Founder
CurrentCulture Index Founder, Gary Walstrom, discovered the value of utilizing assessment tools,matching people to job positions by utilizing analytics and statistical data to grow businesses revenue and profit in the 1970s.After serving in the U.S. Air Force, as a Russian Linguist, Gary took what started as a bartending job with an upscale restaurant chain as a means of support while he finished college. It did not take long until he found himself spending “the summer of sleep deprivation” traveling and training bartenders and cocktail servers in other locations – a role that, upon his college graduation, evolved into taking the lead on launching over sixty new restaurants as the company exploded into new markets across the country.It was a massive undertaking that consisted of getting the crew in place (recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training), making sure the physical place was ready to operate, and overseeing the restaurant launch. Then, going to a new location to do it all over again.It was during this experience that Gary was introduced to an assessment system, which he used to his greatest advantage to make every new opening successful. Which they were. And, which he proved when he was called to corporate to explain how all of his stores were seeing thirty percent less turnover along with a three to five percent profit increase as compared to the company’s existing stores. Leadership was bowled over by the fact that Gary’s newly opened restaurants were making more money than the established, “fine-tuned” locations.That was the moment of insight for Gary, catalyzing the launch of Culture Index to help companies around the world realize the benefits of assessment programs like the one he utilized during his time in the restaurant industry
