For over 20 years I’ve been helping companies break the bonds of industry pricing so that they have the profits and cash needed to:

Innovate – For it’s through innovation that we improve the human condition

Reward – Quality and service-conscious employees and vendors

Support – Our local communities and agencies that serve the less fortunate

Interestingly, the field of pricing extends well beyond the realms of quantifying value and establishing a price. The way you staff your sales force, compensate them, structure your organizations and make policy decision can enhance or diminish the effectiveness of your pricing strategy. When I work with clients on pricing we consider all of these factors and many more.

It’s been an interesting journey for me. I began my career with a national CPA firm, Main LaFrentz (now part of KPMG) where I got my CPA certificate. After a three-year stint doing auditing and tax work, I spent 17 years in Chief Financial Officer positions in a variety of industry including construction, mortgage banking, distribution and residential home building.

One of the joys of my CFO experiences was my ability to work on the development side of the business.

My work wasn’t just about tracking results,

it was about CREATING them.

During these years, I learned a great deal about buyer psychology, sales, marketing and pricing – education that will continue as long as I live.

In 1989 I struck out on my own creating Furtwengler & Associates, a firm dedicated to helping its clients increase profits without adding resources. My initial entry into most clients was as their part-time CFO.

Very quickly I realized that virtually none of these businesses had financial information systems that allowed them to know what was making money and what wasn’t. I found it fascinating that often the greatest investment in marketing dollars and production capacity were often in their least profitable lines.

That, of course, led to the inevitable question “Can we raise prices?” In the vast majority of cases we could. In fact, I was so successful in helping clients increase prices that one of my consultant friends began to introduce me as “the leading cause of inflation.” A fun, but wholly-inaccurate moniker.

On a personal note, my wife and I celebrated our 37th anniversary. We love the outdoors – camping, hiking, canoeing. We’ve also had the good fortune to scuba dive in some gorgeous locales including the Caribbean, French Polynesia and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We’ve heard that the Red Sea has great diving as well – stay tuned!

Enough about me, I’d like to learn about you! I’d love to hear your story, your dreams and the obstacles you face in getting the pricing you need to make those dreams come true. Give me a call at 314-707-3771 and we’ll make them a reality so quickly, you’ll have to pinch yourself to believe it’s true.