Steve Probst Email & Phone Number

Concord, Ma, Us

Gray DI is a data analytics and software firm focused on higher education. We help colleges and universities develop data-informed academic program strategies that yield good outcomes for students, institutions, and their constituencies. At Gray, I manage client engagements that include:• Helping institutions choose new programs or focus their curriculum and other investments on programs most likely to attract students and help them get good jobs; in other words, identifying programs to start, stop, sustain, fix, or grow• Understanding and improving curricular efficiency, by documenting instructional costs and the underlying drivers in ways that faculty and administrators can understand, and in developing approaches for using that information in routine course scheduling, faculty hiring, and similar decisions• Identifying the best geographic markets for new campuses or on-line initiatives, considering market-specific student demand, competitive intensity, and job opportunities• Understanding the competitive environment, including competitor pricing, market presence, market positioning, accreditation, and curricula• Developing overall institution strategy, including defining the best student/customer segments to target, defining the value proposition, identifying the best forms of value capture, protecting the institution from intense competition, and establishing the most appropriate metrics for incentivizing and managing the organizationThis work makes extensive use of Gray DI’s proprietary databases and analytic tools for analyzing student demand, employer demand, competition, and instructional economics. These tools enable Gray to help institutions analyze programs and markets more comprehensively, faster, and at lower cost than institutions can do without these tools.

Business Catalyst worked with car companies and other motor vehicle industry participants to help them improve financial performance and customer retention. Typical engagements addressed vehicle and service marketing, business process and systems design and implementation, and service-parts operations.

Nickelsen Partners was a partly-owned subsidiary of Business Catalyst, LLC in 2008-12 that worked primarily with car dealers to help them improve profitability and performance. As President of Nickelsen Partners, I also functioned as CFO and COO. In those roles, I oversaw the development of consulting materials, tools, and processes; staff recruiting and training; and financial management.

In addition to having overall revenue and financial control responsibility for the organization, I chaired a task force that identified, built consensus for, and implemented actions that reduced total expenses by 20% over two years.

Lagrange, Illinois, Us

After performing an in-depth assessment of EMD's parts and service operations, I was retained by EMD to implement my recommendations as interim head of service-parts operations. My responsibilities included parts inventory management, warehousing, service-parts engineering, and the customer call center. As Director, I revitalized the organization and prepared my pre-selected successor to take over. My primary "change" initiative was a major process improvement and systems implementation that used cutting-edge practices to substantially improve both fill rates and inventory turns.

Boston, Massachusetts, Us

CFGW provided management consulting to motor vehicle and transportation companies. I led engagements in both practice areas. The two practice areas split at the end of 1998, with the motor vehicle practice becoming Carlisle & Company.

Boston, Ma, Us

Us

Mercer Management Consulting was the successor firm to Temple, Barker & Sloane.

New York, Ny, Us

Oliver Wyman is the successor firm to Mercer Management Consulting and Temple, Barker & Sloane.

Hired into Transportation and Logistics practice, and later transferred into Automotive practice. Promoted 3 times, at then-standard cadence, and was eligible for next promotion when I left to join Charles River Associates.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Also (as a consultant) co-led Amtrak Business Education management training program 1996-98 - the highest-rated training program in Amtrak's history.

Mba (With Distinction), Completed Concentrations In Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Operations, Transportation, Org. Behavior

Bs, Civil Engineering