Reflections on Growth

     While the Capitol Funding Solutions team brings together decades of experience in writing, project management, research, and strategic planning, the company itself started less than three years ago. At a recent company retreat, a team member who has been with the company for one year commented on the difference in the retreat tenor and agenda from 2023 to 2024. He noted that while there was very much a start-up mentality and vibe last year, 2024 felt like an established company. I have thought a lot about that comment, the maturity of the company, and the differences between our retreats separated by only 12 months. What has changed? 

Winning = Confidence  

     In the last 12 months, our team has secured over $800,000,000 in funding for clients. The team has navigated complicated funding programs for historically unprecedented awards. With success comes familiarity and confidence with strategies to manage complex applications with quick turnaround times. While the team brings an impressive track record from their positions before joining Capitol Funding Solutions, there is nothing that compares to the requirements and process of a DOE or CHIPS application. That experience has provided knowledge and maturity around not only complicated requirements but also how to tell the client’s story in a way that is compelling to reviewers.   

Core Values

     I have spent a lot of time personally thinking about the core values that this company is built around. It may sound far less important than business development, client retention, and hiring, but I highly recommend finding the time to pinpoint the values that guide how you treat your clients, how you work together as a team, and how you will grow as a company. Our core values are: 

Collaboration: We foster an environment of open communication and mutual respect to create innovative solutions and drive impactful results. 

Reliability: Clients can rely on us to be responsive, punctual, and dependable, offering comprehensive and precise assistance during their funding journey. 

Integrity: We prioritize candid conversations, tailored solutions, and accountability to foster lasting relationships and success. 

Creativity: By embracing creativity, we think outside the box and provide fresh, effective approaches that help our clients achieve their funding goals. 

Team Approach 

     Given that the first core value on our list is collaboration, it is no surprise that team is a word I often use. We have a uniquely kind and generous team. I am always amazed at how quickly every one of our employees steps up to help when another has a question or needs assistance to keep a project on schedule.  

    Although our headquarters and some employees are based in Washington, DC, our team is spread across multiple states and three different time zones. It is a post-pandemic, unorthodox structure, but it allows me to hire the very best people for positions that can be difficult to fill with exactly the right skill set. I spend a lot of time worrying that since we have team members spread across the country, they may feel isolated and not supported. Two new initiatives we have implemented to ensure that our employees feel like part of a team are: 

1. Increased Support for Applications

     We are formally assigning a team to each application project so that the lead writer has dedicated support writers who will be familiar with the project and its status. We will continue to use “fresh” writers for copy editing to mimic a reviewer who knows nothing about the project to help catch confusing passages or acronyms that have not been spelled out. A bigger team with specific roles will result in a better end product and a smoother process for the lead writer. 

2. Enhanced Team Experience

    Beth Sutter, in addition to her writing and project management work, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Private Sector and Team Experience. She will take the lead on providing resources, organizing training, and planning team-building activities. Beth is incredibly organized, eternally positive, and well-respected. Her plans will support our team of “information junkies” who are curious and always interested in learning.  

Organizational Clarity 

     I have always managed Capitol Funding Solutions as a horizontal organization. I encourage our team members to suggest new ideas, contribute to annual goal setting, and be invested in strategic growth. Our workflows were developed by employees, and our project management system was the idea of one of our youngest employees and was refined over time by her and other team members. I have always resisted developing an org chart because I worry that it will send a message that everyone does not have an equal say or that they are not valued.

     However, as we grow, there has been a call for an org chart to help with onboarding and to clarify processes. I delayed and procrastinated until one team member said that when he thinks of an org chart for our company, he imagines me at the bottom, supporting the team members. That felt like exactly the image I wanted, so the org chart was born! 

     When Capitol Funding Solutions started, everyone was a utility player. It was like an entire team of Pete Roses. As we grow, we have the opportunity to put people in positions where they excel and have a passion. While our lead writers have experience in both private and public sector funding, we are becoming more specialized.

     I am delighted to name Beth Sutter as the Senior Vice President of Private Sector and Team Experience, and Will Leitch as the Senior Vice President of Public Sector. Matt Laborde is our new Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and the employee who commented on the change in the company since the 2023 retreat. In that position, Matt has brought a new level of service to our ongoing clients and as his organization grows, I am excited to see the new initiatives he is implementing to serve our clients at an even higher level. In the last year, we have also created Associate positions for Writing and Strategic Planning. Their fresh perspective and additional team support is critical to our operations, and I hope these positions will provide a career path for those employees to grow with our company.  

     I am proud of this team and what we are building. It is a delight to be at the bottom of the org chart, supporting Capitol Funding Solutions. I can’t wait to look back in 2025 and see what we have accomplished over the next 12 months!