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About Us People often ask us the story behind the name "Yellow Wood." We're not talking about the southern tree. The idea for Yellow Wood came from the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. As in the poem, we've tried to take the road less traveled, by providing superior services to our clients and by staying ahead of the curve... to help our clients discover their development choices.
Two aspects of the way we work with our clients distinguish Yellow Wood Associates from other consulting firms. First, we see our job as not only assisting clients in getting the final product that they really want, but also as transferring skills so that the people with whom we work can develop the capacity to achieve their goals without us in the future. The second distinguishing aspect of our work is the way we view expertise. We see ourselves as co-learners with the client, and value each contract as a process through which we will both share and expand our own skills and expertise. When we say we are specialists in rural community economic development, each word means something special. Our interest in rural comes from a deeply held belief in the necessity of supporting people who work with and live close with the land, and empowering communities that live closest to our natural resources to be effective stewards of our shared resource heritage. We believe that healthy communities and healthy resources go hand in hand. Our background and experience as a small business distinguish Yellow Wood Associates from larger institutions, such as universities, large companies, and government agencies. YWA has gained expertise in community capacity building and small business development from its work with clients as well as from its own experiences as a small business. While other firms may be experts in a particular content area or in their knowledge of process, YWA has significant expertise in both natural resource-based content and process, bringing a fuller perspective to every project. What People Are Saying About Us "Your organization helps me focus the issues and target our response. The quality of work is exceptional." "You were able to take an idea and define it. Then when conditions changed and new information developed you were able to adapt mid-project." "Your understanding of the hurdles to be jumped, enthusiasm for determining the best solutions, and ability to define workable strategies were enormously helpful to us." "We think you worked very cooperatively and professionally. You were very helpful in refining and defining a process to get an overall end result and you had good follow-up after the project." YWA was recently rated by Dun and Bradstreet's Open Ratings, at the request of the General Services Administration for the purpose of evaluating our past performance. Open Ratings gave YWA an overall rating of 90, well above the average for our business type. YWA rated 90 or above in reliability, cost, order accuracy, delivery/timeliness, quality, business relations, personnel, customer support and responsiveness. None of the feedback from past clients was negative. For a representative list of past clients, click here.
Melissa Levy joined Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. as an Associate, after receiving her Master of Science degree in Natural Resource Planning from the University of Lee Wood joined Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. in July 2006. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography, and Community and Regional Planning from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. While at ASU, he served as the ASU Representative on the Town of Boone Planning Commission where he gained experience developing resource and infrastructure related town policy. After graduating, Lee worked with the Planning Department in the Town of Mint Hill, North Carolina, reviewing residential and commercial development plans and researching policy mechanisms for responding to rapid urban growth. Lee joined the AmeriCorps volunteer service in 2005, working with the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation to develop and implement several programs to extend energy efficiency services to low-income residents of Vermont. Lee lives in Burlington, Vermont where he also serves as the Executive Director of Vermont Building for Social Responsibility. Daniel Spies joined Yellow Wood Associates, Inc.as an Associate/Consultant, after receiving a Masters degree in Environmental Dispute Resolution from Marquette University in 2007. He offers Yellow Wood experience in civil engineering and planning, along with skills in the mediation of land use and environmental disputes. Previously Daniel owned and operated a civil engineering firm in Chicago since 1982, where he designed residential and commercial projects for local and regional land developers. His graduate studies at the University of Michigan and Marquette University have included environmental and natural resource law, as well as extensive work with Wisconsin communities implementing the new smart growth legislation into their comprehensive community planning. Daniel has experience and passion for the legitimate and effective use of public participation in community planning. While completing his Bachelor's degree at Marquette, Daniel worked for two years for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a public information officer in the air quality division. Cheri Hutchison joined Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. as an Administrative Assistant in 2007. Prior to joining the Yellow Wood team, she worked at the Franklin Grand Isle Community Action in St. Albans as the Food Shelf Clerk. She is a native of Franklin County, where she lives and works on her family's dairy farm. |
