20 Years Ago: The First Leap

You can take a step toward what you want, or you can take a leap.

In 1998, Scott Ormerod took an exhilarating leap…and he’s never looked back. With the launch of Leap Solutions, Scott created an outlet for his wide-ranging ideas and a business devoted to helping others solve organizational problems and find their own ways to leap to the next level of their success.

The original logo for Leap Solutions, dreamed up and designed by Scott’s niece, is a leaping frog. But it’s no ordinary frog; it’s an origami frog. Origami is an ancient art of Japanese paper folding that requires a unique and well-honed set of skills, experience and imagination. The paper-folding artist needs knowledge, accuracy and finesse to make the intricate patterns and detailed folds take shape. With enough ingenuity, creativity and vision, origami becomes an art form with infinite possibility. The origami frog serves as a perfect visual for the expertise and creative solutions Leap brings to each and every client.

Scott participated in Leadership Santa Rosa (LSR) 17 from 2000–2001. He was already making his distinguishing mark on the community and establishing strong roots for Leap Solutions.

15 Years Ago: The Collaboration

In 2004, Scott met the indomitable Chuck McPherson, who had started his own consulting business the year prior for many of the same reasons that Scott started Leap Solutions. Chuck had always wanted to be his own boss, and he, too, was ready to rid himself of the boundaries and restrictions of a corporate employer and eager to put his innovative ideas into action to help others transform and realize their vision.

It wasn’t long before Scott and Chuck shared an office, hired one another as consultants and started going after work together. Between 2007 and 2008, Chuck participated in LSR 24 and further solidified his place in the community and his fervent commitment to Santa Rosa.

10 Years Ago: The Partnership

After five years of working side by side and bumping into one another at all the same meetings and events, there was no denying it: one plus one is greater than two. Scott and Chuck realized that, together, they could make a bigger impact on clients than they could individually.

Seeing the tremendous value in collaborating, Scott and Chuck legally became business partners in 2009 and merged their businesses to form Leap Solutions Group, Inc. United, they were able to divide their time and energies into different, complementary activities and accomplish much more, which allowed for the sustainable growth of their newly joint venture.

Leap Solutions held steady during the Great Recession and then began to thrive. Scott and Chuck added a third core pillar, Recruiting and Executive Search, to their Organizational Development and Human Resources offerings. They hired amazing new team members who make an impact, and they expanded into new industries (including healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, small business and corporate, nonprofits, manufacturing, education and more) as well as new regions. After the devastating October 2017 firestorm, Leap Solutions gratefully supported, and continues to support, employees, clients and the community of Santa Rosa through recovery and rebuilding efforts.

The Future

We feel privileged to have spent the last two decades doing what we feel passionate about: helping our clients feel passionate about what they do. As we look back on the first twenty years of Leap Solutions, we’re proud to say we’ve always worked hard (while maintaining our perspective and humor and managing to have a whole lot of fun along the way!), and we’ve never lost sight of our commitment to integrity and to the health, vitality, security and success of our clients and our community.

As we look excitedly to the future of Leap Solutions, we see growth and innovation. We intend to expand into new industries and regions, and we’ll continue to hire the best and work to the strengths of our culture. Our original logo may be retiring to legacy status as we unveil polished new branding, but that skillfully crafted origami frog will always represent our expertise, creativity and limitless possibility. At Leap Solutions, we remain constantly energized by the people, organizations and industries we serve, and we love playing a vital role in your success stories.

Here’s to the next twenty years, and here’s to you, our valued clients, advisers and community: when deciding whether to take a step or take a leap toward what you want, may you always choose to leap…and may Leap Solutions be your trusted partner when you do.