Potential Doesn’t Mean Anything Unless You Achieve it

Over a decade ago, we built a new kind of advisory firm. Our team had a vision that too many companies were constrained by under-developed finance, accounting and human resources capabilities. Having spent our careers as executives and managers who built those functions for great companies, we left our jobs and turned our vision into reality. Why? Because we want you to have that same thrill and satisfaction from running a growing company. One that reaches and surpasses its potential.

How We Got Here

2010 2012 2016 2017 2020 2022 The Future

2010

The LORTEA years

In October 2010, Rick Nordvold opened the doors of a one-person advisory firm called LORTEA after spending 18 years in industry corporate finance and CFO roles. Based in Minneapolis MN, LORTEA provided fractional and interim CFO services and finance & accounting advising to early-stage and middle-market companies. LORTEA expanded its team to meet growing demand.

2012

The AVL years

In January 2012, LORTEA merged with Colorado-based Ascent Ventures, a firm providing outsourced accounting services to startups and early-stage companies. The combined entity was named AVL Growth Partners. AVL grew its teams in Colorado and in the Midwest.

2016

The GO years

In January 2016, AVL’s Midwest division (formerly LORTEA) spun off and merged with GO Intellectual Capital, an advisory firm providing go-to-market strategy and sales and marketing optimization services. The combined entity was named GO and provided advisory services to companies across the US with a particular focus on middle-market companies backed by private equity sponsors.

2017

The Launch of HR Outsourcing and Advisory

In October 2017, GO launched its human resources practice, providing comprehensive human resources outsourcing and advisory services.

2020

Rebrand and Expand – the new Growth Operators

In 2020, the company changed its name to Growth Operators™ and its go-to-market division was spun off as a separate company. The newly rebranded company expanded to meet increasing demand for its prowess in transforming finance and human resources into strategic and operationally excellent enablers of growth for middle-market companies.

2022

Introducing INDIGO for Growth Pros

The company expanded to 58 Growth Operators. The HR practice grew exponentially in 2022 as more companies realized that People Operations go hand-in-hand with Finance. INDIGO was launched, designed for Growth Operators to grow, develop, and be promoted within the company.

The Future

Always learning, always teaching

As the saying goes, the best way to predict the future is to create it. Growth Operators will continue to stay hungry, work harder, work smarter, and keep evolving to help our clients reach their full potential for growth. We hope you’ll join us.

Our Guiding Principles

Don’t Overcomplicate It

Typical consultants tend to overcomplicate things. Hundreds of years of industry experience have taught us the importance of pragmatism and focus. Our clients want results, not theories.

Be Candid

Transformation requires candor. We don’t sugar-coat, and we don’t blame. We talk frankly and openly about how things can be done better. That’s how great results happen.

Never Stop Learning. Never Stop Teaching.

Knowledge is always a work-in-process. We all have different experience to share from our professional and personal lives. Sharing them makes all of us smarter than any of us.

Be Empathetic

We’ve walked miles in our clients’ shoes, so we know how hard it is to run and grow a great company. Keeping up is our clients’ full-time job; getting ahead is what they do on nights and weekends. We know that empowering great results gives them freedom to grow and can change their lives.

Embrace the Suck

Business transformation is hard work. And some problems just plain suck. We believe in the old saying, ’It ain’t gonna fix itself.’ We’re problem solvers who love a challenge. We embrace the suck and dig right in.

Roll up your sleeves and Execute

Ideas don’t create value. Execution does. We roll up our sleeves and turn great ideas into great results.

“The work the Growth Operators team did before I jumped onboard as the new CFO of Regency allowed me to transition in smoothly and hit the ground running. Since then, I’ve engaged them to help me accelerate other initiatives. We move fast and they do too.”

Ryan McQueeney, CFO, Regency

Results Speak Louder Than Promises.

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