25 Years, Side By Side

I joined North Highland in 2011 and was instantly put on a very large project to help a major telecommunications company in Atlanta prep for a significant acquisition.  When I was staffed, I began to learn that this client had been through many changes in its past, and North Highland had been there, as a trusted partner, through most of them.

Looking back, this client was North Highland’s third client and its first official account. At that time North Highland had 50 employees. Being the first local Atlanta based firm, we were making a huge dent in the market recruiting experienced consultants that were ready to stay home with their families and connect with their clients within their own communities. Thanks to the business of this client, we were able to grow that local model quickly.

North Highland’s very first project with this client was in their Business to Business space. We worked closely with their new CIO to implement several big ideas he had for his business. Most of their business at the time was focused on supporting key products that included home and business telephone systems and the beginnings of DSL.  Mobile phone systems had just moved to 2g, and the use of mobile phones in the market was growing rapidly. I was in college during this time and remember my dad handing me a small suitcase that was my mobile phone and told me to use it only in an emergency.  Cable was starting to change to provide consumers the ability to purchase tiered packages to match their entertainment needs. In addition to improving operations of their business, our client was beginning to adjust to the reality that people were moving away from wired phone lines and they were becoming more focused on mobility, laying fiber-optic cable, and starting to grow internationally.   North Highland was excited to participate on that journey with them.

With the establishment of this large account, North Highland forced itself to think about the model to run such an impactful account, and how it might differentiate itself in the marketplace. It was through the experiences that this client allowed, that North Highland developed what we call our secret sauce, the Account Management Framework, which has become the foundation for how we operate today.  It truly was, and still is, a differentiator in our industry.

Today after 25 years and over 1000 projects, North Highland’s relationship with this client is still focused on helping our client continue to be a leader in their industry and helping them expand into new, exciting territories. Our client has evolved from being an integrated telecommunications service and equipment provider in the mid 90’s to being a global entertainment company and the backbone for the way enterprises operate. They are now delving into the fabric of our future with services that power smart cities, enable driverless cars, and distribute content anywhere, at any time. North Highland has also grown. We are now an international brand and part of a global network. We have over 1500 employees operating in most of the major cities across our country and in the UK, partnering with the world’s leading brands. We lead the way in customer experience, performance improvement, tech and digital, and enterprise transformation.

I’m so thankful that I chose to work for North Highland 6 years ago. I am now leading the account I’ve been writing about and building upon the foundation created by those that came before me. I’m excited about what the next 25 years will bring for my client and for North Highland!