1. February 25, 2010 http://detnews.com/article/20100225/BIZ/2250365
Networking company links clients to talent
MELISSA PREDDY
Special to The Detroit News
One upside to Michigan's devastated jobs market: There's plenty of seasoned talent for hire. Analysts say
a unique characteristic of today's economy is the plethora of white-collar professionals who are out of
work -- not for lack of ability, but because their industries have collapsed.
Two Metro Detroit executive are seizing the moment. They've teamed up to leverage the wealth of
available experts in fields ranging from human resources to marketing to supply chain logistics by forming
a consulting consortium offering a la carte services to clients.
Mike Perugi, a 24-year Chrysler marketing and brand management veteran, was a longtime associate
with Mike Kuppe, who had directed client services for J.D. Power and Associates and previously headed
that firm's Chrysler account. Last year, following Chrysler's massive downsizing, both found themselves
unemployed and wondering how to capitalize on their complementary skill sets.
Recognizing that the sort of senior manager posts they had left were going to be scarce from now on, the
duo pondered various business structures before launching CentStrat LLC, a business solutions firm that
provides clients with expertise -- from proposal to implementation -- across more than a dozen disciplines
on an as-needed basis.
The basic premise of CentStrat -- shorthand for Centennial Strategic -- is a hub-and-spoke 'network
facilitation' model in which Kuppe and Perugi, working from the center of the wheel, will evaluate client
needs, pitch solutions and coordinate contributions from other members of the collaborative. They have
the connections to provide hands-on implementation beyond the research and data gathering offered by
many consulting firms.
"We're the tip of the sword, if you will," Kuppe said. "If there are holes, we fill those with trusted partners."
Perugi and Kuppe manage the projects, negotiate fees with the CentStrat partners and provide clients
with a single "one-stop shopping" experience. The partners, or subject-matter experts, are expected to
share business leads with the rest of the CentStrat team in return for a finder's fee.
Displaced experts
Consulting increasingly will be a permanent career model for many mid-career white-collar workers
instead of a stepping stone to a permanent job, said John Challenger, president of the Chicago-based
outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
"There is a growing number of self-employed experts out there," Challenger said. "And they line up with
others to market themselves."
Members of the CentStrat consortium are seasoned professionals with an average of 20 years
experience. Many hold advanced degrees. About half of the members are individuals, half are principals
in their own businesses.
"For the last 24 months, people like us have come to the market at the peaks of our careers," Kuppe said.

2. "There is no lack of talent, experience or enthusiasm. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the
wrong time."
Challenger says displaced experts may well spend the rest of their careers as contract employees.
"In the aftermath of this recession, companies will use far more contractors, and for longer terms, than
ever before," he said. "They are building 1099 workers into their organizations -- pinpointed experts,
rather than general employees."
Cut through red tape
Rowdy CentStrat staff meetings take place every few weeks as collaborators come together to share tips,
leads and ideas.
"There are no shrinking violets in the organization," Perugi said. "There's passion -- something often
missing in the business world today, with so many people feeling beaten down."
Bill Mason is CentStrat's supply chain and logistics expert. He says CentStrat's structure allows members
to cut through red tape, leveraging existing professional relationships to generate business leads.
"Clients are very impressed with the team's solid credentials," Mason said. "And it's a 'warm sale'
because you're an incumbent. They know you, you know them. You've already proven yourself."
Additional Facts
CentStrat LLC
Northville
(248) 420-1500
Who they are: A Metro Detroit-based consortium of experts in fields ranging from marketing to human
resources to supply chain logistics, offering a la carte business solutions through CentStrat's consultancy.
How they're doing it: Linking seasoned hands-on experts in a hub-and-spoke structure that lets
members trade business leads and tap one another's expertise for consulting projects.
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