Tackling complex problems that prevent people, organizations and communities from achieving outstanding results.


I love it when clients say, “Oh, we can’t do that.”
Really? There is always a way.

Whether it’s being one of the founders of four nonprofits (the Jeremiah Program, Twin Cities RISE!, Ujamaa Place, Greater Minneapolis Food Bank) that dramatically improve the lives of economically poor people, helping start a new General Mills company – Yoplait USA, helping communities of color achieve their goals or helping an orchestra produce better music, we are relentless in rethinking the status quo and getting better results.


Tackling complex problems that prevent people, organizations and communities from achieving outstanding results.


I love it when clients say,
“Oh, we can’t do that.”
Really? There is always a way.

Whether it’s being one of the founders of four non-profits (the Jeremiah Program, Twin Cities RISE!, Ujamaa Place, Greater Minneapolis Food Bank) that dramatically improve the lives of economically poor people, helping start a new General Mills company – Yoplait USA, helping communities of color achieve their goals or helping an orchestra produce better music, I am relentless in rethinking the status quo and getting better results.


Tackling complex problems that prevent people, organizations and communities from achieving outstanding results.


I love it when clients say, “Oh, we can’t do that.”
Really? There is always a way.

Whether it’s being one of the founders of four nonprofits (the Jeremiah Program, Twin Cities RISE!, Ujamaa Place, Greater Minneapolis Food Bank) that dramatically improve the lives of economically poor people, helping start a new General Mills company – Yoplait USA, helping communities of color achieve their goals or helping an orchestra produce better music, I am relentless in rethinking the status quo and getting better results.


Our Services


WJS Consulting Group helps nonprofits and for-profits achieve their mission, increase results for their clients and build their internal capacity to perform at a high level. We utilize over 30 years of experience and best practices from the nonprofit, government and for-profit business worlds to achieve these results.

Areas of Focus:

Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.


— Program redesign
— New program development
— Customer/client/stakeholder satisfaction
— Program evaluation
— Strategic & business planning
— Strategic business review
— Market research
— Advancement & development strategy
— Preparation of existing business for expansion
— Design of scaling strategy
— Financial and infrastructure plans in support of scaling
— Implementation plans for expansion
— Design of a culture to maximize employee productivity and morale
— Development of key staff’s management skills, including individual coaching
— Board of Directors assessment, selection, training and effectiveness
— Working with senior leadership teams to identify and solve key issues
— Increasing the effectiveness and productivity of senior leadership teams
— Facilitation of key staff and/or board discussions

/ Clients /

Our Clients


The WJS Consulting Group serves clients in multiple arenas, including: Social Service & Arts nonprofits & Foundations, Higher Education, State & Local Government, Consumer Marketing & Advertising, Finance & Banking, etc. – See detailed client lists below.

Recent clients include: Project for Pride in Living (PPL), Catholic Charities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mental Health Resources, The Wilder Foundation, Minnesota Historical Society, Lutheran Social Service of MN, University of Dubuque, Twin Cities United Way, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Bachmans, Little & Company, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

 

What Our Clients are Saying:

“… Bill is a smart, inquisitive, strategic and integrative thinker.”

Tim Marx

President and CEO, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis



“… WJS Consulting pushed us to surface the core priorities in our work and then to make the tough choices that helped us maximize our impact.”

Paul D. Williams

President and CEO, Project for Pride in Living, Inc.


“WJS Consulting knows their ‘true north.’ Bill Svrluga is intuitive, energetic and an extraordinary facilitator.”

Kathy Gregersen

Executive Director, Mental Health Resources, Inc.


Representative Clients: NonProfit







A partial client list follows. Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.

— Legal Rights Center
— Center for Ethical Business Cultures
— Minneapolis Center for Neighborhoods
— Silent Witness National Initiative
— Lord of Life Lutheran Church
— Basilica of St. Mary
— St. Clement’s Episcopal Church
— Unity Church-Unitarian
— American Red Cross
— Board of Social Ministry
— The Guthrie Theater
— Minnesota Private College Fund
— Catholic Charities
— University of Minnesota Foundation
— General Mills Foundation
— The Bush Foundation
— Otto Bremer Foundation
— Northwest Area Foundation
— Family Foundations
— The Wilder Foundation
— State of Iowa Child Welfare re-design
— State Services for the Blind –MN
— City of Zumbrota, MN
— Scott County, MN
— State of New York – Tax Dept
— Minnesota River Valley Special Education Cooperative
— Minneapolis Public Library
— Colgate University
— St. Mary’s College
— The University of Dubuque
— Michigan State University
— University of Minnesota
— Augsburg College
— HECUA
— Temple University
— The Smithsonian
— MN Children’s Museum
— St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
— Minnesota Public Radio
— MNN Radio
— Minnesota Monthly Magazine
— MN Historical Society
— Radio Broadcasting Association
— Independent Bankers Association of America
— National Business Travel Assoc.
— American Medical Association
— Twin Cities RISE!
— The Jeremiah Program
— Episcopal Community Services
— Washburn Center for Children
— Greater Minneapolis Food Bank
— Loaves & Fishes
— Westside Community Health
— Catholic Charities of Twin Cities
— Twin Cites United Way
— Lutheran Social Service

Representative Clients: For-Profit







A partial client list follows. Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.

— General Mills, Inc.
— 3M
— Boise Cascade Office Products
— Target Corporation
— Bachman’s
— US Bank
— Western Bank
— Merrill Corporation
— Western Insurance
— Residential Funding Corporation (RFC)
— Kestral Venture Capital
— Magenic
— Brain Traffic
— Bozell Worldwide
— Little & Company
— Met/Hodder
— Ruhr Paragon
— Lee and Riley
— Young America Corporation
— Public Strategies Group

Our Clients


The WJS Consulting Group serves clients in multiple arenas, including: Social Service & Arts nonprofits & Foundations, Higher Education, State & Local Government, Consumer Marketing & Advertising, Finance & Banking, etc. – See detailed client lists below.

Recent clients include: Project for Pride in Living (PPL), Catholic Charities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mental Health Resources, The Wilder Foundation, Minnesota Historical Society, Lutheran Social Service of MN, University of Dubuque, Twin Cities United Way, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Bachmans, Little & Company, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

What Our Clients are Saying:

“… Bill is a smart, inquisitive, strategic and integrative thinker.”

Tim Marx

President and CEO, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis


“… WJS Consulting pushed us to surface the core priorities in our work and then to make the tough choices that helped us maximize our impact.”

Paul D. Williams

President and CEO, Project for Pride in Living, Inc.


“WJS Consulting knows their ‘true north.’ Bill Svrluga is intuitive, energetic and an extraordinary facilitator.”

Kathy Gregersen

Executive Director, Mental Health Resources, Inc.


Representative Clients: NonProfit







A partial client list follows. Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.

— Legal Rights Center
— Center for Ethical Business Cultures
— Minneapolis Center for Neighborhoods
— Silent Witness National Initiative
— Lord of Life Lutheran Church
— Basilica of St. Mary
— St. Clement’s Episcopal Church
— Unity Church-Unitarian
— American Red Cross
— Board of Social Ministry
— The Guthrie Theater
— Minnesota Private College Fund
— Catholic Charities
— University of Minnesota Foundation
— General Mills Foundation
— The Bush Foundation
— Otto Bremer Foundation
— Northwest Area Foundation
— Family Foundations
— The Wilder Foundation
— State of Iowa Child Welfare re-design
— State Services for the Blind –MN
— City of Zumbrota, MN
— Scott County, MN
— State of New York – Tax Dept
— Minnesota River Valley Special Education Cooperative
— Minneapolis Public Library
— Colgate University
— St. Mary’s College
— The University of Dubuque
— Michigan State University
— University of Minnesota
— Augsburg College
— HECUA
— Temple University
— The Smithsonian
— MN Children’s Museum
— St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
— Minnesota Public Radio
— MNN Radio
— Minnesota Monthly Magazine
— MN Historical Society
— Radio Broadcasting Association
— Independent Bankers Association of America
— National Business Travel Assoc.
— American Medical Association
— Twin Cities RISE!
— The Jeremiah Program
— Episcopal Community Services
— Washburn Center for Children
— Greater Minneapolis Food Bank
— Loaves & Fishes
— Westside Community Health
— Catholic Charities of Twin Cities
— Twin Cites United Way
— Lutheran Social Service

Representative Clients: For-Profit







A partial client list follows. Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.

— General Mills, Inc.
— 3M
— Boise Cascade Office Products
— Target Corporation
— Bachman’s
— US Bank
— Western Bank
— Merrill Corporation
— Western Insurance
— Residential Funding Corporation (RFC)
— Kestral Venture Capital
— Magenic
— Brain Traffic
— Bozell Worldwide
— Little & Company
— Met/Hodder
— Ruhr Paragon
— Lee and Riley
— Young America Corporation
— Public Strategies Group

About Us




Bill Svrluga

Founder & President

I have learned the presenting problem is rarely the real issue – or the real opportunity. What’s often missing is a more skillful diagnosis, a deeper understanding of the customer, a rigorous rethinking of the question, the courage to have candid conversations and the development of strategies that produce the desired outcomes!

Whether it’s being one of the founders of four nonprofits (Jeremiah Program, Twin Cities RISE!, Greater Minneapolis Food Bank, Ujamaa Place) that dramatically improve the lives of economically poor people, helping start a new General Mills company – Yoplait USA, helping communities of color achieve their goals or helping an orchestra produce better music, I am relentless in rethinking the status quo and getting better results.

My passion for meaningful redesign was born in the civil rights movement, refined in higher education, matured in Corporate America and honed in many years of starting nonprofit businesses and consulting for-profit, nonprofit and public sector organizations around the country. My decision many years ago to split my time between strategy consulting and addressing inner city issues has served my clients well. I bring multi-sector experience and perspectives to bear on their thorniest challenges.

Professional Experience

Click on each of the tabs below to view the details of each section.


General Mills, Inc. a number of positions including:
— VP of Human Resources;
— Member of the start-up team of Yoplait USA;
— Director of Organization Development for General Mills.

Land O’Lakes
— Manager of Training and Development

Associate Dean and/or Dean of Students at:
— Loyola University of Chicago
— Macalester College;
— Carleton College.

Bill has a strong commitment to strengthen his community. He has served as:
— Vice Chair of the Minneapolis Urban League;
— Co-founder and Chair of the Greater Minneapolis Food Bank;
— Chair of Sabathani Community Center;
— Senior Deacon of his church;
— Co-chair of the Minneapolis Initiative Against Racism;
— Trustee of the University of Dubuque, member of Citizen League study teams;
— A founder of Twin Cities RISE!, the Jeremiah program and Ujamaa Place (long-term work skills/self-sufficiency programs for low-income adults);
— Elected to MN Volunteer Hall of Fame.
Bill’s education includes:
— MA from Drake University;
— BA from the University of Dubuque;
— Advanced graduate work in counseling and organization psychology from Loyola University of Chicago.

In addition, he has extensive training in group dynamics from the National Training Laboratories (NTL) and in Systems Dynamics and Policy Design with Peter Senge at MIT.

Contact


We’re looking forward to hearing from you.


 

Inquiries


bill
@
wjsconsulting.us

Call


612
865
six nine five eight

Connect


Write


400 S. 4th Street
Ste. 401M
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Visit


Monday-Friday
8a-5p

Contact


We’re looking forward to hearing from you.


Inquiries


bill
@
wjsconsulting.us

Call


612
865
eight nine five eight

Write


325 Cedar Street
Ste. 710
St. Paul, MN 55101

Visit


Monday-Friday
8a-5p

Connect