Client's Testimonials

ATK / RCBS

"It has been a great pleasure and I have been extremely impressed with the quality and professionalism of Kelly Graves and his associates. Their knowledge, thoroughness, creativity, recommendations, and follow up are critical components to their service. Over the course of the last six months, it has been a delight working with Kelly in leadership and employee development."

Beverly Johnson
Director of Human Resources
ATK / RCBS

Sutherland Landscape Center

"We hired Kelly Graves during a period in our business where we were experiencing serious difficulties in employee relations. We had poor communication, territorial issues, and outright hostility. Kelly came in and was able to clearly pinpoint the key issues and helped us as a mediator to talk through the problems and keep up on task to find solutions even when emotions ran high. With his help, we worked through many problems and he helped us create a better team atmosphere. His tools for identifying personality traits were particularly insightful when analyzing employee reactions to various stimuli."

"We are very grateful for Kelly's expertise and we would highly recommend Internal Business Solutions, Inc. for conflict resolution, team building and overall business planning."

Bruce L. Whitegiver
President
Sutherland Landscape Center

California State University, Chico

"Kelly did a great job on the board for the Parade of Lights. His input and organizational skills kept us on track toward our goals. He helped us to have more efficient meetings in a shorter period of time and has a great style of communicating, too. He's strong and decisive without ruffling feathers. Thanks, Kelly. You are an excellent communicator and team player and I look forward to working with you more."

Marcie Tevis
Administrative Contacts Coordinator, Academic Technologies
California State University, Chico

Butte County Office of Education

Administrative Services

"We had some early signs of conflict in our office. We assumed that our managers would be able to 'ride them out.' Instead, the conflicts took on a life of their own and we needed help. With Kelly's assistance, we were able to identify the professional-development steps needed to rectify the situation.

I just wish we had called him sooner."

Steven Rudy
Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services
Butte County Office of Education

Customer Service

"Eighteen months ago, I was frustrated with the lack of communication at work. After 15 years of employment, I was at the point of looking for another position. Our organization hired Kelly to come in and work with our staff in both individual and team settings. Over the course of about one year, I worked with Kelly on several different conflict resolution methods, as well as on developing my personal-communication skills. As a result of Kelly's training, my job is much less stressful and the communication at work has been greatly improved. Our entire staff is now working as a team."

Teresa Lightle
Customer Service Manager
Butte County Office of Education

Chico Unified School District

Facilities Planning

"It's always easiest to get a loan when you don't need the money.

The same thing applies to organizational development — it's always easier to make organizational changes when you don't need to. In the real world, organizational fine-tuning usually occurs at the worst of times. It is usually driven by problems within the organization itself or a turbulent operating environment. The changes require creating a space and the time within this environment to take stock of an organization's strengths and weaknesses, to clear up any communication issues and to refocus everyone on the issues that need to be tackled immediately.

By approaching this process in a well-thought-out manner, the organization not only meets the immediate crisis but comes out much stronger and operating like a finely-tuned machine. Unfortunately, this process is very difficult to tackle while the organization is in a firefighting mode. It often requires an outside guide to walk through the steps required without the blinders which restrict the vision of those who feel like they are under fire.

Internal Business Solutions provided just this service to the Facilities and Maintenance Departments of the Chico Unified School District, at a time when the challenges were great and the available resources were very thin. Kelly's guidance helped build the sense of being a team, eliminate communication issues, and facilitate planning for one of the biggest structural changes CUSD has undertaken — the closure of two of its elementary campuses. The end result is that we are working together far more efficiently and effectively."

Michael Weissenborn
Facilities Planning/Construction Manager
Chico Unified School District

Information Services

"I heard about Kelly Graves through our County Office of Education. In my department, Information Services, Chico Unified School District, I felt that we needed better teamwork, improved communication skills, and more effective customer-service skills. We hired Kelly Graves to help us in these areas. He and I planned this professional development to take place over a four-to-five month period, but within just a few sessions, I saw amazing results. Our technicians were working and communicating better. There was less territorialism. And, our staff meetings became much more professional and productive.

Kelly has a way of breaking down the barriers of poor communication. He helped us learn how to tackle our problems head-on. He also taught me highly-successful facilitator skills, so that I could sit in on other departmental meetings to help them deal with the same problem areas, using his methods. I admit, at first, I was a bit skeptical of the process, but I quickly changed my mind. Now, I believe that we should utilize Kelly on a routine basis with regard to goal setting, employee conflict resolution, and other personnel issues. I cannot speak highly enough of his skills and methods."

Vikki Gillett
Director of Information Technology
Chico Unified School District

Maintenance/Operations/Transportation

"I have a department that has been through major reorganization and changes over the past several years. These changes were for the good of the department; however, the majority of the department staff members were not on board. Continual personnel problems, infighting between staff members, etc., were taking place.

I began working with Kelly Graves in December 2004 to address these issues. In a short period of time, Kelly successfully worked with the core department team to strengthen the group. He then worked with subordinate members of the department to enact change. The department staffs and I are excited about the results we have had working with Kelly. Because of all the changes and the struggles we faced, we had not felt hopeful for a long, long time. Now, we like how we are all working together toward common goals. Thanks to Kelly's professionalism and attention to our unique situation, he helped us get over our hurdles and get back on track. We look forward to a positive future."

Mary K. Leary
Director of Maintenance/Operations/Transportation
Chico Unified School District

Marin County Office of Education

"Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation you and Catherine gave at Walker Creek Ranch. The administrative group really appreciated hearing your approach to defining problems and then solving them. You gave us a great tool we can use in many situations.

Again, thank you both for getting our year off to a great start!"

Mary Jane Burke
Superintendent of Schools
Marin County Office of Education

Shasta College Economic Workforce Development Grants Office

"Liz worked with us to coordinate, market, and emcee our event. Her assistance was invaluable and had a huge, positive impact on the success of the event. Her assistance with logistics was very useful, but her ability to uphold program timeliness while maintaining speaker and audience interest was a sight to see. I will be hiring Liz and IBS again."

Suzie Clark
Assistant Project Director
Shasta College Economic Workforce Development Grants Office

Plumas Lake Elementary School District

Superintendent

"Due to the rapid expansion and growth in our community, our school district was faced with significant challenges. Thanks to Kelly's professionalism and skillful facilitation, we improved our communication, successfully addressed staffing issues, clarified our vision, and strengthened our management team. Kelly has the mastery, enthusiasm, and the integrity to get the job done. I recommend Kelly without hesitation. When it comes to improving individual and organizational performance, you'll be glad he's 'on board.'"

Dione Beilby
Superintendent
Plumas Lake Elementary School District

Principal

"Our school district hired Kelly Graves to assist our leadership team with the challenges caused by rapid expansion. Kelly helped us to clarify roles and responsibilities, facilitate meetings, plan for staffing issues, and improve our communication systems and skills. He proved himself to be a real asset to our district's growth and development! Kelly has the heart to listen and really hear the important information. He respected our unique culture and helped us to build trust and self-reliance during this time of intense change and growth. He is a man of integrity and wisdom beyond his years. If you are considering the services of a consultant, an executive coach or a insightful, confidential sounding board, I recommend Kelly Graves. He is a consummate professional with a gift for helping others succeed."

Meredith Putnam
Principal
Rio Del Oro Elementary School, Plumas Lake Elementary School District

Teacher

"I have been meaning to email you and thank you for coming out to our site a little over a week ago. I know my attitude was not always positive in those types of situations, but I really think what you and Liz were all about, with the communication and team building, is crucial for a vibrant and thriving staff. Your passion despite any adversity you may have felt is what has struck me the most. As a teacher it is easy to get stuck on the negative thinking of others and you reminded me that I don't have to be stuck with a bad attitude, but rather I can make a difference in my staff not just my students. Thank you."

Ryan Gantenbein
5-8 Special Day Class Teacher
Riverside Meadows School, Plumas Lake Elementary School District

Wells Fargo Bank

"Along with many of my colleagues, I had the pleasure of participating in Kelly Graves' one-day 'Team Building' workshop. I've never written a testimonial before, but I really thought this experience was exceptional, and I needed to let him know how much I appreciated his wealth of knowledge and great sense of humor. I was also really impressed with his organization and his effective use of our precious time. Every minute of the workshop was valuable! The communication strategies he taught us have really helped us to gel as a team.

Thanks, Kelly!"

Shirley Huang Batman, Branch Manager II
Wells Fargo Bank

InterWest Insurance Services, Inc.

"I am in a business model that needs the ability to quickly change my product offering to match my client's needs. I am required to develop management processes that are fast moving and self actuating (and those that don't need micro managing.) This creates an interesting dilemma: how do I divide my time between strategic planning and tactical action in an environment that is predominantly crisis management. My answer has been to hire the services of Internal Business Solutions, Inc. and outsource the strategic planning to professionals who have the expertise to successfully facilitate and implement structural changes that give the needed outcomes in a timely manner. IBS delivers results. I have personally seen their success with these processes. In one example, over a very short period of time, Kelly and Liz took a boardroom that was at a stalemate and skillfully moved them forward with clear action plans and accountabilities. Through their facilitation and meeting structures they created majority agreement that greatly benefitted the company. Through their innovative processes and effective communication style, Kelly and Liz created high morale on this board. The client's needs were met and the client was expertly guided through the implementation and achievement of their mission."

Steve Martino
Manager
PEO Division, InterWest Insurance Services, Inc.

Tehama County Bank

"I had the pleasure of working with Kelly Graves recently when he and I were members of the Chico Parade of Lights Board. I really appreciated Kelly's respectful, diplomatic and effective leadership style. He proved that he is highly skilled at navigating through minefields. He is a strong communicator with good people skills. He was instrumental with helping our board set measurable goals and timelines, He also helped smooth over some rough spots between some board members who disagreed which was very helpful to all of us. He just made all of us better at what we did so as a group we put on a great parade. Thank you, Kelly."

Barbara Wrigley
Tehama County Bank

Destino's

"I am a small business owner who has had the pleasure of working with a variety of talented sub-contractors over the years. On the occasions when I have needed support with leading my team, Kelly Graves has been an invaluable resource. He has helped me work through conflict resolution to positive outcomes for all. Kelly brings a fresh perspective on business growth and relationship building for long-term success. I recommend his organization without hesitation."

Sheila Heuer
Owner
Destino's

Arnold Lee, M.D.

"My office staff had some problems with conflict resolution. They needed some good staff development to get past these problems. They needed to get back to being efficient in the office and effective with customer service. I hired Kelly Graves to solve these problems. He exceeded my expectations. Plus, my office staff loved working with him. He continues to check in with us and go the extra mile. Since working with Kelly, my staff has been getting along much better, and I have been able get back to my work without those distractions.

Kelly got the job done. Thanks, Kelly."

Arnold Lee, M.D.

Specta-Physics

"Kelly Graves of Internal Business Solutions, Inc. has the ability to turn a negative and seemingly hopeless situation into a positive experience."

"From the start, Kelly proved he was able to adapt and create to meet the changing needs of our employees. He impressed me with his ability to listen and build rapport with a very diverse group of employees… The employee feedback for each session with Kelly was overwhelmingly positive. I was amazed at how adept Kelly was as gaining trust and acceptance even from employees who were adamantly opposed to "professional help."

"In the eight years that I worked for Spectra-Physics, I can honestly say that the most rewarding time was the few months that I was able to work with Kelly Graves. Kelly was willing to listen and collaborate to create workshops and an atmosphere helped the employees transition from their past identities as Spectra-Physics employees to a hopeful future."

"Kelly really knows how to ameliorate a negative situation and create a positive outcome. If you are looking for a professional who can help your business move through a conflict or a seemingly hopeless situation, Kelly Graves with his Internal Business Solutions, Inc. is the person for the job."

Katherine Clay
Environmental Health and Safety Manager
Specta-Physics

Cosio and Cosio

"Kelly, you did an outstanding job as our executive coach. We wanted to thank you for your useful innovations. I wish I had known leadership development would be this smart (and fun!). Thank you for facilitating our professional growth."

Dan Cosio
Owner
Cosio and Cosio

Advanced Technology Group

"Kelly Graves ROCKS! Kelly has worked with us for many years on many different problems and has helped us every time. I have recommended him to many of my colleagues and they have all experienced similar results. Thank you, Kelly."

Russ Selkin
President
Advanced Technology Group

Improvement Direct, Inc.

"After the consulting arrangement, our meetings flow smoother, our agendas more organized, and interpersonal issues in the office have been better resolved or altogether mitigated. As a result we are operating more efficiently than before. I received real value from the engagement, and would recommend Kelly and his team for any organization which faces communication or difficulties relating to change."

Christian Friedland
President
Improvement Direct, Inc.

Discount and Disposables

"We hired Kelly Graves to help us grow in three areas: leadership and staff development, employee evaluations, and project planning and forecasting. He gave us such high-quality service and value — above and beyond what we expected — that he deserves kudos for his professionalism, his integrity, and his sincere commitment to our unique needs. Trust really matters to us, and we really trust Kelly. His in-depth knowledge of the real business world and his excellent communication skills clearly helped our team get to the next level. We met our objectives with his guidance. Kelly exceeded our expectations as a trainer and consultant, and we recommend him without hesitation. We feel lucky to have found him and look forward to bringing him back soon!"

Liz Galler
Owner
Discount Disposables

Ag Biomass Council, Inc.

"Our non-profit organization Ag Biomass Council, Inc. (ABC) has been receiving excellent services through IBS since 2007 with special thanks to Liz Peterson Bilinsky. She is well-organized, pays careful attention to detail, and produces professional presentations. ABC is establishing a position of leadership in a growing industry. In this way, we are dealing any number of "moving targets" and other challenges that require leaders with effective communication skills, honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. Liz has these skills and more. She is able to adapt and go the extra mile, always producing positive results."

Thorson Bailey
President
Ag Biomass Council, Inc.

Azad's International, Inc.

"In very short order, it was apparent to all on our board that Kelly had great listening skills and great talent as a facilitator. He was highly successful assisting members of the board and other local parade participants with organization, clarifying priorities, establishing clear timelines, and improving communication. He successfully negotiated hot spots in the role of liaison between the board and local law enforcement. Through cooperative communication strategies, he also helped to build bridges between the old guard and the new leadership on the board… Call Kelly. He's a 'stand-up' guy!"

Farshad Azad
President
Azad's International, Inc., Azad's Martial Arts Family Center, and Rancho Chico Days Parade

Butte County Air Quality Management District

We had Kelly initially come in to help us with our team building day. Our staff quickly got into the exercises designed to build unit cohesion, improve communications and focus on solutions. Staff developed a rapport with Kelly and a level of trust in his program.

We have continued with some follow-up work, identifying key organizational themes requiring management attention. In this process Kelly has been very flexible in working with staff and management, given our limited budget. Kelly's services have brought incredible value to our current needs.

Jim Wagoner, Air Pollution Control Officer
Butte County Air Quality Management District
2525 Dominic Dr. Suite J
Chico, CA 95928
Phone: (530) 891-2882 ext. 102
Fax: (530) 891-2878