About Us
We are experts in business and community growth consulting.
Struggling to successfully navigate the minefield of change? Our consultant team can help!
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At Spark Growth, we change the world by changing the way you think.
- Sara Hand, CEO
In 2013, our founders Sara Hand and Stan Schultes created Spark Growth™ with a focus on research and putting into practice a meticulous and data-driven approach to inter-sector consulting. Headquartered in the City of Bradenton, Florida, our Core Team of Consultants recruits and works in partnership with various industry experts to address your problems, finding you Smart and sustainable solutions to spark growth. Our consultants bring academic rigor to real-world business problems, with backgrounds in technology development, data management, economics, sociocultural anthropology, International Business Innovation, resource counseling, Agile Strategies, and more.
Today, we provide consulting, training, and development services on five continents and have reached over 22,000 satisfied clients with our events. Our Pandemic Response Portfolio outlines our recent work with Dell Technologies and NTT DATA as well as our follow up with clients such as ROOTS Education and multinational Guatemalan firm Allied ITS.
Our core team
Now after years in this space, leveraging the power of communities and traditional organizations through collaborations, bridging the gaps across industry clusters, public and private sector silos and convening leaders from around the world…We have a proven ability to inspire change whether at an individual, organizational or community level, bridging the gaps across multi-organizational initiatives.
- We change the way people think. This is what we are good at. This is what we are known for.
Sara Hand
Chief Executive Officer
Sara Hand, Founder, and CEO of Spark Growth, works across public and private sectors to find and leverage unique value propositions. Hand has been recognized by entities such as CEED (Center for Executive and Entrepreneur Development), Harvard TECH, TiE Tampa, and others for fostering collaboration and driving action-focused agendas for business and community development. With a Master’s in Counseling, Hand has an intensive professional and academic background in problem-solving for people, businesses, and communities.
Stan Schultes
Chief Information Officer
Stan Schultes, CIO, is an engineer and professional technologist working to build smarter, more inclusive communities where we live, work, play, and learn. Microsoft Corporation has recognized Schultes for his global business and technology expertise in advanced manufacturing solutions, development, technology transfer, and commercialization, naming him Regional Director (2018 – Present) and MVP (2004 – 2018). With a BSE in engineering from Purdue and over 40 years of experience, Schultes understands the power of culturally responsive technology and the downfalls of the digital divide.
Cassandra Decker
Chief Data and Research Officer
Cassandra Decker, CDRO, is a data designer driving efficiency in programs, projects, procedures, and products. Decker earned a Master’s Degree in applied anthropology from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish, English, and Political Science from The University of Iowa. Decker also has over 15 years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research, conducting results-based work in both English and Spanish. She is the owner and principal consultant of CRD Impact, which uses community research, equitable design, and inclusive marketing practices to identify, analyze, and interpret data.
Norman Dempsey
Chief Technology Officer and “Tech MacGyver”
Norman Dempsey, MBA, is a technology innovator and solutions engineer widely recognized for his business, computer network, & cyber-security consulting. A former television Network Administrator, Dempsey’s grasp of responsive media development is second to none and complements the human-interfacing and management skills he developed managing and owning restaurants and supporting computer operations for DoD clients. A graduate of Eckerd (BA) and USF (MBA), he is passionate about education and loves finding opportunities for existing businesses to expand services and enhance cash flow.
Laura Elizabeth
Education & research consultant
As an Education Consultant and Curriculum Development Specialist, Laura Hand, MA, has worked with a wide range of education entities across private and public, domestic and international, and for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently, Hand has worked on textbook development and program management for a large-scale WIOA/ALE-funded ESOL program. Hand holds a Master’s Degree in English and Comparative Literature and a multidisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics, English and Comparative Literature, and Comparative Literature and Society (MLS).
Spark Growth’s processes, workshops, and training programs emphasize connections, resources, and holistic solutions – and the methods that link them together. Over 13,000 Spark Growth workshop attendees have gone on to make major changes and enact core-technology transformations with a measurable impact. Clients such as Siteworks have more than doubled revenue with the assistance of Spark Growth consultants.
Spark Growth in What Matters
Core Team Developments, Business Model Innovations, and Brand & Thought Leadership.
Connections
Resources
Solutions
Spark Growth’s processes, workshops, and training programs emphasize connections, resources, and holistic solutions – and the methods that link them together. Over 13,000 Spark Growth workshop attendees have gone on to make major changes and enact core-technology transformations with a measurable impact. Clients such as Siteworks have more than doubled revenue with the assistance of Spark Growth consultants.
Spark Growth in What Matters. Core Team Developments, Business Model Innovations, and Brand & Thought Leadership.
- We change the way people think. This is what we are good at. This is what we are known for.
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