KEITH KEMPH
President & CEO
Executive Consultant
BIO
CONSULTING AVAILABILITY
Since 1989 Keith's career has been progressive management roles from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. During his career Keith has been personally responsible for managing and leading all six functional work areas that are required to be successful in business - strategy, sales, marketing, operations, technology, and people. While his expertise is in strategy and operations, his experience is the key reason why BlackFin has become a nationally recognized brand name in such a short period of time as he has attracted the best consulting talent in the industry. He has held executive roles with Citigroup, Bank of America, Dime Bank, and Merrill Lynch.
Between 2000 and 2008 Keith achieved his MBA in business while running strategy at a division of Merrill Lynch, growing the division from 300M to over 30B in annual sales. In 2008 Keith began consulting executive teams, business leaders, and small business owners across numerous business verticals (financial services, mortgage banking, lending, restaurants, retail stores, law firms, software companies, and insurance companies). As an independent consultant, he was immediately recruited by a nationally recognized, top tier consulting firm based in Washington DC, where he spent nearly a decade as Managing Consultant working with some of the nations largest banks, community banks, and credit unions.
Keith eventually found at BlackFin he and his team could serve a broader client base while separating BlackFin from the traditional consulting firms who only measure success based on billing hours. Instead, BlackFin would take an integral approach by only measuring success based on client satisfaction - at a fraction of the cost. Throughout Keith’s career he has been passionate about helping executives and their teams with their operations, helping design and implement key growth orientated business strategies. He has managed budgets that ranged from 1M to $145M. He and his team work with start-ups, small business owners, regional players, and nationally recognized name brands across many industries. BlackFin cares less about client size and more about building a relationship with clients so they can deliver the most value.
Keith is an active participant in his local community and church. He served as Chairman of the Board for Major League Baseball's Umps Care Charity - a charity he is passionate about given what they do for children, families, and service members. Keith has been married for nearly 30 years, grew up in Southern California, resides in Denver Colorado due to his travels and love of the mountains. He is an avid skier, and has two adult children that live, work, and travel abroad full-time.
As an Executive Consultant Keith plays a significant role in shaping the strategic direction and operational effectiveness of organizations across various industries. Keith is a certified business strategist (INTJ) with a master's in business execution (ESTJ). Keith has a unique ability to see all 250 puzzle pieces of a business at any given time and knows how, and when, to bring different pieces together at the right times. Using his hands-on blue-collar approach, Keith is a trusted confidant of Business Owners, C-Level Executives, and Executive Management teams as they watch him dig in with both hands to design, build, and deliver critical market insights, strategies, frameworks, and methodologies to ensure strategic execution to help them operate more efficiently and grow profitability. He possesses a unique ability to break down and turn complex issues into good. Keith is a humble, personable, soft spoken, deep listener, a consummate and trusted professional. If you only knew his secrets - but he'll never tell and why his clients trust him. Because Keith's made many costly mistakes, like his clients, he can relate and doesn't judge. He truly understands the struggles from start-ups that he's grown to over 5M in annual revenue to working with the CEO's of national conglomerates.
Following is a list of the most popular engagements that Keith is hired for in order of demand. You can email Keith directly to discuss how you might need help and his availability kkemph@blackfin-group.com
-
Interim Chief Operating Officer (Min 3 Months to 2+ Yrs)
-
Interim Chief Strategy Officer (Min 3 Months to 2+ Yrs)
-
Business Review (SWOT Analysis)
-
Strategic Advisor (Monthly Retainer)
-
Program Manager of Key Business Initiatives, Ensuring Execution
-
Change Management or Program Management Workshops (ensure project ROI)
-
The Fixer: Turning Around Businesses / Executing Difficult Decisions
-
Business Transformation Advisor or Program Manager
-
Sales & Marketing Strategist (Including Go-To-Market Strategies)
-
Facilitator (Executive Teams & Focus Groups)
-
Customer Experience Strategy Advisor
-
Small Business Advisory
-
Confidential Recruiting & Staffing Placements
-
C-Level Surveys and Market Analysis Reports
-
Strategic Research Including Competitors,
-
M&A Targets (back channel influencer)
-
General Business Research
Keith’s Personal Sample Client List Includes: Bank of America, MetLife, BKS Insurance, ClearEdge, ICE, Cloudvirga Software, Major League Baseball Umpires, LoanPass Software, InRule Technology, Calyx Software, Savvy Software, Huntington Bank, Citizens Bank, Ideal Home Loans, LenderBlocksAI, Mortgage Investors Group, Courtyard Social Restaurants, Goldwater Bank, Westerra Credit Union, Jelly Fish Marketing, Front Range Bank, Framework Marketing Agency...