Harrisburg-based management consulting firm Dame Leadership is hoping to take its services nationwide after acquiring an employee-assessment company with clients around the U.S.
- Dame Leadership said this week it has acquired Success Performance Solutions, a company born in Lancaster but now based in the Lehigh Valley. Terms of the deal — Dame Leadership’s first-ever acquisition — were not disclosed.
- “We’re just really excited about it. We think it really adds to what we can do,” said Ed Dame, president of Dame Leadership and son of the firm’s founder, John Dame.
- Success Performance Solutions, or SPS, was founded by Ira Wolfe, a dentist-turned-business consultant who will be staying on as a senior consultant with Dame Leadership.
- For Wolfe, who started his business in 1996, the sale represents a succession plan. “I could not imagine a better next growth stage for the company and our clients,” he said in a statement.
What does it do: Wolfe’s firm specializes in delivering employee assessments, whether given before hiring or as part of efforts to identify emerging leaders.
- The tests are developed by others. The value added by SPS lies in helping employers interpret the results, said Dame.
- Employers are increasingly interested in assessments, particularly during the hiring process, Dame added. “The cost of a bad hire greatly outweighs the price to do an assessment and get a little bit more data prior to bringing somebody on.”
What can they do together: Dame Leadership can offer its services to SPS clients, expanding its range.
- Dame Leadership has traditionally focused on an area around Harrisburg, Dame said. But technology allows the firm to reach farther.
- “That’s something we’ve been looking at through the pandemic,” Dame said. “People are open to more virtual services, so that’s been a growing area for our business.”
- Founded in 2002, the firm offers leadership development, executive coaching, strategic planning and other services.
The background: Dame Leadership has been a reseller of SPS services for more than a decade, Dame noted.
- Wolfe, meanwhile, was part of a Vistage CEO peer group led by John Dame 20 years ago.
