Stronger Together: Why We’re Merging with Ignite

By ish, Founding Partner

April 28th, 2020

For many years I worked at a YMCA summer camp in Michigan, leading multi-week wilderness trips for high school students. We biked, hiked, canoed, kayaked, and climbed our way through some of the most beautiful and remote places in North America. 

Being a wilderness guide was a terrific job and it taught me many important lessons. I learned that the trips were for kids, and that the more I tried to see the world through their eyes the better experiences I could help create for them. I learned the importance of careful planning, and the necessity of quickly adjusting those plans as the conditions changed. I learned that the team dynamics had more to say about how far we could travel than the fitness level of the group. And maybe most importantly I learned that I cared a whole lot more about who I was travelling with than where exactly I was going. 

These lessons have served me well throughout my career. And they’ve helped guide the last 14 years of sr4 Partners through some pretty trying situations (including launching the business right at the start of the ‘08 recession). But nothing compares to the current challenges we face - both economically and socially. The pandemic has changed things drastically for businesses of all sizes and the status quo will not work if we are all to come out better on the other end. 

Here at sr4, we're extremely proud of the work we've done with our clients to help develop healthier leaders, more cohesive teams, thriving cultures and a more inclusive approach to change. But we also understand that in these trying times our clients need more - and that is why we are so excited to announce our recent merger with Ignite. Founded in 2017 by Rich Johnson and Ryan Jeffery, Ignite believes in the importance of developing resilient and purpose-driven leaders, a perfect fit with sr4’s focus on healthy leaders and cohesive teams, and perfect timing for the kinds of leadership development experiences that companies are looking for right now. 

Research is suggesting that many organizations are using this time to rethink their leadership development programs and pivoting to an emphasis on “empathy, resilience, caring, and safety.” Not only does Ignite offer innovative leadership development, focused on developing these social-emotional skills through weekly training experiences, but Rich and Ryan are also terrific additions to the sr4 team. Rich will join our consulting practice and lead the Ignite Community, while Ryan will take over our Sales & Marketing efforts. And I can’t think of a better way to help our clients navigate these turbulent times than by making our team stronger.

I’m so excited to see where we’ll go, and what we’ll be able to accomplish together!

- ish, Founding Partner