About Grease Consulting
Grease Consulting LLC was founded in 2005 in response to 30 years of observing private and public organizations, in both corporate and nonprofit settings, struggle to reduce friction, improve organization effectiveness, drive sales execution, and create value.
Grease Consulting observes that all companies seek a competitive edge. Such an edge leads to incremental sales and value
creation because it compels customers to acknowledge that doing business with Grease clients enables them to make more money than doing business with their competitors. Grease Consulting was formed to help our clients make this case again and again as part of their value proposition. Grease Consulting recognizes that company priorities differ because of different business models. The point of the spear is sustainable value creation, which derives from incremental profitable sales, which fall to the bottom line, as manifested by increasing net income, EBITDA, and shareholder equity.
Grease Consulting LLC consists of two managing principals: Graham Covington and Harry Turvey. Since our backgrounds vary significantly, we bring different experiences, capabilities and instincts to client problems. We focus our business advice on selected drivers in the business value-creation continuum where improvement offers large value gains.
- Grease Consulting managing principals
- Graham Covington
Prior to founding Grease Consulting in 2005, Covington’s corporate career included the paper manufacturing industry where he was VP of Sales and Marketing at Boise Cascade Corporation, and earlier stints in the advertising business in New York. His business background has focused on the customer. Covington has led national direct and indirect sales organizations in the management of customer expectations and the seamless execution of business plans. He is an advocate of critical thinking and clear oral and written communications. Covington served as an officer in the US Naval Reserve.
As a social entrepreneur, he founded and directs Minds Matter of Portland, an academic mentoring organization that helps highly-motivated, low-income high school students attend college with financial aid. Covington’s organizational governance experience includes serving as Board Chair with Portland Baroque Orchestra and on the boards of Outward Bound West, Neskowin Valley School and the Portland Racquet Club. Corporate board experience includes Danco Precision Machine and Portco Packaging. Covington holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.
- Graham Covington
Prior to founding Grease Consulting in 2005, Covington’s corporate career included the paper manufacturing industry where he was VP of Sales and Marketing at Boise Cascade Corporation, and earlier stints in the advertising business in New York. His business background has focused on the customer. Covington has led national direct and indirect sales organizations in the management of customer expectations and the seamless execution of business plans. He is an advocate of critical thinking and clear oral and written communications. Covington served as an officer in the US Naval Reserve.
As a social entrepreneur, he founded and directs Minds Matter of Portland, an academic mentoring organization that helps highly-motivated, low-income high school students attend college with financial aid. Covington’s organizational governance experience includes serving as Board Chair with Portland Baroque Orchestra and on the boards of Outward Bound West, Neskowin Valley School and the Portland Racquet Club. Corporate board experience includes Danco Precision Machine and Portco Packaging. Covington holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.
- Harry Turvey
Turvey joined Grease Consulting in 2011 as a partner after more than 20 years in management consulting where he focused on providing high quality strategy and marketing assistance to younger or smaller firms (< $100 million in sales) primarily in manufacturing, distribution, and software. Harry continues his long-standing interest in finding pragmatic methods for delivering high-performance strategies within the multiple constraints of smaller clients and in solving the change leadership issues that always arise.
Harry’s earlier work experience included positions in chemical manufacturing, paper marketing, and medical office computer marketing, as well as two tours in software startups. His corporate governance experience includes serving on the Board of OrePac Building Materials and on the advisory board of Elastochem, Inc. Turvey holds BA and Master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Rice University as well as an MBA from Stanford University.
- Harry Turvey
Turvey joined Grease Consulting in 2011 as a partner after more than 20 years in management consulting where he focused on providing high quality strategy and marketing assistance to younger or smaller firms (< $100 million in sales) primarily in manufacturing, distribution, and software. Harry continues his long-standing interest in finding pragmatic methods for delivering high-performance strategies within the multiple constraints of smaller clients and in solving the change leadership issues that always arise. Harry’s earlier work experience included positions in chemical manufacturing,
paper marketing, and medical office computer marketing, as well as two tours in software startups. His corporate governance experience includes serving on the Board of OrePac Building Materials and on the advisory board of Elastochem, Inc. Turvey holds BA and Master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Rice University as well as an MBA from Stanford University.
- Grease Consulting Associates
- Sandra Breuer
Breuer’s consulting practice focuses on executive coaching, leadership, and change management. Breuer provides practical, action-oriented consulting and coaching to organizations and individuals. Breuer’s expertise derives from her 25+ years of experience as an executive in large and medium-sized corporations including Boise Cascade Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank, as an independent consultant, and in non-profit board leadership positions.
As a corporate executive, Breuer led large-scale change projects and provided strategic planning skills and a systems approach to making organizations perform better. Her projects and responsibilities also included improving organizational effectiveness, coaching executives, and developing teams and leaders, both domestically and internationally. Breuer has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota and completed the University of Michigan’s Advanced Human Resources Executive Program.
- Sandra Breuer
Breuer’s consulting practice focuses on executive coaching, leadership, and change management. Breuer provides practical, action-oriented consulting and coaching to organizations and individuals. Breuer’s expertise derives from her 25+ years of experience as an executive in large and medium-sized
corporations including Boise Cascade Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank, as an independent consultant, and in non-profit board leadership positions. As a corporate executive, Breuer led large-scale change projects and provided strategic planning skills and a systems approach to making organizations perform better. Her projects and responsibilities also included improving organizational effectiveness, coaching executives, and developing teams and leaders, both domestically and internationally. Breuer has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota and completed the University of Michigan’s Advanced Human Resources Executive Program.
- Grease Consulting Partners
- The McKinsey Academy
Grease is a partner of the McKinsey Academy. The McKinsey Academy offers the McKinsey Management Program of digital courses to help build foundational leadership and management capabilities. These programs offer on-line courses to Grease clients in subjects that reinforce the organizational skills in the Grease Value Creation Gearbox. Courses cover three disciplines: Critical Thinking, Communications, and General Management. Specific courses are Business Strategy, Problem Solving, Communicating for Impact, Mastering Challenging Conversations, Team Management, Unlocking the Potential of Women, and Through the eyes of the CEO. Courses are taught by McKinsey partners in collaboration with peers across the country. The courses are interactive, and offer the opportunity for group projects with McKinsey teaching assistants. Each course emphasizes learning by doing and sharing of expert stories. Each course is offered once or twice a year on a set calendar. All courses are on-line and six-eight weeks in duration. There are pre and post self-assessments to determine a participant’s mastery of key competencies. Grease and McKinsey will help coordinate course participation within your organization. Please let us know if you would like a digital course catalogue.
From our clients:
Terry L. Lock
Senior Vice President (Retired),
Boise Cascade Corporation
Roger L. Pringle
Founder, The Pringle Company