. Read on to hear more about his experience on our team. Briefly describe your role and how long you were at RedCloud. I was a Consulting Intern, working at RedCloud since June 2021, after the completion of my second year at the University of Washington as an undergraduate studying Finance and Information Systems. I worked on a variety of projects, such as ensuring vendor compliance with one of our largest Fortune 500 clients, as well as planning a new environmental sustainability initiative within RedCloud. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? My RedCloud onboarding process was about as seamless as it gets. I reached out to the RedCloud team indicating my interest in interning at the firm and was subsequently interviewed and offered a position shortly after. On my first day, I was warmly met by each individual in the office and was able to get straight to work. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? After the recent RedCloud Summer BBQ event, I was very surprised at how great and welcoming all the people were. As a college student, I expected to feel a little out of place, but I could not have been more wrong. I met some amazing people, had great conversations, and felt like a part of the RedCloud community instantly. What originally drew you to RedCloud? I was originally drawn to RedCloud after working on a project with former intern David Liew. I worked on a consulting engagement with him through the UW Consulting & Business Development Center and was very impressed by his client management skills and analytical ability. I noticed he was interning at RedCloud Consulting and asked him about his work here, Iheard great things, leading me to reach out. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? I see Business Intelligence and Data Analysis becoming a huge growth area within the consulting industry. As technology develops and impacts the way humans and companies make decisions, being able to make informed data-driven recommendations will become increasingly important. This is already a large practice area at RedCloud, and I can only see its growth continuing in the future. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? Unfortunately, I had to say my favorite and most used piece of technology was my phone. It was the easiest form of communication, highly mobile, and could be used for just about anything. What were you looking forward to the most with RedCloud? The area I was definitely looking forward to was having more client-facing projects. Through my brief experience in consulting, I’d grown to love problem-solving in a team setting, as well as having the opportunity to work with business owners and decision-makers of varying experience and in varying industries. I’d been fortunate to advise some business owners with 25+ years of experience and felt that I was making a positive impact on their business.

We’re excited to hear from Puget Sound Business Journal that, once again, we’ve been listed on their annual Washington's Best Workplaces roundup of the top 100 businesses for employee satisfaction. It’s a true honor to hear that even given the challenging times of the last year, our employees are proud to call RedCloud home. With a dedication to transparency - and a constant commitment to it during our busiest seasons - we’re thrilled to see that our employee survey results were overwhelmingly positive. Maintaining a genuinely authentic workplace is among some of the most challenging tasks for a growing company, but it’s an element of the RedCloud recipe we've never taken our eye off of over the years. We know this makes our client deliverables top-notch and that an enjoyable workplace, even if it has been virtual for the last year +—, makes for the best collaborations and team output. The survey, facilitated by the independent research firm Quantum Workplace, gives our employees the opportunity to be brutally honest about their workplace happiness. RedCloud has been selected from the pool of companies surveyed for having one of the highest employee satisfaction scores, making us a finalist. The exact rankings are forthcoming later this year and will be published at that time. Thanks again to PSBJ for coordinating the surveys to keep our community informed—it’s important work!

Congratulations, Rick! Toys for Kids Founder and dear friend of RedCloud Rick Rizzs was recently named the 425 Citizen of the Year, a well-deserved honor! All of us at RedCloud send a HUGE round of applause for all he’s done to support children in our community and, specifically, the partnership and opportunity he’s afforded us to make an impact by his side. Along with his dear friend, the late Seattle Mariner Dave Henderson, Rick founded Toys for Kids 26 years ago with a simple mission: “We do it for the kids in need, and it feels good to put a little smile on their faces. Toys for Kids is not just a toy; it represents hope that somebody cares about them and their moms.” For the past five years, RedCloud has partnered with Rick and TfK to not only make holiday wishes come true but also support students in need with scholarships and extra boosts during the pandemic. Most recently, we pledged a year of support to Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter, one of TfK’s key community partners. We can’t thank Rick enough for his leadership and for pulling us into his circle of supporters. Rick’s a model for stewarding in his community, even when times are busy being the Seattle Mariners broadcaster. He always keeps those in need at the top of his mind, and over the years, his nonprofit has grown to serve thousands of area families, most recently with a virtual auction for COVID-19 support, raising over $300,000. As the homeless population grows in the Seattle area, his plans to support those in need will only expand, and we look forward to seeing what he creates next. “Rick is a shining light in the Seattle community. There is no more genuine person than Rick. His leadership and actions continue to inspire us to do more and give back more to ensure children and families facing hard times get the boost—big or small—they need to move forward in life,” said Brett Alston, Managing Partner of RedCloud and Toys for Kids board member.

We’re excited to kick off Q2 with news of RedCloud’s acquisition of BuzzBee, a strategic technology marketing and communications firm based in Seattle. BuzzBee has more than two decades of experience developing strategy and implementing communications and marketing plans for some of the industry's best brands, such as Amazon, EMC, Microsoft, Intel, HP, AMD, and Concur. The acquisition adds a strong set of skills and capabilities to RedCloud’s existing offerings. BuzzBee’s creative ethos aligns with our approach to consulting, which is underpinned by an entrepreneurial, people-first mentality. We both share our unwavering belief in Transparency and Integrity. As part of the acquisition, BuzzBee’s founder, Michele Bourdon Keeffe, an industry innovator and entrepreneur, will join the RedCloud team to provide strategic input on client projects and drive new business opportunities. “We’ve long admired the unique approach to tech marketing and comms that Michele and her team have brought to projects of all types and some of the biggest names here in the Pacific Northwest,” said Brett Alston, our Managing Partner. Integrating BuzzBee’s skills and network to our proven RedCloud method will immediately help us provide a wider and deeper breadth of services for our clients.” Recognizing the key to collective, long-term success is employee satisfaction and strong relationships, we’ll continue our passion around supporting its consultants with a deep set of resources and building a company with professionals who fit the firm’s culture and future. ​ “We’re building RedCloud with a desire to provide an experience for consultants and clients unlike found elsewhere in our industry - one build on transparency and integrity,” said Brett Clifton, Managing Partner and Co-Founder. “Our team consists of a diverse and experienced blend of consulting, IT, and tech professionals who are self-starters - we are truly excited for the next phase of growth for RedCloud.”

As you may have seen, in partnership with Toys For Kids, RedCloud is providing a full year of support to Solid Ground ’s Broadview Shelter & Transitional Housing - in a few different ways. In December, RedCloud delivered new technology for their facility, and during 2021, we’re continuing with ongoing career support for residents with time and expertise from RedCloud team members. To kick off the career support, we wrapped up February with the very first Broadview Career Day - one of many to come in order to help prepare residents for job searching, resume building, and employment support as they re-enter the workforce. Recognizing that the residents at Broadview are in the midst of perhaps one of the toughest spots in their lives, we came prepared by attending a session from Solid Ground in advance. The session helped us understand where the residents are coming from and how we can best speak with them to encourage and cheerlead their career path. So, what did Career Day look like - especially during a pandemic? Our RedCloud team dedicated a full day to Broadview residents in need and advised them during 11 sessions that they were able to sign up for in advance. With help from Broadview’s case workers, the residents completed a questionnaire, enabling our recruiters to understand where the residents are at and where the assistance is most needed. Experts from RedCoud’s recruiting team called each of the residents to discuss their goals. The following sessions will be conducted over Microsoft Teams to enable screen sharing for resume support and guidance. During the sessions, the video will remain off to protect the residents’ privacy. An interpreter was on hand for residents in need of help with the English language. The sessions include a variety of help, whether it be job search assistance, goal setting, or resume revisions. Looking forward, we’re excited to continue offering our helping hands in support of our upcoming March Career Day. Broadview residents are welcome to attend another session (with the same recruiter) to build on the advice provided in session one. In the meantime, residents are also set up and equipped to email the RedCloud team confidentially to answer questions and keep the momentum up before the next Career Day. We’re so excited to be part of this collaborative effort, and we believe that just an hour of our time with each resident goes a long way in helping them on their way to a bright and successful future ahead. Each of them is so strong for taking the step not only to go to Broadview but also to seek our support in their road ahead. Onwards!

Four years ago, our Managing Partner Brett Clifton stepped up to give back to our community focusing on cause close to his heart by joining the advisory board of the University of Washington Foster School’s Consulting and Business Development Center (CBDC). The CBDC takes higher education one step further with real-life experience for students working on their undergrad degrees or MBA’s, giving them invaluable experience to use when they head into the business world upon graduation. As part of Brett’s leadership of the CBDC, RedCloud consultants have played an active role in the past in judging business plan competitions and mentoring students who are learning about consulting and its real world applications. Impact Awards As part of RedCloud’s ongoing support of the CBDC, and as a way to put a bow on 2020, for the fourth year we proudly supported the program’s Impact Awards, which recognizes business, civic, and student leaders who show commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in business. Celebrating 25 years of Impact Awards with an adapted virtual event (So 2020!) - the featured speakers included: Nigel Burton ( Pac-12 Networks & UW Foster Alum), Joanne Harrell (Sr. Director, Microsoft, UW Board of Regents) and local legend Coach Chris Peterson (Former UW Husky Head Football Coach & 2020 Fritzky Chair). A big congrats goes out to Jordan Crawford for being recognized with the Accenture Student Consultant of the Year Award. Despite the virtual nature of 2020, we were grateful to take part in the celebration to honor all that has been achieved during a challenging time. A Year of Mentoring Ahead In November, a team of RedCloud Consultants helped kick off the CBDC’s 2020-21 Business Management Consulting Program via zoom during “Business Advising Day”. The event launched with a chance for all of the participants and their mentors to meet each other and discuss their upcoming projects that the teams of student consultants will undertake starting this month.  Around 90-100 students will be participating in this unique program, forming teams of 4-6 students each.  The RedCloud employee advisors and the client company they will be supporting include:  Marie Mihail (The Athena Group) Sophia Stead (First Metals) Mary Anne (Blake Barber Creek) Scott Morton (Alliance West Insurance) Our mentors are looking forward to giving honest advice and feedback to the students as they embark on a real-world experience. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to the program and seeing the projects come to life in 2021! “I was fortunate to attend UW twice (BA Economics, MBA Foster Executive Program) and am passionate about learning. The thorough approach and organized structure of this program is impressive. Helping others with their educational goals is wonderful. Learning from students and peers is the biggest benefit! I miss school so this is a terrific opportunity to experience the latest academic experiences and innovations. My goal in volunteering is to develop positive mentoring relationships and learn from the business team with whom we are working. My goal for students is to help them see the value of their education and how their studies will create a positive impact on others today and tomorrow.” - Marie Milhail

Happy holidays from our team at RedCloud Consulting! For reasons big and small, 2020 has thrown everything it has at all of us, and we’re fortunate and grateful to see a bright future ahead thanks to our resolute team and our dedicated clients. But we know that 2020 has severely impacted many in our local communities. To that end, starting this holiday season and continuing through 2021, on behalf of our clients RedCloud is adopting Solid Ground's Broadview Shelter & Transitional Housing - a safe haven at a secure location for mothers and kids experiencing homelessness. On behalf our amazing clients, we’re working with our partners at Toys For Kids to support Broadview through: New Microsoft laptops, software, and headphones for children to ensure learning can continue, even if in-person school is delayed or disrupted; Career coaching, job searching and employment support for parents to re-enter the workforce Upgraded high speed internet in the building to boost learning and employment; And so much more as 2021 unfolds! ​For anyone wanting to extend the support to Solid Ground and Broadview, more information and donation opportunities are available at solid-ground.org . Also, on behalf of our clients and employees, we’re proud to have recently awarded the Annual Dave “Hendu” Henderson Educational Scholarship Presented by RedCloud Consulting to a local high school senior on her way to college. Congratulations to Ana and her family, we look forward to tracking her success! At RedCloud, we take these actions to provide tangible resources to those in our community who need it the most and we are proud to make these contributions on behalf of our clients. We thank each of our clients for their business and partnership in 2020 - enabling these important gifts and getting kids and families on the track to success.